Let's talk about texting 🚀

Foreign Episode 23 of Season 8 you need to do now is sit back, relax, listen, but then most importantly implement the advice that we give you in this Boostly podcast.

So my name is Alex and I'm based here in Tel Aviv in Israel and originally from Glasgow and I've got around 14 years experience in SaaS sales and specifically I'm incredibly passionate obviously about Wishbox and about the vacation rental market. And what, what Wishbox does is we actually help to automate the guest communication, help you to also generate more revenue from upsells, enhance the guest experience.

Your clients, a lot of your members are in the UK and Europe or are you spread out all over the world evenly? Where does the UK sit on your member level?

Europe really is our premier focus right.

Now is how it falls in lines with the guest experience.

Sending personalized messages to guests really through whether it's through email or chat or text is just one of the best ways to actually increase the engagement. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how many times a day do you have your phone open with WhatsApp? Probably all the time. So text is one of the best ways to increase that engagement, to increase also your brand awareness and additionally, especially with the upsells, also great ways to increase that revenue. So room upgrades also incredibly important. And I would say luggage storage, spas and then really for the Corona time, I would really say that food supplies are incredibly important.

The unique selling point that you normally would associate with your marketing is just totally gone out the window now. You're talking about so many different things and with, with the upsell, I sort of looking from, from Wishbox, what are the features that you can do with WhatsApp that maybe some hosts are not not aware of? Like any personal favorites that you have, and I've got some as well, you.

Can actually send messages automatically to guests using smart filters. Okay. And you can also send targeted messages.

We have found WhatsApp to be super useful from a guest point of view, but also from the host. Because like you're saying you can send out pre populated messages, you can do the upsell even when a guest is.

On your property about communicating with guests through platforms that they're already used to and already familiar with. Because there's that feeling of, you know, if something is being done through something like WhatsApp, where people are so familiar with it, it creates that kind of instant connection and instant engagement. And it also feels incredibly personal and responsive. I mean even be aware about where they're staying, you know, how many times have you gone somewhere booked through booking.com and you've no clue about where you stayed? So this ability to kind of send them a WhatsApp and say to them, this is who we are.

What would be then the one bit of tip and advice that you could pass on, apart from the staycation one, which is an amazing tool and, you know, post on social media, Is there any tips and advice that you've been passing on to host that maybe being on the phone to which box or going, we don't know what to do in these sort of times. Is there any other sort of bits of advice that you've been passing to them to give them confidence? One thing that you've always had on your to watch list, who I would isolate with and mine was Joe Rogan. I'm a big Joe Rogan fan. I just think that you covered all the boxes. It'd be a good one to be down with. And finally, again, I can't let you go without asking, what is your number one piece of advice to anybody listening that you would pass on to them to help them increase their direct bookings?

I'd increase the direct booking. I'd probably recommend establishing a really strong presence on.