Suggestion: Allow for guests and hosts to acknowledge messages

[Josh1349]

IMO we need something to fill in the "I saw your message but don't have anything to say" gap. When a guest messages me I want them to be sure that I saw their message, even if no response is required. At the same time, I don't want to get stuck in a "got it, thanks" loop with the guest -- I don't want their phone dinging from my message unless it is important. 

Suggestion:

1. show check-mark or similar when a guest/host has probably seen a message
2. allow for guests and hosts to react to a message (e.g. thumbs-up) to communicate that it's been seen/read and we're good to go on that topic

[Liv]

Great suggestions, @Josh1349!

Thanks for sharing it here in the Community, it will be nice to hear what other Hosts think 🙂

[Nicole2223 · Accepted solution]

Yes yes yes!!!  Could not agree more.  As you have probably experienced, that question of whether they got the message or didn't can impact the next message you send.  A  means for acknowledgement would be a fantastic enhancement.

One way that would be helpful to me is when I've sent a message that I want to ensure doesn't get missed (even if it doesn't need a response)...but to stick with my messaging timeline, I need to send another message. I often hold off until I know if they've received the prior message but that can get out of hand when a lot of time passes between, say, reservation and check in date. 

Another feature that COULD be advantageous for hosts is to show the 'read/unread' status.  However, I realize that can have its downsides too.  

[Beth80]

@Liv  This has been mentioned before. It would be so useful. I often wonder if a guest has read a certain message or not. Have a color change or a check mark would clear this up so quickly. 

[Josh1349]

For instance, my guests who checked out today missed multiple items on the checkout list, and checked out late.

Did they even see the checkout notes which were sent in the chat (scheduled message) last night? No idea! I have to assume they read them and just didn't care or were in a rush, and it'll show on my review. 

[Sarah977]

@Josh1349  I agree that it would be a useful feature. For instance, I do a lot of communicating with my upholstery clients through whatsapp. It's great to be able to see the 2 blue check marks  next to a message I sent them to know they read my message.

This isn't the first time this has been suggested on this forum. 

One thing you can do is add to your guest messages, such as your check-out message, to please shoot you a quick return message or text so you know they received your message. Hosts sometimes get irritated that guests "ignored" a message because they didn't respond, but guests may not feel it requires a response unless you tell them.

For instance, a host may get miffed that a guest hasn't answered a "Hi, just hoping you checked in okay and are settled. Let me know if you have any questions or need assistance" message. Now if I received a messsage like that, I'd message back, " Yes, all is well, thank you."  But someone else might not feel it required a response unless they actually had an issue.

[Josh1349]

Yeah, agreed. I do have a line at the bottom of the checkout instructions message e.g. "please let us know once you've checked out, blah blah blah". Same as you, I'd respond to a "hope you checked in okay" message and I'd also send an "I'm all checked out" message. I understand some guests don't think to do those things, which is fine. Oh well.

[Sarah977]

@Josh1349  Basic manners seems to be in short supply these days.

[Liv]

@Sarah977 @Josh1349 @Beth80 @Nicole2223 

Hey everyone,

There are some really good suggestions on this thread, thanks a lot for sharing them. I'll pass them on to the team and hopefully they will be considered for future updates.

If you have any other ideas, feel free to keep them coming 🙂 

Thanks!