A property owner or manager should work smart to run their business efficiently. Ensuring the properties are clean and clients’ needs are addressed is not enough. They should invest in vacation rental software. The software has many benefits, such as increasing bookings, growing revenue, saving time, and helping sync the calendar between vacation rental channels to avoid double bookings.
Many vacation rental management tools are available, and it is challenging to choose the right one. Owners and property managers need to do research to ensure they choose software that brings value to their businesses. Here are eight tips for choosing the right vacation rental software.
Check Its Features
Before a property owner or manager purchases vacation rental management software, they should consider the features. Everybody wants software with advanced features like a channel manager, powerful automation tools, tracking and reporting features, CRM, direct booking features, and more to allow them to manage their rental business on the go.
Therefore, one should take time to learn the features of rental management software. It is essential to note that a suitable management tool should have features that make the running of the business easier and more efficient. If one doesn’t consider that, they will end up paying for software that won’t serve their business needs, hence wasting their resources.
Take a Demo First
It’s advisable to try a trial version of the software before you pay for it. This will help you know if the software will meet your business needs or not. You should take a demo to see how the software works. At this time, you should ask questions about it to ensure you know almost everything about it.
After using the trial version or taking a demo, you can make your decision based on your findings. If your team and clients give positive feedback about it, you can go ahead and pay for the software. However, if the software is difficult to use and doesn’t have the must-have features, look for better options on the market.
Does It Allow Third-Party Integrations?
Good vacation rental software should allow for third-party integrations. Integrations and direct connections will allow the app to directly connect to Airbnb and Vrbo, smart home companies, insurers, payment processors, and more. That helps the rental business software integrate as many third-party programs as possible.
Another question one needs to ask is whether there are additional fees required for integration. Some programs ask for payments to integrate 3rd party integrations. And that can increase the operational costs when using the software. Choose software that doesn’t ask for integration fees.
Read Customer Reviews
Customer reviews can help a rental property owner or manager choose the right management software for their business. Before choosing software, one should read what past customers say about it. They should go for software with many positive customer reviews. And they should avoid programs with many negative reviews. Negative reviews indicate that the software didn’t meet the needs of the clients, and most of them were dissatisfied.
Price Factor
Vacation rental software is available at a fee. It can be a one-time fee or a subscription fee. If one wants software for the short term, it is advisable to go for a subscription package. But if you want a software for the long term, you should consider paying a lifetime subscription. One should do research to know the pricing model, then consider features and packages.
But one needs to know that the pricing depends on the features and services of a program. Typically, software with many features will cost more than software with fewer features. Therefore, one should look at the features they need, such as a direct-connect channel manager, guest verification and fraud monitoring, 24/7 guest support & inquiry response, advanced reports & analytics, guest portal, CRM & unified inbox, and more.
It would be easier to know which package you should pay for after looking at the features and packages available. Remember to ask the manufacturer what is included in the package you intend to pay for and what additional costs you may have to incur along the way. Sometimes operational costs can be high, and using such software is not cost-effective. Consider a software company asking for a fair subscription fee.
Is It Mobile Optimized?
In today’s digital world, many people are using their smartphones when searching for a vacation rental property to rent. As a result, it is advisable to have mobile-optimized vacation rental software. This means that the software can be easily accessed via a mobile phone by your management to allow you to manage the rental business on the go. It also allows guests to use the platform to book reservations and make inquiries from their Android mobile devices.
Support Service
The rental software can experience downtime or even crash due to many factors. Before one pays for the software, one should find out if the manufacturer offers support services in case it develops issues along the way. It is advisable to choose software where the manufacturer provides 24/7 support services at zero or minimal fees.
People should avoid software whose manufacturer doesn’t offer support services. Such a program can inconvenience you in the case of downtime or any other issue. If the problem is not addressed on time, the rental business may lose revenue, and guests will likely be inconvenienced. That is why rental business owners and managers should go for rental management software for which the manufacturers provide round-the-clock support services.
How Secure is the Software?
Many fraudsters are ready to hack different vacation rental software to steal money and personal data. They are using advanced tactics and programs to gain access to software and websites. As a result, you should ensure that the software you intend to use is secure.
Good software should have a firewall or a physical hardware firewall to offer protection against cyber threats. It should also have a reliable guest verification method and a fraud monitoring feature. That ensures that your payment system and personal data are secure.