Why QR codes are the future of hospitality

Before we start this episode of the podcast, I just want to give a special shout out to our sponsors Hostfully. Now a lot of you will know about Hostfully as being the digital guidebook leaders for hospitality business but they are also an award winning PMS property management software. Right now you can go to hostfully.com and you can get a two month free trial by putting in Boostly in the promo code when you join. Everybody who joins get a free digital guidebook but you can also use that code to get two free months on their PMS software. Award winning software, award winning customer service and most of all just top top people working there. Please do go say hi. H O S T F u l l y.com if you want to go find out how to set up your digital guidebook, I've done a very special video boostly.co.uk forward/hostely right, let's get on with this week's episode.

Having a blast Gonna get it on the Bruce Lee podcast. Bruce Lee like Bruce Lee cuz it's so hard and the tea is loose leaf making up those rhymes don't write it, just do it loosely if you want my respect you'll better but direct mmm. Here are the words in the podcast. That's what comes next.

Hello, good evening, welcome wherever you are tuning in from, if you the world and whatever platform you are tuning in from in the world. I am testing out a new bit of kit tonight called Restream. So I am live right now on Facebook but it is also streaming me live on YouTube, Twitter, other groups on on Facebook as as well as LinkedIn as well I believe. So let me know what platform that you are watching on is in the comments and I will go back on everyone. Those of you that are with me live, welcome Please please do in the comments below. Number one let us know if you're watching hashtag live or on the replay and also as well give your business a little plug and a promote. So leave the website where you are in the world and if you can or cannot take guests right now because this is a worldwide podcast, this is a worldwide show and you know we've got people from all over and it's a pretty big day. So this is being recorded on Tuesday 3rd November. There's big elections going on over in US of A. In two days there's going to be a lockdown too as they're calling it in England just as Wales are coming out of their lockdown. So there's lots going on and the hospitality Community has been really busy and I always get inspiration of what to talk about on these podcast episodes from the hospitality community. So if there's anything you ever want me to talk about, then please do post up and tag me in so I can, I can see it. But we've had a lot of people asking questions about QR codes and with all of the rules and the regulations coming into place with what you can and cannot have in your property or properties, QR codes have slowly but surely started to enter the conversation. And there was a one specific post and apologies, but I don't remember who the person was, but they were asking about QR codes and they were asking about how to use them, why to use them, but most importantly how to set it up. So what I'm going to do in this episode, and it's 90% audio, so if you're listening on Apple or if you're listening on Stitcher or Spotify, you can tune in for most of it. But that little last 10%, I'm going to leave you by showing you exactly how to set it up. But what I would love for you to do in the comments is if you are already utilizing QR codes and please let me know, put it in, in in the comments. How are you using it? What are you doing? So Whether it's Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, you name it, please leave something in the comments and let me know. So the whole podcast and this whole series is really to give you the tools, the tactics, the knowledge and the confidence to go and get direct bookings and QR codes is funny. Way before I started Boostly, I was working for a company called Quipe. The office was based in London. But I was very fortunate. I was able to work from Scarborough, which then turned into Dalton, and they let me work from home. And it was very much a job where you were just sort of left to your own devices. As such, as long as I hit my monthly targets, then I could pretty much just work alongside it. And I've always been one to sort of think of other business ideas. Way back in, I think it was 2010, I came up with an idea of get your business online started doing things every day of the week to sort of start posting on social media, things that I've taken into hospitality Community. Today, wonderful Wednesday being, being one. But one of the ideas of a business that I had was QR codes, funny enough. And when we were in Scarborough, the idea was to take QR codes and put them on for sale boards or for rent boards, because Normally like when you're walking them down the street and you see the for sale sign outside, you don't see anything, you can't see anything of the inside. So my idea was to put a QR code on these, on these boards, a sticker on it, so somebody walking by and maybe this property was of interest, they could scan the code and it would take them straight to the real estate agents page on the website. I tried it on one street, it never took off. But QR codes have always been part of my life. And a QR code in very simplistic terms is if you've got a phone and phones nowadays are so clever, you can just hold up your phone to a QR code, it will recognize it, the camera will recognize it and it will bring up the web page. So that web page could be anything from a video to a post on social media to, to literally anything online. It's just a fancy little code. So instead of somebody having to type it in, then you can hold your phone up to the, or your tablet up to the QR code and it will bring it up for you. Now that evolves over time and you know, I still use them very rarely. But what I've noticed this year since, since lockdowns have finished and going especially into a restaurant, you don't get many menus. Now especially in Spain, I don't know, it's like anywhere else in the world but in Spain you have to scan a QR code to see the menu and that's just one little way that you're using them. But I find that hosts in particular are really embracing these QR codes. And specifically I, I find in the rental market, so if you've got short term rental accommodation, these can be really key. Now I, I again I, I remember and I think everybody here can, can relate to this. You've had a, you've had a long day doing whatever, get the kids to bed, you sit down and I remember being on the farm, you just get sat down, you're about to watch TV and all of a sudden the phone would go, or an email ping or a social media message things and it's somebody who's in the cottages saying I can't get X to work. Dishwasher, heating, you name it. And doesn't matter how many times you try and explain it on the phone, you always end up having to stand up and go over and, and fix it. And you know, it's, it's, it's mentally draining, it's a big time waste. But What I've noticed so much, and this is where I think the QR conversations coming in more and more, is that you can now utilize QR codes. And you know, whether it's a digital guidebook or just a simple sticker next to the hob or to the dishwasher, or to the laundry machine or next to the boiler, instead of you having to try and explain it over the phone, you can just say, yep, sure, no worries. All you need to do, get your phone, scan that QR code to hold your phone over it. It will take you to a video to show you exactly how to set it up or what to do if it goes wrong. And the beauty of it is, is that you can literally go around your property tomorrow. You can use your phone to record a few videos. So it can be anything from how to use the WI fi, how to use washing machine. You can record all these videos and you can then go and store them on free cloud based platforms, Google Drive, Dropbox, you name it. And what it will do is every single file on these cloud based will give you a URL, a unique URL as it's called. And instead of you having to go to the guest on the phone, sure Mr. Customer, all you need to do is type in Dropbox.com forward/one to hashtag all of the things, a really long code that they're never going to remember. You can just say yep, sure, 100%. All you need to do is scan the code and it will take you to a video and it will show you exactly how to use it or to work it or even better, this will connect you straight to the WI fi so they can be used very, very effectively for a time saving tool. But we use them at the granary in another way. So we. The granary is a 14 bedroom guest house, it's free holiday cottages on the back of every door we would have a QR code and, and we basically put a little a four piece of paper or a sticker and put it on the back of the door. And they would see it every single time they were leaving the room. And the message that we would put the QR code would be something along the lines of enjoying your stay. Please leave a review, scan the QR code which will take you to and we changed it. TripAdvisor, Facebook, Google, you name it, we would change it, but we would change it to the platform that we're looking to get a bump from from. Now bearing in mind this is 2012, 2013 when TripAdvisor was really important. Not so much now in 2020, but back in 2012, 2013, TripAdvisor dominated the review industry. And one of the reasons that I attribute to the fact that we became the top three recommended business on TripAdvisor, I would say that TripAdvisor was bringing in out of every 10 guests, one in three guests. So I would bring in, would because of a trip. Of the reviews on TripAdvisor and the reason was, is that we're asking, but we weren't asking in a post day email, we were asking them every single time they were leaving the room. And because we were constantly asking and it wasn't me stood outside the room going, leave a review, leave a review. We're doing it with a simple QR code. And you know, a lot of the times the guests, because QR codes weren't really used then, they were going, what's this QR code? And we just tell them, go, leave a review on TripAdvisor. But now if you do the same, and you can do this in your rental or you can do this in your bed and breakfast or wherever you may be, then you could just have a QR code, put it on the back of the door, whether it's a sticker or a laminate or whatever you want it to be, and just say, please leave a review. Scan, scan the code now again, reviews, social proof are one of the most effective ways I think everybody can relate to this, to bringing in new direct bookings. The problem is that we don't ask and this is a fantastic way to ask. Now you don't have to send them to a review platform. You can send them wherever you want them to go. You could say, join our email list. You can say 20% off your next 10%, 20% off your next day. If you book, book now using this code, you can literally send them anywhere. And this is the beauty of a QR code. And the best thing is about these QR codes is that they are free. They cost absolutely nothing to set up. And even better for those of you that think you're not very good technically is that it's a click of a button and they're created. You don't have to have any degrees in graphic design, you don't have to be an expert in graphic design. It's really, really simple to set it up. So what I want to do to finish off this podcast episode for today is to show you how I'm going to very quickly share my screen with you. So if you are now or Listening on the podcast, the audio podcast on your phone. If you're in your car or wherever, I recommend that at some point today flip over to the YouTube channel, flip over to the Facebook page and go and check out the video version because I'm sharing my screen now. All I did to discover this company was typing QR codes on Google. As you can see on the bottom left of my screen, they have a free 14 day trial, 15 day trial. In 15 days you can create as many QR codes as you as you need to. If this runs out, then a very quick tip. This is a really cool tip that I learned from Noah Kagan. If you've got a Gmail account and I've just used let's say marksimpsonmail.com if this free trial ends, then all you need to do is go back into this website on day 16 and put Mark Simpson and then the plus so Mark Simpson plus QR code gmail.com it will still go to the same email address. But the beauty of it is is that you can sign up and get another free trial. So that's a little, a little hack for you there. Now what I've done is I've just quickly created one for, for Boostly. Okay. Now you can create it for any URL that we name of. So if I were to very quickly go to create QR code, it will load up the next page and as you can see when you, when you're in here, it gives you all of the options so you can take them to coupons, website, social media link, anything that you want it to go to. I'm just going to click web pages because it's simple. And what it will then do is if you click on next it will then ask you for the website to send it to. So if I was again just to put maybe brucelywebsite.com and I go to next, this system will create it for me. So as you can see, the code is right there. Now what I love about this website, which IS QR code generator.com is that you can change the templates of the frames. So if you're thinking of printing these off, which it gives you the options to do here, and these would look pretty cool is you can change how it looks. So you've got scan me, phone scan me and you can change the logo. You can change everything on here. Now you've then got the ability to print it if you've got a fancy printer and you can do it where it's a sticker you can do that or you can send them off to a local designer to get them stick it up. It's totally, totally up to you. But you've got lots of different frames to choose from and when you see the one that you like, you just download it. Now what I'm going to do is I'm going to download this and I'm going to flip my screen back to the full video of me. And what I'm going to do is I'm going to hold my phone up to the screen and I'm going to bring up now the, the QR code and I'm going to show you exactly how it works. So my phone is right here and I'm going to hover it over the screen. Now what the phone will then do is it will recognize what I'm looking at, which is a QR code. And I don't know if you can see my screen there. It says open the URL. If I tap on the open it up, it takes it straight to the page on where it wants to go. So that is as simple as as how it is to create a QR code. Though the website that I used is non relevant as loads will know and loads will be testifying. There are hundreds of these websites and 99.9% of them are free to do so. I recommend going and creating them. Use them for if you want to send them to leave a review, use them if you want to send them to your email list. But most importantly I would use them to send them to show them how to use things in your rental property. Definitely you could even get away in your B and B rooms as well if you want to send them to the WI fi and whatnot. But the main thing is to go and create them. Super simple to do, takes a few minutes and again it will be a massive time saver tool in the future. I really hope that this episode has helped somebody. If it has, please come back in the comments and let us know what you didn't and what what has been the benefits of it. If you've got any funky cool ways that you are utilizing QR codes again, please let me know in the comments and I will go back on every single one and I will look at them and if there's any topics that you want me to discuss in the future then all you need to do is come to the Hospitality community Facebook group and if there's anything that you want more help in then please do post up. We've had a lot of people asking this week, for example, about website shops. So how to put an online shop on your website. So many people have requested it that I'm going to talk about that in the next episode. So please do come on back. If this is the first time that you have tuned in to a Boostly podcast, then we are in season 10. So if you've got nine seasons to go back on, if you want to go check them out, go to boostly.co.uk podcast. We've got loads of amazing interviews, loads of amazing guests and you can, you can go and download them all right now. Apple Stitcher, Spotify, you name it, YouTube, if you prefer video content, the blog, the written blog is all there on the Boostly website. Thank you so much for tuning in. My one big ask if this has been beneficial to you is to share it. Go and share it in a Facebook group that you are a part of that may not know about me or Boostly. Every single episode in season 10 is going to be jam packed with help and information on how you can get direct bookings. The tools, the tactics, the training, the confidence to go and get direct bookings. So if you are part of a Facebook group that could do with this kind of help, please share this video, hit the share button, pop it in there and then let me know where you shared it to. As always, thank you so much for tuning in. I will be back for another episode very shortly, but for now, as I always do, I'm going to see you out with a little song all about hashtag book direct.

Now let me try and get this hashtag down. Here's a little cause that I respect. You gotta make sure you book direct. Go to the hotel, go to the place. Don't do it through Google, a disgrace or booking.com or hotel.com, no call them on the phone or the phone. I add an E to make it fit and say hi, can you discount a little bit? And usually they'll be happy to agree. And that's why you should book directly.