If you’re a property manager looking after more than one vacation rental, you’re probably used to wearing many hats There are a lot of guest conversations to keep track of and if you use more than one booking platform and have more than one listing, things can quickly get complicated and stressful.
At Lodgify, we want to make life easier for our customers, and that’s why we’ve just released our best-in-class property management unified inbox, offering seamless integration of emails and online travel agency (OTA) guest messages.
So, for example, you’ll be able to see all the guest messages submitted through the platforms of Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia or Vrbo in your Lodgify inbox, as well as emails from your own direct bookings website. You can then respond to each of them from the same place, using email, SMS or WhatsApp.
In this article, we’ll explore how this highly-requested new feature will streamline your operations. Keep reading to find out more!
What is a unified inbox?
A unified inbox is a single, smart inbox that combines communications from multiple channels. Instead of having to log in and out of different accounts and toggle between them, you only need to go to one place to get all your messages and to reply to them.
The synchronization is instant, which means there is no delay in receiving or replying to messages. Your communications will always be up to date and in one single feed.
Why do you need a unified inbox for your vacation rental business?
In the vacation rental industry, a property management unified inbox is a must-have if you’ve published your listings on different OTAs or you manage more than one rental. It also applies, if you have more than one Airbnb account for example.
The single communication feed helps you stay on top of all your communications, whether you are replying to booking inquiries or sending check-in instructions
How will a unified inbox make your life easier?
Once you’ve started using our new unified inbox, you’ll ask yourself how you ever managed to do without it. It will be immediately obvious how this feature will power your communications and make your life easier overall.
Simplifies communications
Fewer communication channels to check means there is much less chance that you will miss a booking inquiry from a booking channel or forget to reply to a message or email. Whereas before you would have had to check each channel separately to see the booking inquiries coming in via their platform, you now will see every inquiry directly in your Lodgify inbox.
Our unified inbox integrates seamlessly with Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and Expedia, as well as your own website. Nothing will slip through the cracks!
Saves time
You’ll cut back on working hours by doing away with the need to constantly log in and out of different accounts and channels. With one log-in you can check and send all messages.
The unified inbox allows you to save replies to some common quest queries and to use saved templates, so you don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time. Simply fire off a response by inserting the saved reply into your guest messages.
You can also use automated guest messages for bookings, using Airbnb auto-reply for example. Other custom messages could include sending a welcome message or directions prior to a guest’s arrival.
Enables you to be more efficient
When you are overwhelmed by emails and messages, it is difficult to stay on top of your workload and be efficient and organized.
One of the advantages of the Lodgify unified inbox is that you can order and filter all your messages according to priorities, bookings, inquiries, channels and more, for easy reference.
The inbox filters are auto-filters. This means you don’t need to click “apply” to see the filtered results. As soon as you select a filter, the list will be automatically refreshed and present the new results.
You can also archive older messages to instantly declutter your inbox and give you a sense of control. These messages can easily be retrieved when you need them again.
Keeps guests super satisfied
With the new unified inbox, you are able to have an overview of all guest messages at all times, enabling you to have multiple conversations in much less time. This considerably reduces your response time to guests. Remember that faster responses help you to attain top ranking status with Airbnb.
You are able to view the reservation details and communication history of the guest on a page within the unified inbox. No need to switch back and forth between accounts, devices or channels to have access to their booking details. You have all the information you need at your fingertips and make changes on the spot.
From within the same dashboard, you can even send WhatsApp messages and SMS to your guests, so you will always be on top of the latest conversations and be able to shoot off an immediate reply.
Try the Lodgify unified inbox now! In conclusion, if you manage more than one vacation rental, Lodgify’s unified inbox will be a lifesaver. We are sure you will love this new feature and would love to hear your feedback.
To find out more about our unified inbox and other features to help you manage and boost your vacation rental business, feel free to start your 7-day free trial or request a demo with one of our agents. They’ll be more than happy to walk you through the main benefits of our latest feature!
