If your communication game is off, you’re going to get ripped apart when it comes to reviewing time. Bad communication = Bad review. It’s not all doom and gloom, however. There are some very practical steps you can take to make sure your communication is on point.
What’s so important about guest communication?
Guest communication is one of the key elements of your success on the Airbnb platform. Airbnb always takes into account the response rate when granting Superhost status. Besides, prompt responses are capable of winning more bookings for your property.
At the same time, guest communication is one of the most time-consuming tasks for property managers. Replying to your current and potential guests can take up to 75% of your time. So, guest communication is the first process you need to automate to get more time for other important activities.
Automating Communication
There are several options for automating the messaging process with your guests. Usually, responses to your guests will correspond to the major stages of the booking process (upon inquiry, booking confirmation, etc.). You can be proactive here and provide the necessary information to the guest before they even ask. Part of creating a good experience for the guest is knowing what, when, and how to communicate with them.
Here is what NOT to do:
- Send any messages in excess of 100 words unless absolutely necessary
- Send check-out info at any time other than near or at check-out time
- If 1 out of 100 guests does something you do not like, do not create a rule and make the other 99 read it.
- Disrespect the guest’s time by making them read things they do not need to
- Treat the guest as a child and repeat yourself unnecessarily
- Create lengthy ‘do not do’ lists
Here is what you SHOULD do:
Communicate only necessary information to the guest in an effective manner and timely.
Have the following messages prepared and automatically sent to guests:
- Initial booking inquiry
- Request to book message
- Booking confirmation
- Check-in information
- One day after check-in message
- Pre-check-out message
- Post-check-out message
- Review reminder
What are Canned Messages?
Canned messages are pre-written messages that you can use for quick messaging. You can use the topics we provided above to create saved messages that you can send to your guests.
How do canned messages help?
Constant guest messaging can take a lot of time. This is especially true if hosts have many properties. Canned messages can help to break the cycle of never-ending message writing. Canned messages reduce messaging time and simplify guest communication.
Messaging Tips
With so many of our natural communication methods removed from standard messaging, you must take extra care in making sure your guests receive the messages the way you intended. Just because you write in a certain way doesn’t mean it’s received the same way.
Message Tone
The tone of your messages is a reflection of your attitude to the reader of the message ie. your guests.
The tone is used in conjunction with a voice to set the mood and feel of the message.
Examples of tone are:
- Confident
- Arrogant
- Humorous
- Emotional
- Intimate
- Condescending
- Serious
The tone is a difficult one to get right, as it can be very subjective. One person may interpret your words in a very different way to the next.
Guidelines and Examples
Remeber to:
Bad guest message example:
“Check-out is at 10 a.m. Please leave the house as you found it and leave the key in the box”.
Guest interpretation: Get out of my house by 10 a.m. or I’ll get angry. If the house isn’t left immaculate, I’ll be leaving you a bad review. I’m not grateful for you renting my house, I just want the money.
Good guest message example:
“Hey, Chris.
Just a quick heads up that tomorrow is check-out day. Check-out time is at 10 a.m.
I hope you’ve had an awesome few days in (Your_City).
If you wouldn’t mind just giving the house quick spruce before you leave, that’d be great. Oh, and one last thing, if you could remember to leave the key in the box after you check out, that’d be amazing.
Hope you’ve had a great stay at our house.
Any questions, just let me know.
Thanks!
– (Your_Name)”
So what would the guest interpretation of this be? The host is kind and has my interests at heart by letting me know the appropriate check-out times. He’d be really grateful if the house was left neat and tidy. Friendly reminder to put the key in the box. He’s there to help if needed. This is a pretty extreme example, but it’s easy to see how the voice and tone of the message drastically impact the way that they’re received.
How to write better Airbnb guest messages
Writing great Airbnb guest messages (as with everything) comes with practice. The more you write, the better you’ll become. To help you next time you’re constructing a guest message, follow these eight rules for better Airbnb host communication:
1. Leave no room for misinterpretation
Compose your messages, recognizing that the guest may not be in the same mood or emotional state as you. Always try to imagine how the person receiving the message could interpret it. Pro Tip: When people read a message, they attempt to read intention and tone in the words. If your messages are ambiguous, people will automatically read the most negative emotions and intentions.
2. Write conversationally
It’s much easier to build rapport with your guests when your messages are written in a conversational tone. Just like you’d speak with a friend. A quick way to shift things away from dry, corporate-speak towards a more conversational style is to use contractions within your messages.
Examples of contractions are:
- I’m: I am
- Can’t: can not
- We’ve: we have
- Should’ve: should have
- Could’ve: could have
- She’ll: she will
- He’s: he is
Seems small, maybe even silly but adding contractions to your written messages can improve the communication dialogue between you and your guests a ton.
3. Be positive
Wording things positively helps build relationships.
Framing things in a positive light is easy to do, and will instantly build rapport with your guests.
4. Use please and thank you’s
It kind of goes without saying, but whenever you’re asking someone to do something for you, remember to use please and thank you’s…it goes a long way. Pro Tip: Using “please” with a passive-aggressive edge is not courteous!
For example:
“Please remember to check out by 10 a.m.”
Yes, it’s short and to the point. But, it could put your guests in defensive mode.
Instead, try: “Just a quick reminder that check-out is at 10 a.m. tomorrow.”.
5. Don’t use text speak
Do yourself a favor, and don’t use text speak within your guest messages. Not only does it look lazy, but it looks unprofessional too.
6. Don’t use ALL CAPS
CHECK-OUT IS AT 1OAM! A bit dramatic, don’t you think? Using ALL CAPS is widely regarded as the written version of shouting. Unless you think your guests enjoy being shouted at… Avoid ALL CAPS!
7. Use a good layout
In an era of very limited attention spans, people are less and less willing to read big long (boring) blocks of text. To make things easier to digest for your guests, layout your messages appropriately:
- Use spacing to break up sentences and paragraphs.
- Use bullet points/ lists where possible.
Taking the time to layout your messages properly increases the likelihood that your guests will actually read your messages in the first place.
8. Always sign off with an offer of more help
As a good host, your job is to be there to help. That’s why we always recommend signing off from each of your messages with the offer of more help and assistance if needed. We usually sign off messages like this: “If you need any more help, just let me know.” Simple but effective.
Great communication makes a difference in a guest’s experience so don’t sleep on how impactful it can be. Follow these guidelines, make your own automation messages, take the time to set up a system and you can perfect your guest communication in no time!
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