2021 scheduled messages

Dear Fellow Hosts:
Am I the only one who is delighted with the new feature of “scheduled messages” that allow hosts to create “personalized” messages that can be set to be sent to guests at specific times (e.g. 30 minutes after booking, a day before check-out, etc.)?

Quite possibly.

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It’s probably just me but I like to keep things as personal as possible when it comes to messages to guests. All guests are different and their needs differ message-wise.

It only takes a few minutes to message a guest from the phone especially if you have some standard saved ones.

I remember from the early days of social media how companies used to get into a real mess using scheduled messages and then sending out live messages contradicting themselves or sending the wrong message to the wrong account using services such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck.

The cynical side of me thinks that there will soon be complaints posted here that the guest didn’t get the scheduled message…

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I would never assume that Airbnb tech will work as it’s supposed to, considering their “Glitches R Us” m.o.

If I used them, I would either ask the guest to confirm they received them, or check that they did, especially for things like check-in info sent the day before.

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I’m the same. New developments are just another thing that can go wrong until the gremlins are ironed out. Scheduled messages are just a complication to me. If I had to check with guests that they had received them then I’m not saving time anyway.

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@KKC @muddy @jaquo I love that I can automate the content of each message so that each message mentions the guest’s name, date of arrival and departure, and so on. The messages have prompted favorable responses from guests because they do seem personal and not automated templates. As I have other obligations besides hosting, it has saved me time and it makes me happy to have such feature available. However, I understand the skepticism of my fellow hosts.

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I don’t there’s anything wrong with scheduled messages, I just wouldn’t trust that the guest got them unless they confirmed that they did.

I just set up a couple to test how it goes. I did my Welcome message that I typically send the day after they arrive and I did my Check-out reminder that I typically send the day before check-out. However, I can see that even these two messages are normally never edited before I send them (other than to add their first name) might end up having some issues because I sometimes have already heard from the guests almost as soon as they arrive at the condo - to say how they like the place, etc. And sometimes our guests have a late check-out, so my message would not be good for them, as I would have to edit the time of check-out on their message.

Do you know if you can edit or cancel the message prior to it being sent out at the scheduled time? But then I’m just wasting my time, right?

My check-out reminder just happened at 11am (HST), and I see that you can see the message in the message thread, so that’s good. That was going to be one of my questions. I was wondering because I cannot see the check-in directions that are automatically sent to the guests prior to arrival (the one with photos).

@RomeoRetreat In my case, since minimum stay is generally 7-10 days, I have scheduled several messages, from a welcome message, to a message about the WiFi access/passwork, to a message about things to do (restaurants, local attractions, etc). I also scheduled messages about confirming check-out time a few days before check-out, and messages for the day before and the day of check-out. Maybe my multiple messages are overkill; I will learn as I go although I welcome everyone’s input, thank you.

It’s been a feature on BDC ever since I’ve used the platform for the last two years. But that only automatic one I’ve ever used is the general welcome when somebody makes a booking. To me that’s the most useful. Everything else I like to tailor for the guest.

This is a question for any Airbnb only Hosts that are currently using a PMS:

With this new feature from Airbnb, are you questioning the need of your current Property Management Software?

I used smartbnb for a couple of years but decided I didn’t really need it with my single rental and having plenty of time to manage it. It was convenient and I liked it but just didn’t need it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Airbnb starts offering many of those services in-house. Either they could offer it for free as value added to keep owners from booking on other platforms or get hosts hooked on it and then start charging for it.

Yeah Airbnb has a whole product team focussed on Pro Host tools. They can’t build things as fast as other offerings as they need to make it work for so many users. We actually run a Airbnb property management business in Australia and have built a tool in-house for our team. Airbnb is definitely improving what they offer so it will interesting to see what else they come out with.

Yes, they are a delight! We use them to communicate important info to the guests, such as access codes and such.