Over the years at Kipsu, our team has collected a handful of common misconceptions of digital messaging from some of our future partners. It's understandable for any of us who have dabbled in gossip or a game of "Telephone", but we want to take this opportunity to set the record straight, once and for all!

MYTH: Texting won't have a meaningful impact on survey scores

BUSTED: Guests who are well taken care of will report favorably on surveys and TripAdvisor, that's a given. But if they are only able to report issues by calling down to or stopping by the front desk, your team is missing out on opportunities to go above and beyond or make any issues right.

When it's easy to provide feedback through digital messaging, guests use it and the resulting boost in survey scores prove that.

In a recent case study, Kipsu was found to have a meaningful and consistent positive impact on survey scores across all survey categories and property types.

In the Overall Satisfaction category, properties that used Kipsu had 30% higher scores than those that didn't.

In Staff Service Overall, there was a 27% difference in satisfaction scores compared to hotels without texting. Messaging helps your team be, seemingly, everywhere at once and at the ready to assist.

And in Loyalty Recognition? Properties with digital messaging scored 30% higher due to the ability to acknowledge loyalty in the guest's Welcome Message upon arrival, encouraging repeat visits.

MYTH: Guest messaging is expensive

BUSTED: Au contraire! You'll probably be pleasantly surprised at how affordable guest messaging can be for your property.

Kipsu also saves your property money by helping to intercept negative experiences before they end up on surveys or TripAdvisor. This not only builds loyalty and repeat customers (who also tend to spend more on subsequent visits), but also reduces the amount of refunds the property surrenders in service recovery efforts. One property found a 50% reduction in refunds after implementing Kipsu.

MYTH: Implementing Kipsu would require more staff

BUSTED: The typical Kipsu message can be answered in 5-20 seconds. Compare that to a phone call or in-person interaction, and it's easy to see how staff can take care of more guest requests and questions in a personal, thoughtful way in less time, without the stress of a line at the front desk.

As one of our partners, Megan Newman, a Director of Sales, sums up, "It's hard to find people right now. If we only have one person at the front desk, they can manage a bit better because guests aren't standing in line or on hold, because we can just text them".

Kipsu has also found evidence of usefulness in onboarding. Not only does the Kipsu Onboarding Team train YOUR team on how to effectively use Kipsu, but through the property's Archived Conversations, unseasoned staff can look up answers to a commonly asked guest questions or get advisement on how to phrase their responses professionally without having to find and consult a colleague.

MYTH: Guests prefer face-to-face interactions

BUSTED: Kipsu is laser-focused on keeping the human touch in our technology. We know personal interactions and connections are at the heart of hospitality. While nothing can replace face-to-face communication, guests seem to really appreciate the option of being able to connect wherever they are, no matter what they're doing, even when off-property.

Kipsu further extends this reach by connecting your property with potential guests via Google Business Messenger, providing the ability to answer pre-reservation questions and secure additional bookings.

MYTH: Kipsu is only for large hotels

BUSTED: Kipsu works for hotels of all sizes and service levels. The large majority of Kipsu partners fall between 50-120 rooms, with our smallest property being only 10 rooms.

Now that the myths have been busted, let us know what other questions you may have about Kipsu! If convenient, feel free to schedule a conversation to discuss further.

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