Anyone using Virtual Assistants in the Philippines to handle guest messaging

Short-Term & Vacation Rental Discussions

Anyone using Virtual Assistants in the Philippines to handle guest messaging

Member since 2024 · 179 posts · 76 votes

I'm thinking about self managing my STR. I have time to handle all of the guest bookings and management / scheduling of cleanings and maintenance, but I don't have time to do all of the messaging that is required to maintain good communications with the guests.

Anyone have experience with using VA's in the Philippines for handling guest messaging aspect of STR's?

3 Reply

107 views

Most Popular Reply

Patricia Andriolo-Bull

Member since 2022 · 527 posts · 413 votes

No, I do not and would not. My reasons...

1. I used to run operations for a large healthcare IT company. I was responsible for outsourcing all operations to India and subsequently also the Philippines. I was all for it. But in my decades since and have gone from operations to customer success, I realized it wasn't very customer friendly. I'm also convinced (from personal and professional experience without any real data points), it ends up costing more. It takes time to teach people to do scripted work (you would be better off with AI and automation), that comes across often as scripted and ends up taking more time that if it was just done right the first time.

2. This business is all about hospitality. It definitely isn't passive but if you have one STR (I have 4 listings), it is definitely manageable especially with all of the tools available to you (automated messaging and iCal syncing). It's a bigger lift up front (setting everything up), but after, it isn't a terrible amount of work and the results are far better.

3 Reply

See this reply in the discussion

12 Replies

Jump to latestLatest

Sort by

John UnderwoodPro Member
Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
1y
I doesn't take that long. VRBO and Airbnb has built in messaging to handle checkin, checkout etc. I usually send one message to ask if everything is ok and that's it. I don't have to even send that and I could leave everything on autopilot.
2 Reply
Patricia Andriolo-Bull
Member since 2022 · 527 posts · 413 votes
1y
No, I do not and would not. My reasons...
1. I used to run operations for a large healthcare IT company. I was responsible for outsourcing all operations to India and subsequently also the Philippines. I was all for it. But in my decades since and have gone from operations to customer success, I realized it wasn't very customer friendly. I'm also convinced (from personal and professional experience without any real data points), it ends up costing more. It takes time to teach people to do scripted work (you would be better off with AI and automation), that comes across often as scripted and ends up taking more time that if it was just done right the first time.
2. This business is all about hospitality. It definitely isn't passive but if you have one STR (I have 4 listings), it is definitely manageable especially with all of the tools available to you (automated messaging and iCal syncing). It's a bigger lift up front (setting everything up), but after, it isn't a terrible amount of work and the results are far better.
3 Reply
Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
1y
So - I have a lot of experience in this. As a PM with 65+ units I need multiple employees to handle this 24/7/365. we experimented with some outsourcing services and the results were not good at all. So beware of going to a service they will switch out who is working on your property frequently leading to bad results. I currently employ 4 Filipino reservationists to supplement our US employees during peak working hours and to cover night shift. They have all been with me 3-5 years and work for me exclusively. This has been great, their English is great, accent minimal and they are super hard working.
Long story short if you can get someone to work for you in an employee/freelance capacity it can definitely work well but I would advise against hiring a company to do it.
[email protected]813-563-0877
Vacation Rentals of Florida53 Reviews
Website View Page
2 Reply
Myka Artis
Rental Property Investor · Arlington, TX · Member since 2016 · 706 posts · 611 votes
1y
Hello Marc!
Yes, I do! They are great, and she is able to take phone calls as well; however, you can look into AI to handle your guest messaging. My VA coordinates cleanings, talks to handymen, does aircover requests, etc. There are several AI companies that can handle your guest messaging for you, and of course, you have to fine-tune them, but they are great at going back into your history log and listening and answering questions quickly and correctly. A few AI companies to look into are Besty, Hostbuddy (This is what I use), Yada, and Host AI.
2 Reply
Collin HaysBusiness Member
Property Manager · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
1y
Nothing more annoying than needing true customer assistance and reaching some Pakastani guy named “Greg,” who only knows enough English to give you “I am so sorry,” “unfortunately, ” or any of a half dozen other meaningless platitudes.

Hard pass. You’d be better off not answering messages at all.
[email protected]806-672-7102
SMOKY MOUNTAIN FALLS INC.51 Review
Website View Page
2 Reply
Jon Martin
Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1y
No specific experiential advice I can offer but there are USA based call centers with 1-800 numbers where you pay per month for a certain month over of minutes with a native English speaker answering the phone. If you give them a clear SOP for the big stuff (lockouts, parking, supplies etc) then that would cover most of the bases. That said they won’t sync with your Airbnb messages and help you there, at least none that I know of
Where I see an offshore assistant being useful would be for after hours inquiries and other mundane tasks such as ordering supplies, setting door codes, guest reviews and what not. Which would only be as good as whatever systems you have in place.
0 Reply
Nathan Bisson
Property Manager · ME · Member since 2024 · 12 posts · 12 votes
1y
Hey @Marc Shin, to sum up the sentiments I've seen on the thread so far, what you put into it is what you will get out of it.... I agree with Andrew, outsourcing a freelance company where your property is just a number may not give your guests the high level of hospitality you may be striving for.

However, being a small STR management and Cohosting company we employ a few VA's that also work for us exclusively and know our properties and expectations very well. If you hire someone and give them the tools and training for you both to succeed, it can be a great way to go. It's a heavy lift up front for more gains on the back end. But isn't that the way of life?
0 Reply
V.G JasonPro Member
Investor · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
1y
Use AI agents, they are far better and can be at every place at the same time.
1 Reply
- Myka Artis
  Rental Property Investor · Arlington, TX · Member since 2016 · 706 posts · 611 votes
  1y
  Quote from @V.G Jason:
  
  Use AI agents, they are far better and can be at every place at the same time.
  
  You're already ahead of the game! AI agents are where it's at.
  0 Reply
Tyler Divin
Property Manager · Chattanooga, TN · Member since 2018 · 175 posts · 134 votes
1y
The people I know that use overseas employees for guest communication and admin work successfully hire people full time so they learn the properties and spend a TON of time documenting the home and the processes. That means SOP's with a video of every lock, every TV, links to their manuals and troubleshooting sites, photos of everything, reminders for when the last time the batteries were changed out, documenting every possible Q&A, documenting what constitutes an emergency, training them, recording them, giving them feedback after reviewing their communications, and having company operating procedures well documented to build them up to where they know as much as possible about the property without actually having visited it. I think it would be a disaster to hire a firm/call center to handle these things or to hire someone, put them on the listings, and let them figure it out as they go. That would be frustrating for you, the guests, and the employee. To do it the right way it's a huge upfront investment on your part but I've seen where it pays off when you hire the right person, train them properly, and give them the documentation/processes/SOPs/material. It does not work to dump it in their lap and hope for the best.
1 Reply
Alex F.
Investor · Plymouth, MN · Member since 2020 · 157 posts · 102 votes
1y
@Marc Shin We used to have 24x7 around the clock VAs for our properties and our co-hosting business. We now have a set of very good set of automated messages + an AI assistant. And OnCall VAs during weekends and off hours.
Besides the simple stuff like what is the wifi password or how do I use the gas grill, AI can handle more complex scenarios. And complex such as if the guest reports a power outage, find out if it is just in one area. If so guide the guest to finding the electric breaker and resetting. If the issue persists we have on call staff that gets an SMS message to then handle.
0 Reply

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.