Property managers can all agree that cleaning and maintaining vacation rentals is essential for business success. Guests expect their vacation rental to be spotless and well-maintained. They also anticipate a timely check-in, requiring quick turnaround times from an often overtasked housekeeping staff. How do you accomplish this when every task from one guest’s check-out to the next guest’s check-in is usually almost entirely manual?
Whether utilizing spreadsheets, checklists, a property management system, or a combination of all three, each has shortcomings and, even combined, can fail to meet the demands of growing vacation rental portfolios. Wondering how to stay afloat when swimming in a sea of functions and processes? Maybe it’s time to consolidate.
The right software can make all the difference; just a few simple steps can help vacation rental property managers maintain a competitive edge. With BeHome247’s housekeeping technology, you’ll be well on your way to communicating effectively with team members, automating cumbersome tasks, adopting reliable workflows, and doing everything from one user-friendly dashboard.
Step 1: Centralize Cleaning Service Communication
Communication is vital in any successful venture, and managing housekeeping for vacation rentals is no different. Not only do property managers need to relay cleaning information to various team members, but they also need to consolidate communication channels and find a quick and easy way to reference pertinent data and time-sensitive information. And that’s on a day without any surprises. What if unforeseen issues arise, causing a shift in priorities and resources?
Utilizing a centralized communication hub, accessible via mobile app or desktop, immediately offers complete transparency and oversight into all housecleaning communications. Train and assign new team members as needed, identify housekeeping functions, and designate completion times. Grant access to only those who need it, and if team members speak a different language – enable them to communicate comfortably via text apps that translate between languages.
With pertinent data saved into a secure, readily accessible shared space and communication centralized in one inbox, you’ll quickly see a shift in day-to-day operations. A huge time saver for your staff, but what does this mean for guests? A consistently clean, comfortable, inviting environment at every property, every time.
Step 2: Upload Your Housekeeping Checklist
Confirming your vacation rentals are clean and safe is a top priority. Having a standardized checklist to plan and track recurring tasks will go a long way to improving work quality and efficiency. A simple but effective tool to help staff prioritize tasks and maintain accountability, checklists can document standardized processes and ensure all work is completed and meets defined requirements.
No need to circulate paper checklists or copy and paste from one platform to another. Simply upload your housekeeping checklist, and team members can check off completed items as they move through each property. With one quick look, everyone can easily see each property’s stage, identify any snags, and work quickly to resolve any issues. Aside from ensuring every property meets standard cleaning protocols, property managers can also define requirements specific to individual properties, such as whether pillows are organized a certain way or blinds are closed in certain rooms. Upon completion, cleaners can upload photos to verify the property’s appearance so property managers can see exactly how the cleaner left the property. Each checklist is then timestamped for maximum visibility.
Step 3: Set up Workflows
From ensuring cleaning products are stocked to monitoring the cleaning status of each property to coordinating deep cleans, the moving parts of housekeeping for vacation rentals can be all-consuming. Manual applications can’t come close to keeping up with everything required to maintain essential cleaning standards while upholding check-in commitments. Given the repetitive nature of many housekeeping tasks and the sequence needed for completing each, automated workflows are a perfect solution, helping refine processes and roles while reducing operational expenses.
Workflows can also clearly identify areas best suited for automation, sending triggers automatically to assign the next task or step in the process. For instance, when a unit is moved into “cleaned” status, simply set up a workflow to kick off the check-in process by sending the door code and a welcome message. There’s no better way to surprise and delight a guest than to make their room available for early check-in.
Workflows are also an excellent way to identify slow processes and redundancies and identify time that might be better spent elsewhere. Enabling property managers to complete tasks with fewer resources, workflows also improve response times for maintenance and other essential issues that may suddenly take priority.
“Automated housekeeping and inspections save us 60+ hours per week. BeHome247 is the best technology decision we’ve made,” says Glen Kaiser, owner of Kaiser Vacation Rentals.
Step 4: Integrate Maintenance
If only every property remained in good working order after hundreds of check-ins and check-outs. Even with a robust maintenance program, regular wear and tear take a toll, and a flawed work order process only compounds the issue. A maintenance work order management system is critical to keeping properties in pristine condition year-round.
A leaky faucet, a broken door hinge – no matter the maintenance issue, operators can kick off maintenance work orders from a centralized inbox for complete visibility and control. Property managers can then track the progress, from generating the work order to scheduling the service to completion. Notifications along the way offer status updates letting team members know when tasks are complete, while useful reports store and maintain historical data to help forecast future maintenance costs and schedules. Schedule preventative maintenance, annual inspections, and more, organizing essential maintenance data on one platform tailored to your unique needs.
Automate Your Vacation Rental with BeHome247
With the right housekeeping technology, property managers of all sizes can streamline cleaning and maintenance tasks and improve operational efficiencies. Boosting productivity while saving time, money, and valuable resources, BeHome247 gives property managers what they need most, time to focus on exceptional guest service.
Ready to see what BeHome247 can do to streamline your operations? Schedule a demo today!
