Hi Alece,
That’s really helpful feedback, thank you!
Can you tell us a little more about how you’d use that in practice?
The main use case we had in mind for this feature was booking creation, where other processes often run in the background, such as generating a lock code or setting up a cleaning in a third-party system. In those cases, adding a short delay before sending a message makes a lot of sense. So those items have time to populate before sending the message
So, when it comes to something like signing the rental agreement, I’m curious about your workflow. What’s happening in that moment where having a 10-minute delay before sending a message would make things easier for you?
We did start a bit more focused with this feature, both from a usability and technical standpoint, just to make sure we got the core use cases right first. That said, we’re not opposed to expanding it, especially if there are strong, repeatable use cases like what you’re describing.
Not pushing back at all, just want to make sure we fully understand the need so our devs can build this in the most helpful way.
Thanks!
I appreciate you asking, Steve!
When the rental agreement is signed, our triggered message is sent with a copy of the signed agreement and full booking confirmation details. We also have a trigger to send a message offering additional nights if the adjacent nights are available. Because there's no way to stagger that one (10 minutes later, for instance), it sometimes beats the reservation confirmation message to their inbox. It ends up being an awkward communication flow.
I understand that the strategy on this could be shifted to only send that adjacent night offer X number of days prior to arrival (and we do that as a follow-up touch-point), but we have seen maximum results from sending it when we do — primarily because guests receive it before their flights are typically booked. So when the guest starts looking at flights with our offer in mind, they quite often end up taking us up on extending their stay. So I want to keep the message going out shortly after they've booked... Right now there just isn't a way to effectively stagger the trigger so it's slightly delayed from the initial reservation confirmation message.
Another use case is that we send Vrbo and Airbnb guests a channel message as well, letting them know we received their signed rental agreement and sent a copy of it to them via email. Again it has to share the same trigger timing of immediately sending when the rental agreement is signed, but often the channel message is received before the email has been. Once again this unnecessarily just adds some confusion and awkwardness to the communication flow.
Thank you for implementing this feature. It will significantly enhance flexibility for hosts using Trustd.ai Guest Screening solution on OwnerRez. This is a trigger we’ve been looking forward to.
When a booking is received on OwnerRez, it typically takes us 2–4 minutes to generate the guest form and send it back. With this new capability, hosts can configure the trigger to automatically send the guest form to their guests for authorization. We recommend setting a delay of 10 minutes to ensure a smooth workflow. Thank you again for the implementation.
Regards,
Trustd.ai
https://trustd.ai
My current workflow is to send renters a quick message through the channel platform after they sign the rental agreement with a heads-up to look out for an email from us. Then an email is sent that includes our curated list of restaurant recommendations, things to do, nearby stores, and more.
At times, guests will reach out with specific interests or questions, but if they sign the agreement right away, the recommendation email is triggered immediately. Ideally, I’d like the opportunity to review and customize that email before it goes out, which is why I originally requested this feature.
For now, I’ve set the email to send one day after the agreement is signed so I have time to personalize and send it manually if needed. That approach works, but it can feel a bit delayed. Guests are often inundated with messages right after booking, so it’s helpful to give them a little breathing room—while still getting this information to them promptly. That’s why having the option to send based on hours rather than days would be much more effective.
