Tourmie’s automated messages are a powerful tool for streamlining communication with guests and elevating their overall experience. This guide empowers you to unlock the full potential of this powerful tool, enabling you to craft engaging and informative automated communications that delight your guests from the moment they book to the moment they depart.
Understand Automated Messages
What are Automated Messages?
Automated messages are message templates that are automatically sent to your guests, based on specific actions and predetermined timeframes.
Types of Automated Messages
Automated messages can be utilized for a wide range of purposes, including:
Welcoming guests: Extend a warm welcome to guests and provide essential information about their stay.
Providing accommodation details: Share clear check-in instructions, Wi-Fi codes, parking information, and other relevant details.
Offering local recommendations: Suggest local attractions, restaurants, and activities tailored to guests’ interests.
Collecting guest data: Gather essential information such as email addresses, additional guests, and identification documents.
Promoting services and amenities: Highlight your on-site or your business partners’ services, amenities, and special offers.
Informing guests about offers and events: Keep guests updated about promotions, discounts, and upcoming events.
Sending reminders: Prompt guests about check-in, check-out, payments, services, events, and other important details.
Gathering feedback: Collect guest feedback to improve your services and enhance the overall experience.
Expressing gratitude: Thank guests for their stay and encourage them to return.
Benefits of using Automated Messages
Automated messages offer a multitude of benefits for both accommodation businesses and guests:
Enhanced guest communication: Ensure that guests receive timely and consistent communication, even during off-hours.
Increased efficiency: Save time and effort by automating repetitive tasks like providing information and collecting data.
Improved guest experience: Deliver personalized and informative messages that enhance the overall guest experience.
Boosted business growth: Foster positive guest experiences that lead to repeat business, referrals, and positive reviews.
Create an Automated Message
To create a new automated message:
Go to Messages.
From the “Automated messages” card, click + New automated message.
Then, you have two options:
Enable a pre-made message template: Choose a ready-to-use message template.
Create a custom message: Design a unique message from scratch.
1. Enable a Pre-Made Message Template
Tourmie offers a collection of ready-to-use templates, so you can set up a complete communication flow in just a few minutes.
Here's how to activate and customize one:
View Templates: Explore the available Tourmie's message templates.
Select and Preview: Choose the template that best suits your needs and click on it for a preview.
Use a Template: On the preview page for the selected template, click the "Use this template" button.
Customize: Edit the template content to match your specific requirements and brand voice.
Save Template: Once you've made all the necessary customizations, click the "Save" button to save and enable the template.
2. Create a Custom Message
From the "New automated message" page, click "Custom message". Then, fill in the following information:
1. Name your Message
Give your message a descriptive name. This will be visible only to you and help you easily identify it later.
2. Set the Trigger
Choose the event that will trigger the message to be sent. Triggers include:
Accommodation booking created: The message will be sent upon the creation of a booking (e.g. send a welcome message to guests immediately after booking confirmation).
Online check-in submission: The message will be sent upon the completion of online check-in (e.g. send check-in instructions to guests immediately after they complete online check-in).
Check-in date: The message will be sent based on the guest’s check-in date (e.g. send a check-in reminder message 3 days prior to the guest’s check-in date.).
Check-out date: The message will be sent based on the guest’s check-out date. (e.g. send a thank-you message to guests on their check-out day).
Then, in the Delivery field, specify the time delay for the message to be sent after the trigger event. Options include:
Sending the message immediately after the action occurs.
Sending the message before the action occurs, with the ability to specify a timeframe in minutes, hours, or days.
Sending the message after the action occurs, again allowing you to define a timeframe in minutes, hours, or days.
3. Select Delivery Channels
Choose the channels through which you want to send the message. Options include:
Email:: The most common method.
SMS: Ideal for urgent messages or when there is no guest email.
Push notifications: For guests who have enabled push notifications on their devices, after their first visit in your guest guide.
WhatsApp: If you have enabled WhatsApp integration.
4. Write your Message
Write compelling content for your message. You can use dynamic shortcodes to insert guest-specific information like their name, booking details, personalized guide URL, etc.
Email message: Write the subject line and body text of your email message.
SMS message: Write the body text of your SMS message.
Push notification: Write the title and body text of your push notification.
WhatsApp message: Write the body text of your WhatsApp message.
5. Set your Audience
To send this message to all guests, leave "All" selected. Otherwise, click "Selected" and choose the specific properties or booking channels you want to targe for this message.
6. Save and Enable (or Save as Draft):
Enable Message: Toggle the "
Message is disabled" switch to the "Enabled" position.Save: Click the "Save" button. This will save your message and activate it, allowing it to start sending according to the trigger and delivery settings you've configured.
Save as Draft: Click "Save as Draft" to save the message without activating it. This allows you to create and store the message for later use without it being sent automatically. You can return to this draft later, make further edits, and then enable it when you're ready.
✨ You can preview a message template to see how it will appear to your guests!
Manage your Automated Messages
Once created, your automated message templates will be listed under the Templates tab in Messages.
View Automated Messages
Click on the "Automated" tab to display a list of your automated message templates. You can use the search bar to quickly find specific messages by name.
View Message Template Details
Each message displays key information such as:
Name: The name you assigned to the template.
Action: The trigger event that initiates the message (e.g., "Check-in date," "Check-out date").
When to Send: Specifies the timing of the message relative to the trigger event (e.g., "24 hours after," "2 hours before").
Type: Indicates the communication channels used for the message (e.g., email, SMS, push notification).
Properties: The number of properties associated with the template.
Enabled: A toggle switch to enable or disable the template.
Enable or Disable a Message Template
On Templates, locate the message template.
Click the toggle switch
to enable or disable it. The switch will be green when enabled and red when disabled.
Note: Disabling an automated message will allow you to cancel all scheduled messages associated with it. In the prompt that appears immediately after deselecting the checkbox, click “Yes, cancel scheduled messages".
Edit a Message Template
On Templates, locate the message template.
Click on the template name. This will open the editor where you can modify the message content, trigger events, delivery channels, and other settings.
Make the necessary changes and click "Update".
Preview a Message Template
While editing a template, you can preview how the message will appear to the recipients.
Find the "Update" button at the bottom of the page.
Click the arrow next to the "Update" button. This will reveal a dropdown menu with additional options.
Click on the "Preview" option.
Duplicate a Message Template
On Templates, locate the message template.
Click the quick actions
icon, and then, click "Duplicate".
Delete a Message Template
On Templates, locate the message template.
Click the quick actions
icon, and then, click "Delete".
Important: Deleting a message template will also delete any scheduled messages associated with it.
Communication Channels
1. Email Messages
Email messaging is free.
You can add your own email address to maintain consistency in your communications and encourage your guests to open and trust your emails.
View Email tips here.
2. SMS Messages
SMS messaging requires an available SMS balance.
To view your SMS balance or purchase credits go to Settings > Subscription > Extras. You can enable automatic recharge for SMS credits with your desired amount to keep your balance always adequate.
The SMS charge varies depending on the recipient’s country number. You can see the SMS pricing table and the approximate number of messages you can send per country when purchasing units.
You can set the Alphanumeric Sender ID that will appear in your sent SMS messages, making your messages more recognizable and trustworthy. See an example here.
View SMS tips here.
3. Push Notifications
Push notifications are free.
They are a powerful way to send real-time alerts and updates directly to your guests' devices. They appear as small pop-ups on the user's screen, even when the guest guide isn't open.
To receive the notifications, your guests must enable push notifications when they first access your guest guide.
View Push Notification tips here.
4. WhatsApp Messages
To enable automated WhatsApp messages, you must first connect your WhatsApp account to Tourmie.
Sending messages to contacts you haven't communicated with in the past 24 hours will incur charges, which are billed monthly by Meta.
To begin a conversation with a guest, you first need to send an approved message template. Tourmie automatically generates a message template with the text "Hello."
View WhatsApp tips here.
Manage Scheduled Messages
View Scheduled Messages
Once you've enabled a message template, the scheduled messages for this template will be listed under the Timeline tab in Messages. You can quickly find specific messages using filters such as date, property, message type, or message status.
The Timeline tab displays all scheduled messages, including:
Name: The name of the message template.
Property: The property (or properties) associated with the message.
Guest: The name of the guest the message is scheduled for.
Channel: The channel through which the booking was made (e.g., Airbnb, Booking.com).
Type: The type of message (e.g., SMS, email).
Send at: The scheduled time for the message to be sent.
Delivered at: The time at which the message was actually delivered.
Status: The current status of the message (e.g., Scheduled, Sent, Skipped).
Statuses of Messages:
Pending: The message has been scheduled.
Queued: The message is queued.
Sent: The message has been sent.
Skipped: The message has been skipped.
Canceled: The message has been canceled.
Skipped Messages Explained
To view the reason a message skipped:
On Timeline, locate the skipped message and click on it.
On the Details tab, you will see a notification about why the message failed to send.
A message may fail to send for a variety of reasons, including:
Insufficient SMS balance: There is not enough SMS balance available to send the SMS message.
Missing message text or subject: The message text or subject has not been completed.
Shortcodes without values: You used shortcodes in the message text or subject, but there is no data for those shortcodes.
Missing recipient email: The recipient’s email address is not available in the booking.
Missing recipient phone number: The recipient’s phone number is not available in the booking.
Guest booking was canceled, deleted, or rejected: The automated message cannot be sent because the guest’s booking was canceled, deleted, or rejected.
Booking channel not included in the message: The booking channel through which the booking was made is not enabled for sending that particular message.
Important: At this time, automated emails are not supported for bookings on Airbnb. For this specific booking platform, you can choose to send messages via SMS.
Resend a Skipped Message
To resend a skipped message:
On Timeline, locate the skipped message.
Click the Resend icon.
Cancel a Scheduled Message
To cancel a scheduled message:
On Timeline, locate the message you want to cancel.
Click the quick actions
icon, and then, click "Cancel".
If you want to disable an automated message and cancel all of the scheduled messages associated with it, follow these instructions.
Useful Tips for Automated Messages
Generic Tips
Keep your messages short, concise, and to the point. Get to your main message quickly and avoid unnecessary words.
Personalize your messages when possible. Use shortcodes like the guest’s name, your property name, or other relevant information to make your messages more engaging and increase the chances that your guests will read and respond to them.
Include a clear call to action in each message. Tell your guests what you want them to do, such as “Click here to view check-in instructions” or “Reply with ‘YES’ if you need airport transfer”.
Be respectful in your communications with guests. Avoid using aggressive or offensive language.
Track and analyze the results of your automated messages. See what’s working and what’s not, and make adjustments as needed. Try different messages and frequencies to find what works best for your accommodation business.
Tips for Emails
Email address: Add your own email address to maintain consistency in your communications and encourage your guests to open and trust your emails.
Subject line: Make sure your email subject line is clear, concise, and attention-grabbing. The subject line should tell the recipient what the email is about and why they should open it.
Design: Use a clean and simple design for your emails.
Greeting: Start your email with a personal greeting, using the guest’s name. This will make your email more personal and engaging.
Body: Keep the body of your email short and to the point. Get to your main message quickly and avoid using unnecessary jargon or technical terms.
Closing: Close your email with a friendly sign-off and your contact information.
Spam avoidance: Don’t send too many emails or emails that look like spam, as this can annoy your guests.
Tips for SMS
Sender ID: Define a consistent sender ID so that your guests know who the message is from.
Character limit: Keep in mind that SMS messages have a character limit (1 SMS = 160 characters). Be concise and to the point.
Language: Use simple and friendly language that is easy to understand. Avoid using jargon or technical terms.
Emoji: Emoji are supported in SMS messages, but they are considered Unicode characters, reducing the number of characters per message from 160 to 70. Additionally, older emoji count as one character, while newer emoji count as two characters.
Send time: Send your SMS messages at a time that is convenient for your guests, considering their time zone and habits.
Frequency: Avoid sending too many SMS messages, as this can annoy your guests.
Tips for Push Notifications
Clear and concise: Keep your push notification messages short and to the point.
Consider timing: Send notifications at times when guests are most likely to be active and receptive.
Clear call to action: Tell guests what you want them to do (e.g., "View our guide").
Frequency: Avoid sending too many push notifications, as this can annoy your guests.
Tips for WhatsApp Messages
Personalization: Use WhatsApp to send personalized messages to your guests, including their names and other relevant information.
Be conversational: Use a friendly and informal tone that mimics natural conversation.
Clear and concise: Avoid long, rambling messages. Get to the point quickly.
Send time: Send your SMS messages at a time that is convenient for your guests, considering their time zone and habits.
Frequency: Be mindful of the frequency of your WhatsApp messages to avoid overwhelming your guests.
If you still have questions about Tourmie’s automated messages, feel free to contact us via chat.