Overview
Using quick replies on Airbnb makes lengthy communication… well… quick. They’re a great tool to expedite the response to frequent questions that don’t always need to be relayed to every guest. Maybe a list of restaurants? Local breweries? Hiking trails? Not all guests care or want that information, but quick replies allow you to send pre-written responses to guests that ask.
Better yet, use merge tags to customize your response to every message. I’ve broken down my favorite quick replies into two categories, experiential and functional. Experiential messages provide value to your guest, while functional give value to the host.
Common quick replies
Food / beverage recommendations – Experiential
Guests can research for hours on TripAdvisor or Yelp, but there’s a different level of trust involved with a host’s recommendation. Highlight the places that guests will most likely enjoy during their stay. Better yet… negotiate a discount with a local business to offer your guest a value add feature like 2-for-1 beers at your local brewery.
Airport transportation – Experiential
Uber and Lyft may seem like the norm to some, but if your rental is in a different country, that might not be the case. We have a preferred shuttle company for our guests in Costa Rica and San Miguel de Allende because taxis are expensive and unreliable. It’s a small non-monetary value add that increases the overall experience, especially when they need to make a 6am flight.
Booking inquiry follow-up – Functional
When a guest reaches out with a message or general question, it turns into a booking inquiry for you (the host). You then have 24 hours to respond before your response rate is dinged, negatively affecting your ability to become a Superhost. Read more about Superhost requirements here. When I pre-approve the booking inquiry, and the guest doesn’t respond, I always send a follow-up message. This gets me back on their radar and allows the conversation to continue in an attempt to convert the request into a reservation.
Cancellation follow-up – Functional
Similarly to the booking inquiry follow-up, I always send a cancellation follow-up message if the guest cancels without a specific reason. I’ve converted tons of cancellations with minor adjustments to nightly rates and booking dates. Sometimes it’s only a $10 difference in nightly room rate to secure the 7-day booking that would have been otherwise lost. Keep it passive and friendly.
Recap
Quick replies significantly reduce the time it takes to respond to familiar questions. Combined with merge tags, they allow you to easily answer questions in seconds and provide considerable value to your guests. Did you know that host communication is one of the main review points of the post-stay survey? Use quick replies to communicate efficiently and keep your Superhost status.
