Automatic Response based on an inbound Guest Message

Hi OwnerRez Team,

I’m reaching out to see if there is currently a way to create an automatic response based on an inbound guest message, specifically for after-hours communication.

We’d love to set up a workflow where, if a current/in-house guest sends us an SMS through our OwnerRez number or a message through an integrated channel (Airbnb, Vrbo, etc.) outside of our office hours of 10:00 AM–4:00 PM, they automatically receive an after-hours response.

Ideally, the workflow would look something like this:

Inbound message from a current guest → Message received outside 10 AM–4 PM → Send after-hours auto-response

Our auto-response would let guests know that our office is currently closed, but if they are experiencing an urgent issue, they can reply with “URGENT” at the beginning of their message or call and leave a voicemail, which we periodically monitor during off-hours.

Having the ability to trigger an automatic response based on an incoming SMS or channel message would be incredibly helpful for urgent guest matters. It would immediately reassure guests that their message was received, give them clear instructions for reaching us in an emergency, and allow our team to maintain reasonable after-hours boundaries without sacrificing guest service.

Is there currently a way to accomplish this within OwnerRez that we may be overlooking? If not, is an inbound-message trigger or after-hours autoresponder something that is currently being considered for development?

We use OwnerRez heavily for our guest communication and would absolutely love to see this functionality added!

Thank you so much for your help and for continuing to make OwnerRez better for property managers like us.

Hannah
Salt & Shine Vacation Rentals

HI Hannah,

OwnerRez has provided what you describe through the premium feature Rezzy AI

https://www.ownerrez.com/support/articles/rezzy-ai-responses

Rezzy can be configured to reply to every guest message, or only those that come in during a certain timeframe (after hours), and provide drafts the rest of the time.

Otherwise, triggers and templates can provide messaging to follow the arrival of after-hours inquiries, but not regular messages.

Thank you, Michael! 

It would be helpful if there was a way to opt in for only a select portion of RezzyAI rather than integrating all of the benefits. 

With being a hands on, local company, we love the personal approach and conversations with our guests and owners. Having a trigger that was solely on after-hours messages would be an incredible addition that I think many of us OwnerRez users would benefit from. 

Just some food for thought!

Some food for thought back at you. 🙂

Based on what you're trying to accomplish, I actually think Rezzy could be a really good fit for this.

You can set a schedule for Rezzy's AI Messaging, so if you only want it responding outside of your normal 10 AM–4 PM office hours, you can absolutely configure it that way today. In fact, based on what you've described, that's probably exactly how I would recommend starting.

The difference is that instead of every guest simply receiving the same "we're closed, reply URGENT if you need us" message, Rezzy can actually read the guest's message and respond to what they're asking.

So if someone sends a routine question at 8 PM that Rezzy knows how to answer, the guest can get an immediate, helpful response without anyone on your team needing to get involved.

On the other hand, if the guest has an urgent issue, or asks something Rezzy doesn't have enough information in its Knowledge Base to confidently handle, Rezzy can create a Task and notify your team. That gives you the opportunity to step in promptly when your personal attention is actually needed.

I also wouldn't think of using Rezzy as taking away from the personal approach you provide. If anything, the goal is for it to enhance that experience. Rezzy learns from how you communicate with your guests, and in a relatively short amount of time its responses can begin to sound very much like you and your business.  You can also add FAQ's and Directives to get it to respond exactly how you would like it to for specific questions and scenarios.   And just because Rezzy sends the initial reply, doesn't stop you from adding to that if need be as a follow up.

We've had a number of users express the same concern initially. They don't want AI to replace the personal service they provide. But after using it for a while and seeing how effectively it handles guest conversations, many become comfortable enough that they eventually turn it on full time.

And Rezzy is much more than AI Messaging. It also provides Sentiment Analysis, so you can quickly see how a guest is feeling without having to read through an entire conversation. That sentiment can help drive things like review requests and other messaging.

Rezzy also analyzes your reviews and gives you a dashboard for spotting trends across your properties. It identifies recurring highlights and lowlights from your reviews, helping you see both where you may need to improve and what guests already love that you can lean into even more.

And that's really just the beginning of what we're looking to do with Rezzy.

So rather than waiting for an after-hours autoresponder, I'd recommend trying Rezzy's AI Messaging on an after-hours-only schedule. It would give you the boundaries you're looking for today, while still providing guests with meaningful help when your office is closed. And I think you may be pleasantly surprised by how well it works and eventually decide to let it help during the day too. 🙂

You can read more about all the features Rezzy has to offer here:
https://www.ownerrez.com/support/articles/rezzy-ai-overview