A guest recovery plan for every season
Things can and will go wrong throughout peak season. That’s just the way things go! Dishwashers break. Homes don’t get cleaned in time for guest arrival. It happens.
But, just because your team is crazy busy doesn’t mean you can’t make a full recovery from those “oh no” moments. It just takes a little preparation up front to ensure your team knows how to spring into action if, and when, the time comes. We’ve outlined a few ideas to get you started:
1. Wine Helps
After a rocky guest experience, there are few things a glass of wine can’t fix. Dropping wine off to your guests is a great way to make a quick recovery. Just make sure you have a plan to keep some on hand and regularly re-stock your stash, so your team isn’t making last minute grocery store runs.
2. Be thoughtful now (you won’t have time to be later!)
The busier you get the less thoughtful any recovery gift is going to be. You don’t want to just give out gift cards and call it fixed. That’s the equivalent of getting a gift from Amazon from your uncle with a scripted birthday message on the receipt. Not good. Before peak season, put together curated gifts that feel thoughtful and intentional. This is a fun way to get other members of your team involved, as well!
3. Leverage your local relationships
Having something hand delivered to a home is a great way to turn a rough moment into something memorable. And, it doesn’t have to be your team that does it! Reach out to local businesses like restaurants, florists and bakeries to establish relationships you can rely on to get those deliveries made.
We’d recommend creating one or two standard orders with the company that you can call in last minute. “Hey, Joe’s Bakery — we need a the Sunshine Vacation Rentals special delivered to an upset guest later this afternoon.” That way anyone on your team can call it in, add it to your tab and then move onto the next fire.
4. Create an “oh no” role
During your busiest months, create a role totally dedicated to putting out guest fires (figurative, of course). It’s important to have the right person there. It needs to be someone who isn’t easily rattled, has excellent soft skills, and is a quick decision maker. They’re likely already on your team. To make this person successful, you’ll need to equip them with tools (like the three outlined above) and the freedom to act. Make their boundaries clear. What can they do without asking for permission? Give them a decision framework that allows them to act quickly and autonomously.
Really, it’s all about being prepared. A little extra effort in down time will result in a team that’s less burned out when the busy months roll around, and guests that are impressed with the professionalism of your team. Even when things go wrong.
sojo is an Amenity Automation Platform for Vacation Rentals. With more than 20k properties on our integrated platform, we’re able to support property managers and their staff to keep turn days automated and the products a welcome surprise to their guests.
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