Free turnover software - feedback wanted

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Hey all, my friend and I wrote some software that allows hosts to automatically schedule their cleaners for upcoming turnovers. It’s free - anyone want to try it and give us some feedback? Our website is TurnoverBnB.com

Appreciate it,
Tim Roy

TurnoverBnB Airhost.png1320×649 81.3 KB

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I’m game. Did the sign up but never got the confirmation email.

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That’s weird, I’m out to dinner right now and will check what happened when I get back. I take it you checked your spam folder?

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You’re right - it went to the Spam folder.

So now that I signed in, looks like a link to my ABB Calendar is required? I was hoping that I could use your platform’s calendar instead as I don’t just want my ABB room cleaned - sometimes I’d like to also schedule a “whole property” cleaning which in my case means the front porch, upstairs hallway/stairs, etc. cleaned. Is this an option?

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For now, we generate alerts from your ABB or VRBO calendar, but if you want we can add the ability to create additional ad hoc cleaning projects and have it done near the end of the week

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I’ve just signed up but how do you notify cleaners? (that is unclear from the websiter). My cleaner never checks her emails so this wouldn’t be suitable for her if that is the method of notification.

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I’m really liking your idea so happily testing this. Glad you’re using us as betas.
Here’s more initial feedback:

  1. Will there be an app version of this? I find I do more on my phone than computer these days. Also, as @jodes mentioned, my cleaner doesn’t use email that often but does use her phone regularly.

  2. I think I would prefer that the turnover opportunities aren’t auto-published to my cleaners. Sometimes I might want to do the cleaning myself. Or, allow it to be a setting since I could see how remote hosts might prefer auto-publish.

  3. “Turnover” is a subjective term. It would be helpful if I could define to my cleaners the tasks I expect done when they accept a Turnover. Perhaps you could key off of the listing itself since your software now knows my listing is a 1 bedroom + 1 bath room-only listing. I would like to specify each task for each room (Bedroom: change linens, vacuum, dust. Bath: Clean shower to include drying the inside glass enclosure, clean toilet, empty trash can and put new liner in can, etc.). I would also need an “Other” section where I could list other tasks I ask my cleaning lady to do with each room cleaning such as empty the kitchen garbage and put new liner in cans, etc.

  4. Default profile pics are a tad creepy.

  5. I know I am supposed to setup a payment mechanism to pay the cleaner but so far I haven’t figured out where to do that (or where to define the acceptable price to perform the cleaning tasks I’ve defined.) Is that part still under development? And I must say that I’m just a little leery of putting in bank account info with this being in beta. Can you share a little about yourselves and your developers that might inspire our confidence?

I hope this takes off for you. If we can get this working right I would start using it right away.

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I thought of something else: It would be great if the cleaner would have check off each cleaning task as “done”.

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Currently, notification to cleaners of upcoming projects is via email, but we could also notify cleaners via SMS if that’s something you would be interested in. We’re actually working on a mobile app for cleaner that will notify them of upcoming projects, and allow cleaners to accept/reject - it should be done toward the end of July.

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Wow, thanks for all the great advice Tumo, let me go through each comment.

  1. Yeah, we’re currently working on the mobile app for cleaners that will notify them of new projects and allow them to accept or reject projects. The mobile app will be available on both apple and android and should be done by end of July. We’ll eventually make a mobile app for hosts too.

  2. This is a great idea, we’ll work on this.

  3. Yeah, we have a beta for a checklist section that allows hosts to create custom checklists for each property, but we haven’t released it yet because we weren’t quite happy with it. We’ll likely release it soon.

  4. Haha, we’re hoping that the little monsters will encourage users to add a real profile picture

  5. Yeah, we haven’t released the optional pay your cleaners widget yet, but it’s close. But when we do release it, it will be totally optional, so no one has to pay their cleaners through us if they don’t want to. A little bit about us - we’re a couple of friends that met in business school in Hawaii. As previous hosts, we came up with this idea and then nurtured it in a business plan competition. If you google TurnoverBnB and University of Hawaii, we come up near the top.

Our intention is that the software will always be free to use, but we think we can generate some revenue through small transaction processing fees when hosts pay their cleaners through us and also by introducing hosts to new cleaners in their area if/when they need it.

  1. We will incorporate this when we release the mobile app for cleaners in July

Thanks again for giving us such great feedback as we want to make TurnoverBnB as user friendly and functional as possible. Let us know if you have any more comments!

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Pretty interesting tool. I signed up and I think it has decent functionality as is, but I agree with TuMo with his comments. Is the software always going to be free or just for Beta users?

Jake

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The software part will remain free for hosts to use with their existing cleaners. If hosts want to, they can pay their cleaners through us using a credit card, and we will charge a small transaction processing fee for that. Thanks for signing up and trying us! Let us know if you have any other comments.

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I think it’s only fair for you to charge something. Besides, you need a revenue stream to stay in business.

Let me know when enhancements are in place and I’ll try it out again.

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We intent to keep it free for hosts to use with their existing cleaners, but just out of curiosity, what do you think would be a reasonable fee to charge for this service?

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Hey, if I have an ABB calendar and VRBO calendar for one property, is there a way to sync them together on TurnoverBnB?

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Not currently. I recommend making two separate properties on TurnoverBnB - one for your airbnb Calendar and one for your VRBO calendar. Functionally, this will allow you to schedule turnovers for both calendars. Thanks for trying us out!

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@TuMo @WiscoJake Hey guys, we updated the software today and added some other features. Let me know if you have any problems with the changes.

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There in lies your problem. Most cleaners in the UK at least prefer payment in cash. And if not want a direct bank transfer.

You would be much better getting users to pay a small sum for the App.

I just use my phone calendar to arrange times with my cleaner, so wouldn’t need this as a resource but might be helpful for those managing multiple listings

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Tried it again. You guys are getting there!!
Here’s my feedback:

  1. Defining what the cleaning tasks are is a good start. However, it would help a lot if, instead of a big blob of text, the tasks could be enumerated by room, and that my cleaner could also see them and have to check each task off to indicate she had done the work. I have a fine level of detail I like my cleaners to do and even my really good one forgets things periodically.

  2. I would still need to the ability to unhook the “Property” from a calendar. I created a new property (since it’s not ABB “space”, it’s common space in the building such as front porches, hallways, shared space, etc.) but couldn’t get any further when the software needed a link. This is space I would want cleaned at my whim, not as part of any bookings.

  3. It would be super helpful to have a template of my cleaning task so I don’t have to keep typing it in, one that I could just pick and say “schedule for this date”. My cleaning tasks don’t vary that often, but when I want them done will. Again, this isn’t just a room turnover, this is periodic cleaning I’d like to have done irrespective of guest bookings.

Appreciate the work you’re doing on this. As an IT person myself, I enjoy being a beta. :sunglasses:

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Oh, and I like the new unknown/mystery person graphic for the missing photo - far less creepy!! :smiley: