What to include in your messaging templates?

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

Good communication with a guest is essential for a great experience. We recently heard  from many of you (post) that in order to help you keep up with your bookings, you like to create templates as a base for your messages. This way you can make sure you have all the information your guest needs close to hand.

What do you include in your message templates? If you don’t presently use message templates, what do you think is important to include?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Lizzie I do use templates and i would advice everyone who use them to always include the wifi code and the address of their listing.I have notice that even the fact that Airbnb do display the wifi details many guests tend to ask for the code.

[Lizzie]

Interesting to hear @Oomesh-Kumarsingh0. I suppose these days, one of the first things people do when they arrive at a place to stay is sign in to the wifi – it's the connected world we live in these days. 🙂

Do you have lots of different templates? Do you usually use these as your starting point and then customise them for each guest?

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Lizzie I do have a few! Some always need customization.

[Wayne92]

@Oomesh-Kumarsingh0 i agree that wifi should always be included. Do you think it may be beneficial to include something in the home that gives the wifi info and more necessary information so that they never even have to ask?

[Sally4]

I love the templates and use them all the time.  

When a guest first makes a contact I send them a 

"Thank you for booking" Message.  That way they know I got their request. (Especially nice for first timers)

If they mention an activity, I may even include a second template, such as

"Great hikes in the area"

or 

"Good places to eat, on the way"

or

"What Marathon Runners want to know"

or

"Wedding guest" 

A couple of days before they arrive I send them the

"summer directions"

or

"winter directions" ( I know, they seem like they should be the same, the house doesn't move.  Trouble is, too many people didn't realize that their would be snow on the road to a ski cabin.)

The day of I might send them a 

"Keyless Entry" reminder.

I also use Templates for the people that are asking me to make an exception for thier dog or child.  These responses have to be worded delicately, respectfully, and clearly.  We have thought these rules through, and  we have come to the decision to not host young children or dogs, So the answers are the same... So when someone asks you to make an exception for them, you don't have to think about it, or feel guilty, you just click the 

"I am sorry, for the well being of your child, we are unable to host young famlies" Template

or 

"I am sorry, our dog is male, and we do not want there to be any problems between our dog and another guest's dog" Template

I even have templates for Cancellations

"We are so sorry you have had to cancel your reservation.  We hope that you will have an opportunity to visit us another time, as your schedule arrives."

Yeah, love those templates...

[Lizzie]

Wow @Sally4, this is amazing. It sounds like you have put a lot of thought in to all the different reasons your guests might be coming and how you can make them feel special. 

Do you find having these templates, saves you a lot of time? How often do you revise these and add additional ones?

[Sally4]

Templates save me a lot of time, they prevent me from forgetting some key bit of information, and allow me the time to create a well-crafted response, one that has been well proofread, is crystal clear, and, if appropriate, especially sensitive to our guest's needs.

For example, when a guest asks to bring a small child, my refusal has been worded in such a way as to sound friendly, express our love of children, and our overarching concern for their child's safety, and well-being.  I also mention that we could be a welcome adult for the parents at a future date.  

I may insert a template and then make minor modifications.  

For example, on my keyless entry template I put in...

"Your entry code is the last for digits of your cell phone number           "

Most of the time, if I can harvest that number quickly, I will actually insert the last for digits of their cell in the opening I have intentionally left. (Guests forget which cell they used, can't remember whose cell they used, or are generally a bit tired and overwhelmed. It is just easier to give them their number.)

I put more time into my templates in the beginning, but still occasionally add more, as the need arises. 

For example:

Our community now has Boston Marathon Qualifying Races, so I have a template that addresses this group.

We now offer a ski and stay package, with a significant discount.  If our guest mentions their intent is to ski, we send that informational template. 

I would suggest that hosts start with a basic set of templates…

Thank you for booking (Upon booking)

Do you have any needs? (Week before)

How to get to the house/in the house. (Day or two before)

Reminder of key code and check in time (Day of)

Did you sleep well? (First morning) (If you are a remote host this might be helpful.  I usually welcome our guest to the breakfast table with that greeting.)

I know, Air BnB has all this information available to our guests, but if our guests are not seasoned Air BnB travelers, they may not know where to find the information. They are often anxious, and the assurances make them feel welcome.

I understand that some people may think that this takes time, and it would, if I didn’t have templates.  

Did I mention how much I love my templates?  I just wish I could organize them.  I would even love to see them simply organized in alphabetical order.  Currently, they appear in a random order...

Yes, I have a lot of templates. Yeah, Love ‘Em…

[Anthony501]

I love this kind of user feedback.  I am instantly envious of your organisational ability, so I just searched Airbnb for a tutorial on the subject, but no luck.  Do you simply keep these templates as documents outside of your dashboard, then copy and paste as needed?

And, given the thought you obviusly have given your hosting, do you have a guest  manual or guest book (even though your templates would seem to cover most situations), and if yes is it electronic and/or a physical book?

Chers

Tony

[Sally4]

Super simple, and all within the Air BnB platform, so even if you are in your phone, two days out, on the side of a mountain*, you can access and then send articulate, professional communications.  

How?

When you open the text box to respond to your guest inquiries,  you will see a rectangle to the left of the text box.  (I can be curious,  that way, and clicked on it)  And THAT is where you store all the templates you want.  

Yes, all my templates are already addressed elsewhere in the Air BnB platform. Yes, I have guest books, visitor books, a visitors guide on my Air BnB pages, and photos, all restating the same information.  But when a guest asks...

What hikes do you recommend? You COULD say, well, Mr. smarty pants, why dont you look it up on my Air BnB posting.  But that wouldnt be nice or useful.  So when they ask for hikes, you send what sounds like this chatty description you have given off the cuff, when actually, you clicked the rectangle on the left of your text box, you scrolled down through your personalized templates to "suggested easy hikes" or 

"Hikes for the more ambitious"

And click in it, which inserts the template into your text box.  You type at the top of this template, "Gee, Jessica, I think you and Al would love these hikes..."

Now, Jessica and Al, (or whoever your guests are) imagine that you wrote this hiking narrative exclusively with them in mind! Isnt that why our guests GO through Air BnB, to feel that they are special, unique, and deserving of individualized attention?

*true story, I was 15 miles in, on the side of a mountain, and was just finishing the filtering of 3 liters of water when my phone chimes.  I have a random flash of internet service,  and was able to answer 4 guest inquiries in less than 10 minutes!

[Mikaela14]

Sally, would you be willing to share your templates? I’d love any help you would be willing to provide there. 🙂

[Kurt-And-Sheila0]

Have you considered having these send out automatically with their dispatch determined by their arrival date?  There is also a third party site that uses AI to recognize and learn the common questions and respond for you (with your pre-written responses).

[Emily352]

Communication is one of the parameters of judgment in the reviews, although to me the purpose was never to earn one more star: the ultimate goal was just to make the guest feel welcome and happy, if I received a good review, all the better!

It took me a while to realise that a careful handling of the answers could determine the success of my proposal and, above all, help me to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Since the first contact through the portal I clarified that I was neither a Bed & Breakfast nor a hotel, but that I rented my house to tourists, therefore, the guest should not expect from me Sheraton hotel services, daily cleaning of rooms or meals (eg breakfast), expressly prohibited by the law of my region. That was  the whole point!

In this message I also included the first requests for information about his trip, immediate or delayed:  this was useful when I had to prepare my summary table.

Dear John,

Thank you for confirming your reservation.

Do you happen to know what time you will arrive?

If you need directions to reach my home or some advice about Milan do not hesitate to ask me, I will do my best to help you.

Have a nice day, see you in September.

Emily

In order to make my life easier, I created an e-mail address dedicated to my home.  Instead of using the temporary AIRBNB e-mail address - after the first approaches with the guest and the confirmation of the reservation - I sent him my official address and I attached a document with all the information about my house, how to reach it from the airport and the railway station, my phone number, the rules of my house, the emergency phone contact numbers (eg loss of keys), the electrical panel is located ..., the central water tap is located ..., restaurants, exhibitions, museums, fairs etc. Nothing was to be left to accident.

In this way, I provide all the materials that could serve the guest during his stay and this solution saved me a lot of time and breath.

Shortly before his arrival, I sent the guest a control message: I reminded him all the basic things. The exact address. The telephone number. The confirmation of times. The check for any doubts. Greetings, hugs and kisses from Emily.

[Wayne92]

@Emily352 what about after they arrive? Do you have something outlined that gives them additional information about the area and your home?

[Emily352]

@Wayne92

The manual of the house that contained all the information on my house was my main ally:

° Emily house’s rules. First rule. living in my house is not the same as staying in a hotel. Second rule: any damage should be reported immediately and I would like to assist you. Third rule: additional guests are not allowed. Fourth rule: close any window an turn off the lights when you're not in. Fifth rule: Always lock the main door.

° my phone number

° the wi-fi password

° a list of TV channels

° the equipment of the house: everything that guests could find and use (iron and table for ironing and vacuum cleaner in the wardrobe, sewing kit in the bathroom cabinet, mop and bucket in the bathroom etc.)

° instructions on household appliances (air conditioner, heating boiler, washing machine, oven, coffee machine, etc.)

° the location of water and electricity systems

° home security (first aid kit, fire extinguisher, gas leak detector, etc.)

° useful addresses in case of emergency

° what to do if you want to take a ride in the park

° typical Italian recipes

° public transport in Milan (I left 2-3 bus tickets, a map of underground lines, cabs etc.)

° the parking rules in the district: the area reserved for residents, the nearest garage

° main monuments or points of attraction (e.g. “The last supper” by Leonardo da Vinci)

° useful addresses (pharmacies, restaurants, bars, supermarkets, banks, pizzerias, food express and take away, wine bar & happy hour, shops, tobacconists, hair dressers, italian emergency nubers etc.)

° where toys for children are located

° the rules for waste separation

° the actions planned for my personal check-out. Remember the first rule? My house is not a hotel and has to be ready to welcome other guests, so get rid of the garbage bags for a start, put the furniture back in the same position where you found them, put sheets and towels in the basket, close the air conditioning and the gas tap, close doors and windows, turn off the lights, clean the dirty dishes, check the drawers and the cupboards so as not to forget passports, glasses, medicines, etc.

I also left a guestbook at the disposal of the guests on which I invited them to leave comments and suggestions: a way to create a more authentic relationship with them.

A few days after their arrival, even if for a while I lived with my guests (we didn’t meet often) I used to send them an e-mail to greet them and ask if things went all right and to know if they needed something: a simple way to make them feel not abandoned, but beware! Pick up the verbal cues that the guest sends you and adjust your level of participation without being too pushy.

In this regard, there are no rules: there is only personal sensitivity and the relationship with your guest will be different every time and every time it will be invented. This is the great wealth of hosting that I still carry inside of me.