Our B&B, Brewster House Bed & Breakfast, was recently in a position to re-evaluate its guest management software choice. You would think that the frequent evaluations (and upcoming reviews!) of various systems (we’ll call them guest management software, though some call them property management software) would make this an easy thing to do, but it never works out that way. You see, while we did a careful study of the available software before our initial purchase, every time we have to review that decision, there are new players, with new products, and the older players and products have changed, and their pricing has changed. So, while we felt we made the best choice for our property at the time, it is always worth the time to review the competition instead of blindly renewing with the same product.
1. Take the emotion out of the equation
From forum discussions and other contact we’ve had with innkeepers, it is clear that some guest management software companies give the impression of being a faceless corporate giant, while others give the impression of being the small, user-friendly company. Some make friends by giving things away, or being helpful in public forums. One may make you disinclined to buy from them, the other may make you want to help them out, but neither of these emotional reactions is a solid foundation for an important business decision.
2. Compare features that are the same
Almost all products provide a list of their features on their websites. However, there is no industry standard for naming the features, so be sure that you understand what the feature actually does. For example, if being able to export guest transactions to an accounting program (such as Quickbooks or Peachtree) is important to you, make sure you know what the company means when they say the accounting information can be exported. Many systems export a file that can be imported into the accounting software. At least one provides a real-time sync. Some, however, simply export a bunch of information to a file, and it is not necessarily in a format that can be imported into the accounting program.
3. Don’t compare features you don’t need
It is easy to get caught up in the feature “hype” of marketing messages. Think about the features carefully – are they features you will really use? If you won’t be using the guest management system for your accounting, then there is no advantage to buying a guest management system that includes its own accounting module.
4. One size doesn’t fit every property
It is a good idea to check with other innkeepers you know, to see what they use, how happy they are with the product, its features, support, customer service, etc. However, even properties that appear similar may have different requirements when it comes to their guest management software. Maybe you love to get reports from the system that allow you to “slice and dice” the data about your guests – where they come from, when they stay, how often they return, how much they spend – and your neighbor with a similar property just wants to know how many rooms they sold and how much income they had. The two of you may have very different requirements when it comes to the number and types of reports the software can provide.
5. Set your priorities
Make a list of the things you want the guest management software to be able to do. Do you want web-based software, so you don’t have to worry about backups, and can access it from anywhere? Do you want it installed on your computer so you have control over it? Should you be able to control it using your smartphone? Do you need it to send confirmation, reminder and follow-up emails to your guests? What kind of reports should you be able to get from the system? Should it smoothly interact with an accounting program? Should it provide online booking, or will you use another system for online booking?
6. Objectify your analysis
Prioritize your desired features – put them in order of importance, or assign numeric values to them, so you can decide what is most important, and what is less important. Make sure you don’t minimize a feature that may not be of great importance, but you don’t feel you can do without. In a prior article we provided a sample spreadsheet that can be used as an example of this process.
7. Try before you buy
Almost every guest management we’ve looked at (except the very high end systems that are more-or-less custom built) will allow some type of demo access. Either a limited function (or limited time) download, or a limited time online account. Take advantage of it! Get a demo, and enter a few reservations. Make changes. Cancel a reservation. Send yourself the included emails to see what the guest sees. If you can use the online booking capability with the demo, give it a test drive, too. Don’t wait to be surprised after you’ve spent your money!
Bonus tip #1
Undoubtedly, while comparing features, you’ll also be comparing prices. When you do so, be certain you’re comparing all the costs that go into the total price. If there is a purchase price and a service agreement, add them together to come up with the annual cost (or the first year cost and later years cost). If there are additional modules you have to buy separately, make sure you include them in figuring your total annual cost.
A hidden cost that isn’t always evident is the cost of not having something. For example, some online directories show availability for properties using a particular online booking system. If your new property management system has its own online booking, will you want to have a second online booking system so your availability will show up on these other sites? Other directories charge for a link to your availability page if you don’t use their online booking system. Don’t forget that cost if you’ll be using something else.
Bonus tip #2
Don’t be afraid to ask. Even the faceless corporate giants have people working for them. They can provide a wealth of information about capabilities and rates. If you have questions before you buy, or you want to see what specials they may be able to offer you, contact them and ask. Your prospective guests haven’t been shy about asking for breaks on the rates, and neither should you be. You may not be successful in getting a break, but then again, you never know.
Bearing in mind that one size definitely doesn’t fit all, our review of competing products was fruitful. We found some new products that look interesting, but that we rejected either because of lack of features or high price. We also contacted the current provider and were able to work out a satisfactory arrangement for a renewal.
Privacy and Social Media – Strange Bedfellows?
When you think about it, attempting to provide security in a medium (social media) where the objective is to share (at least to some degree) personal aspects of your life, doesn’t make much sense. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that Mark Zukerberg of Facebook famously declared that privacy is dead.
But is it? Should it be that way? Even with Facebook moving the goal posts every few weeks, and changing the way you control access to your data, and sometimes defaulting to very poor choices, you still have some opportunities to control what you share outside your circle of friends (real friends, I mean, not just Facebook “friends”).
What’s the probem?
Understandably, businesses want to share lots of information about the business, but individuals often want to restrict some of their more personal information. However, many individuals use personal accounts for business information, and the lines between business and personal get blurry.
An eye-opening example
Recently a reporter published an article called Confessions of an Online Stalker. He did it to research just how much personal information is available for free on the internet. He chose a person who is very “plugged in” – having several online businesses, lots of social media presence, etc. What he was able to learn about his “target” was surprising, even to the target (the reporter eventually met him and revealed the information to him).
For example, he knew where he lived as a child, and how much that home was worth. He knew where he lived currently, that he lived with his fiance, and his educational and professional history. The reporter knew what coffee shop the target frequented, and what he drank. He was able to find his target’s travel schedule for the indefinite future. He saw his target on YouTube videos, and heard him speak.
The reporter got a bit of his own medicine when he traveled to Singapore, and posted his jogging route online, and had a reader contact him to jog with him. They became friends.
How can you regulate your own privacy?
Possibly as a reaction to Facebook’s intentional openness, or perhaps it is just good timing, but there have been a number of articles recently on protecting your privacy online. One of the best is 9 Ways to Control Your Privacy on Social Media Sites. Others will come up with a search – especially a blog search.
Post discreetly
If you post your information on a web page, a forum, a blog, or a site like Twitter (which has no set of privacy controls – your only hope at a private message is the Direct Message or DM – but see 5 Reasons Twitter Direct Messages Are Useless), whatever you post is available to the public. Because of real-time search by Google and the other search engines, that means it is available almost instantly – there are no “do-overs”.
The result for these public postings is that everything you post is public, and because of caching by the search engines, it is available to anyone, anytime, anywhere, forever! The best solution to this is to very, very cautious about what you post. Some have said, don’t post anything you would be embarrassed to have your mother read. Whatever yardstick you choose to apply, be careful out there!
A special word is warranted about forums. Many (most?) forums require you to create a login and password to be able to post to the forum. However, most do not require a login and password to read the posts. Do not be lulled into a false sense of security that because you have to log in to be able to post, that it is a private forum – it is a public forum and anyone – repeat ANYONE – can read what you have said.
The article called 9 Ways to Control Your Privacy addresses this topic as Number 3: Have a Clear Understanding of What Sensitive Information is — and Don’t Share it. Good advice!
Control your privacy settings
For sites, like Facebook, that do allow you to control who has access to particular content, go through the controls carefully and set them to your liking. When Facebook changes the privacy settings and controls, go back and check them, to be sure you are still happy with the settings.
Create groups or lists or whatever Facebook wants to call them this week. Set different privacy controls for each group/list, so you can add new “friends” to appropriate groups, and they will only be able to see what you decide to show them.
Take a look at Reclaim Privacy to see what your privacy settings are showing and consider resetting them appropriately.
Be careful who your friends are
Don’t accept friend requests from strangers. If you are a business, set up a business page, and point the strangers to it, rather than accepting them as “friends” on your personal page. According to the 9 Ways to Control Your Privacy article, studies indicate that 40% of new Facebook profiles are fakes.
Don’t automatically follow back on Twitter or other microblogging platforms. See if the user seems valid, and follow them only if they are valid and worthwhile for your purposes. Would you be friends with them in real life?
There are other issues as well, many discussed in the articles we’ve linked to above. Some are more security issues than privacy concerns (like strong passwords, fraud and phishing issues, etc.), although failing to implement these properly can lead to very serious privacy issues.
Another related issue is mentioned by Heather Turner in her article, Important Information for Facebook Fan Page Business Owners. If you have a business page, and an employee is taking care of it for you, be sure you are listed as an admin for the page! If not, the employee may leave (no matter the reason) and you may no longer have any ability to control the page!
The bottom line
Take control of your privacy! Share what you want shared, but don’t share anything publicly that you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of the local newspaper. Just as you might share very personal information with your closest friends, set up groups with different privacy levels so you can share what you want with each group.