Why Use Remote Teams for Your Short-Term Rental?

With a virus called COVID-19 crawling around the streets, everyone’s trying to bring work into their homes. And with this rise of remote work, people are investing more and more into remote teams. Many real estate investors have already hopped on this train even before the pandemic hit!

Why is that? Well, because we’re backed into our homes, some of us have realized that work can actually be done from the four corners of our bedrooms. With the hassles of the daily commute removed and more available time, the average office worker has less stress to deal with and is likely to perform better. Who wouldn’t want more productive employees?

Not only do you get higher effectiveness from your staff, but also more savings. Simply put, you don’t have to rent a huge office space anymore! You could also take advantage of hiring overseas team members to save even more!

And yes, all these also apply to your virtual front desk personnel for your short-term rental!

The “New Normal” isn’t Only for Office Work.

Yes, you heard that right. A virtual front desk is possible! It’s true that providing an excellent experience for your customers on your short-term rental consists of giving a point of communication, but who said it had to be face-to-face?

Because of social distancing, people are starting to enjoy the benefits of everything going virtual. If conferences and birthday parties are going virtual, why can’t your front desk be virtual?

Well, it can! No (physical) front desk, no other human beings, no problems. With the help of technology, you can pamper your guests with “wireless” extra attention that’s sure to bring you better reviews!

Key Aspects of Short-Term Rental Management

So, how is this all possible? Well, let’s try to tackle the basics of short-term rental management and try to address it from the “remote team” perspective.

Communication. Especially in this space where reviews are arguably more relevant than long-term rentals, you have to be an expert in communication.

Remote solution: Make sure you’re able to respond to messages quickly! If you think you can’t check on your notifications regularly, then that’s where a VA (Virtual Assistant) can help you out!

Booking/Marketing. As someone running a business, you want to make the most money from your property. In short-term rentals, the key is to ensure consistent bookings. Maximize your exposure on various platforms and offer deals or discounts when necessary.

Remote solution: At this point, we’re already assuming that you’re taking advantage of various listing sites such as Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and the like. If you can’t keep up with the bookings and updating your listings, you can have the same VA help you out here!

Maintenance. Just like with hotel rooms, your property would require a good cleaning after a tenant leaves. You don’t want to risk a bad review over a bad cleaning job.

Remote solution: This is the least techy tip we’ll provide, but it may just be the most practical. Find reliable cleaners and contractors. Once you find the right people for the job, you can just have them wipe the place sparkling new! This doesn’t apply to cleaning alone, but with repairs, too! Don’t want to talk to them regularly? Hey, that’s why you want a VA to help you do it!

Experience. We’re not talking about if you’re new to the space. We’re talking about giving your tenants the best time of their lives. It’s essential to make the process of booking as simple as possible. In addition, their stay in your property should also be problem-free, with access to help should they need any.

Remote solution: This entire section (Communication, Booking, Experience, and Maintenance) contributes to the entire experience. Here are some extra tips for you:

• If you want a literal virtual front desk, you can invest in a small computer in the building entrance that can act as a virtual reception area where check-ins could be done. You could greet your guests face-to-face without physically being close to them!
• Don’t feel like going on video calls with your guests? Create welcome books for your guests! What do you put in it? You can remind them about the benefits you provide, great places they could visit nearby, contact information for help, or even narrate the historical relevance of the property (if applicable)!
• It might be good to know that it’s possible to automate the check-in and check-out processes through smart and electronic locks. An example of this is an Airbnb lockbox that stores the rental keys and can be opened by the guest through the code you’ll provide.
• Home security is also one thing that not only makes you feel safe but also your guests! We’re sure that your customers would love not to be stressed out if someone’s breaking into the property while they’re hiking.

Why Not?

Besides the fact that you can save more by handling all of this by yourself, working with remote teams for your rental means less control. If you’re having other people talk in your stead, your staff would likely do things in ways that you wouldn’t think of. They might phrase things differently, use specific words you don’t prefer to say, or act in ways that go against your business judgment. To avoid this, make sure you train your personnel properly!

And remember, if you want to sell unused, problematic properties with no hassles (and even in an “as-is” condition), you can try out working with Shorefront Investments! You can give us a call at (850) 713-4866, send us an email, or fill a form on our front page.