Intro
As touched on in this morning's webinar, we are now referring to owners as 'hosts' and renters as 'guests'
This small shift in perspective can be integral in driving memorable outdoor experiences and truly set you apart from the competition.
Continuing on the theme from last month...below are some quotes that stood out from Chapter Two of Be Our Guest - Perfecting the art of Customer Service;
'Emotions are the feelings that customers experience throughout their contact with you’
‘Service theme creates foundation/image…tells the guests what they can expect’
Congratulations, a guest has reached out to you! Keep in mind that a great way to evoke positive emotion is through swift and warm responses. We all know the power of making a good first impression. Set the tone from square one!
Pro Tips
💡 Earlier on the webinar we also went over the following 'claims' factoids that we thought were interesting (we hope you do too)
Q: What percentage of claims stem from collision with a fixed object?
A: 60% to 70%
Q: What are the top two items most affiliated with claims?
A: Awnings / Gas station poles
Q: How long after Burning Man can playa dust pose complications to your rig?
A: Over a year after rig was at event
❗Burning Man❗
Though 'Burning Man' isn't happening for another six or so months, it isn't too early to start thinking about how to handle incoming requests...as well as consider the risk associated with accommodating a trip that results in your rig being exposed to playa dust!
This article goes over some of the ways this desert event can leave attendees (whether in people or rig form) in a state of disarray.
If you do decide to roll the dice and allow these bookings to take place, click here to review some ways to potentially minimize damage to your fleet and stay tuned for more details on limited insurance coverage that will be in place for the event.
🧭 GPS (Zubie)
As those who attended this morning are aware, we grazed over our partnership with Zubie. Click here for more information about special pricing along with ways this service can help track your fleet (peace of mind, anyone?). There is also a video (3 mins) showing you how it all works.
✅ Checking Out & Checking In (best practices)
First and foremost, keeping on top of your booking status ensures they fall under the correct category (who besides no-one wants 100 'returned' bookings reflected under 'upcoming' bookings status?)
🚥 Green = Go 🚥 Each item on the right of the 'bookings' page (from balance due, to verified drivers, to insurance protection enabled, to e-signature) must be green before you hand off those keys.
Part and parcel with start and end of trips are those pre and post trip photos. Make sure you are snapping those off within 24 hrs of departure and within 48 hrs of return. A selfie stick comes in handy for those hard to reach spots (undercarriage and roof).
📝 1099-K
Last month, the IRS shifted gears a bit in terms of who was in fact eligible to receive a 1099-K on the basis of revenue/transactions/payouts in 2022.
For those of you who received the form and are looking for more info, click here for some details on what's included (and what isn't). There is also this article which includes a link to the IRS (which stipulates guidelines set forth by the IRS).
🚧 Product Updates
- The 'Outdoorsy Remitted Taxes' column in the 'Reservation Details' report is now populating correctly (time for all of the accountants and bookkeepers out there to rejoice)
- If the 'You have unsaved changes. Don't forget to save!' under 'Premium Services' banner drives you as crazy as it drives us, you'll be happy to know this will be fixed soon (huzzah!)
- We're also currently working on fixing the insurance pricing discrepancy that appears on the 'Premium Services' page under 'View Wheelbase Package Pricing'