Automated SMS & customized apps and how they can help you

AUTOMATED SMS & CUSTOMIZED APPS

AND HOW THEY CAN HELP YOU

BY MIKE GAST

For many glamping guests, the Great Outdoors is also the Great Unknown. Simple tasks like securing tent flaps for the night or starting a campfire are outside their skillset.

The outdoors isn’t always easy. Glamping guests often need help, and they need it right away.

Otherwise, park owners run the risk of having unhappy glampers who post negative reviews.

Enter on-site text messaging and customized apps.

“We have a lot of experience on traditional campgrounds, and we know guests just want a way to get the information they need right away,” says Joe Duemig, who with wife Rose created a company called App My Community. The Duemig’s company creates downloadable, customized mobile applications for organizations including campgrounds that allow owners to provide guests with not only information needed during their stay, but a way to communicate directly with staff about any issues they encounter.

The Duemigs say glamping is fertile ground for their company as well as other firms with the technology to connect owners and guests.

IMMEDIATE SERVICE RECOVERIES

“We’ve found that the younger the guests are, the less likely they are to report problems directly to managers and staff,” Duemig said. “They’d rather communicate through a text.”

Communications between guests and staff as problems arise leads to immediate guest satisfaction and curtails the number of negative reviews. Servicing problems that occur overnight can also be handled over an app.

“Almost every one of our apps has a button included to report an issue,” he said. “That button leads to a form to fill out that goes immediately to staff and the problem can be fixed.”

Apps and texts have become integral tools in the guest communication process at many camping and glamping facilities.

“Our guests absolutely love the app created for our business,” said Vickie Fuller of Pirateland Family Camping Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. “It has really helped us improve our guests’ experience. The participation in our activities has increased, and we have been able to communicate more effectively to our guests through the notification feature.”

TEXTING & APPS BECOMING ‘NEW NORMAL’

Enhanced communication tools for campgrounds and glamping operations have been available for years, but such tools aren’t always on the “must have” list of amenities for glamping facility owners. That could be a serious omission when glampers are paying extra for a more luxurious, trouble-free outdoor experience. Glamping guests have also become accustomed to receiving immediate help via texts and apps while staying at many hotels.

“Having a customizable app available for your guests really adds to that feeling of luxury,” said Rose Duemig. She said having most of their questions answered on an app or via texts frees owners of smaller glamping parks with smaller staffs from the burden of repeatedly dealing with the same problems.

Some glamping operators use texting as a way to provide “contactless check in,” providing guests with the security codes and other information they’d need to bypass the front desk and get directly to their accommodation.

“It’s another way to directly deliver service,” she said. “The guests get the answers they want when they want them, and they want those answer now!”

A 2019 pre-pandemic study by hospitality communications software giant Medallia Zingle found 60% of survey respondents said they won’t wait online or on hold for more than 5 minutes to get a question answered. About 26% of those respondents also said they expect an answer in under 2 minutes.

The interior of a glamping teepee and the look of App My Community’s app for Mystic Quarry Resort near Austin, TX

Keeping those guests happy can be a tall order when its 3pm and you’ve got a line waiting to check in at your front desk.

That same survey found 52% of respondents expect problems to be resolved within 15 minutes. Only 1-in-5 guests said it would be OK for solutions to take up to a day.

If your glamping resort can’t meet those expectations, 22% of the respondents said they “definitely” would not return and 55% said they would be less likely for a return trip and more likely to leave that negative review. And 35% said they are more emotionally connected to brands that solve their customer service problems.

5 PHASES OF GUEST COMMUNICATION

Nathan Mayfield, vice president of top glamping communications provider ResNexus, boils down guest communications to five phases.

1. Pre-Booking Phase: Mayfield calls this phase

“trip snacking,” when guests are researching where to stay, and glamping owners have a chance to stand out from the competition with timely texts.

2. Post-Booking Phase: This is a chance for owners to excite guests with possibilities for their stay, and firmly capture guests via texts who may be hedging their bets by making several reservations at different locations for the same dates. “You can use a text to help confirm the purchase,” Mayfield said. “It helps prevent ‘trip stacking’ and sets you apart again from the other places they may have booked.”

3. Pre-Arrival Phase: During this phase, glamping owners can include maps and include discounted incentives in the automated texts to again “lock in” the guest.

4. Mid-Stay Phase: Here, owners have the chance to stay in touch with on-site guests and keep ahead of potential service failures that could lead to a negative review.

5. Post-Stay Phase: Owners can use texts to send a quick feedback survey. Owners then have the chance to “filter” those direct responses and only encourage positive survey respondents to write full reviews for sites ike TripAdvisor. birthday text with a special offer can be very effective. “But you don’t want to annoy them with too many texts because once they hit ‘stop,’ it’s over with that customer.”

Mayfield says texting has also become a vital part of many park owner’s emergency plans. “You can quickly identify everyone who is currently on your park and let them know what they need to know about inclement weather or other emergencies,” he said. “And of course, you can also promote things like happy hour.”

Mayfield said glamping operators shouldn’t let their small size stop them from addng texting services to their marketing mix.

“We were built for the small guy,” he said. “We started by servicing small bed and breakfasts with four or five rooms.”

ResNexus’ services start as low as $59 a month and can be used by glamping owners with as few as one unit. “Consider that its less than most cellphone family plans, and you are running your whole business,” Mayfield said. “Think about how much time you are saving for you and your staff.”

“You don’t want to annoy them with too many texts because once they hit ‘stop,’ it’s over with that customer.”

A CONTINUOUS CONVERSATION

Kampgrounds of America Inc. opted to use the Medallia Zingle service at several of its owned properties and encourage franchisees to follow suit. Medallia Zingle also counts outdoor hospitality industry heavyweights like Autocamp, Sunland Communities Under Canvas among their customer partners.

“Our service is not a chat bot,” said Jeff McHugh, Senior Director of Hospitality Partnerships for Medallia Zingle. “There is human engagement in action here. Ours is a guest engagement platform.” Zingle’s texted “zings” are just one weapon. Zingle also uses popular social media channels like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, and can integrate with a park’s online app.

“We act as a concierge in your pocket,” McHugh said. “We are investing heavily right now in glamping.”

A glamper review posted on TripAdvisor about their stay at Nashville KOA Resort and the impact of their Zingle service.

The Nashville, Tennessee KOA Resort uses Zingle’s automated zings to handle frequent texted inquiries from guests. KOA Regional Vice President Aaron Williamson said at least four staff members monitor Zingle at most times, ready to step in with a direct answer if needed. Williamson said he expects guests to receive their answer within 60 seconds.

That level of service has markedly improved the Nashville park’s service scores.

“Our front desk supervisor loves it because it allows her to engage guests in a positive and friendly manner without them having to wait in line,” said Williamson. “Sometimes you have 3, 5 or 7 people in line in front of you, and you don’t have time. And a lot are asking simple questions. If Zingle can handle those questions, there are going to be less people in line. So, she has more face time for those guests who are checking in or out and it’s a better experience for them, as well as those getting their answers right away via text.”

Zingle works so well, the Nashville KOA Resort now uses text messaging instead of emails when communicating with guests. Williamson said about 50% of guests respond directly to the site’s initial pre-arrival text message, and 20% exchange texts with the site at some point during their stay.

McHugh says the ease in connecting with guests via texts opens a new world of revenue opportunities for glamping facility owners.

“You have your guest’s immediate awareness,” he said. “We have partners who leverage early check ins by offering an upcharged early check in via text to a guest who shows up at 8am when check in is at 4pm.” He said owners can also offer late check outs (at a small fee) to guests via a text.

McHugh also said there’s also money to be made by sending texts encouraging on-site guests to partake in perishable items like ice cream and other foods.

“We even have a couple of KOA campgrounds that offer to shop for supplies ahead of arrival for glamping guests, for a fee,” he said.

Also, the 2019 Medallia Zingle survey found 86% of travelers were willing to pay more for superior service – up to $50 more per stay.

AUTOMATED RESPONSES OR REAL PEOPLE?

Medallia Zingle prides itself on the ability to fine-tune automated responses to quickly discern a guest’s intent and provide the proper response via text.

“With the use of Zings, we’re able to cultivate specific touchpoints throughout their stay that are unobtrusive while letting them know we’re here to do whatever we can to ensure they have an amazing family experience,” said Alex Ragazzo, Manager of Customer Experience for Great Wolf Resorts.

App My Community’s Joe Duemig says while automated responses can play a role, he prefers a more personal touch.

“I don’t care for the automated responses,” Duemig said. “If it isn’t set up perfectly, the customer will get frustrated.”

Duemig said App My Community’s approach concentrates on providing nearly all the information guests will need via the customized app, along with a way to connect directly to owners or staff for additional questions.

“Our goal is to get all of the information out there early on the app they will have on their phone, and still have ways for the guest to get additional information directly from real people.”

“We know that glamping guests are a bit different than traditional campers and are even more likely to need information,” said Joe Duemig. “All of the facilities we work with are very different, so there is a big need to customize their content for their specific guest. The guests really want the information, and they want it delivered to their device. Nobody wants to walk around with a booklet of papers or handouts.”

PICK YOUR PAY MODEL

Similar to ResNexus, App My Community charges a set monthly or annual rate based on the size of the facility. Medallia Zingle charges are based both on the size of the glamping facility and the volume of texts being sent.

“It’s a fixed cost for us to develop the app,” said Joe Duemig. “For us, it doesn’t matter how many sites you have; the minimum charge is $1,800 a year.” Larger parks with more than 250 sites would be charged $3,000, he said.

Regardless of the service provider glamping site owners use, instant continuous guest communication needs to be part of their plans, Duemig said.

“You have to communicate with guests in the ways they want to communicate,” he said. “They want to communicate with the digital devices they carry, and they want their answers right away. This is the best way to do it.”

“You have to communicate with guests in the ways they want to communicate. They want to communicate with the digital devices they carry, and they want their answers right away. This is the best way to do it”

NEED MORE INFO?

There is a plethora of companies currently offering different levels of automated guest service assistance. Here’s a few links to get you started. www.resnexus.com, www.appmycommunity.com,

www.zingle.com

Mike Gast was the Vice President of Communications for Kampgrounds of America, Inc. for the past 20 years. Now, he’s on to new adventures, helping others tell their stories through his freelance company, ‘Imi Ola Group. You can reach Mike at mike.imiolagroup@gmail.com