This article addresses the following:
- Communication Best Practices
- Use Swimply Inbox
- What to do if a Guest is Unresponsive?
- What are Blocked Messages?
- Can I Report Messages to Swimply?
- If A Guest Has A Complaint
Communication Best Practices
- Communicate with guests clearly and in a timely manner. Be sure to respond quickly to any questions or concerns.
- Provide access instructions for your guests if you aren’t home or unable to greet them. If you are home and able, be prepared to welcome your guests right away upon their arrival.
- Reiterate your listing rules with the guest before their arrival. Kindly remind them of your policies, so they aren’t surprised upon arrival when they find out they can’t drink alcohol, let their dog swim, throw a party, or any other rules you have in place.
- Work out all the details before, no one likes surprises. Communicate expectations, potential issues, or needs prior to the reservation to ensure that everyone has the best time possible.
- Keeping messaging in the Swimply Chat allows our support team to quickly get caught up if there are any issues or changes requested. All communication and payment should be directed through the Swimply app.
Use Swimply Inbox
Through the Swimply app or website, you have the ability to communicate with potential and confirmed Guests prior to, during, and after the booking. It is also important to note that being unresponsive in chat for a prolonged period of time, particularly as a booking approaches, may make a Guest eligible for a penalty free-cancelation regardless of your cancelation policy
We advise all communication regarding a reservation be had through the Swimply chat, that way it's easier for Swimply Support to confirm conversations or track events if you ever need assistance. Please note that sharing phone numbers, contact information, or arranging to take payment offline or at the pool (with cash or credit card) is against our Terms and Conditions. Swimply will not honor transactions made with your Guest off the platform and the booking will not be protected by our Swimply Protection Guarantee.
In order for a Guest to contact a Host (for context):
- A potential Guest must have a completed profile
- They must select a date, time, and headcount to send with their message to help center your conversation. If you have Instant Booking enabled on your Pool, they may be Confirmed already when they contact you. If you manually approve your reservations, they may show as Pending.
- If a Guest requests a booking, their name automatically appears in your inbox.
In order for a Host to contact Guest:
- Hosts can only chat with potential Guests if the Guest has already initiated a conversation or if they have requested reservation with the Host's Pool.
- Any existing conversation thread can be accessed in the Inbox section.
- To start a new conversation go to the Reservations section, select the desired user, create your message, and use Send A Message.
It's very important to note that all users must acknowledge and accept the following rules on the Swimply chat prior to using the chat:
Please view our Community Guidelines for more information on our content policies.
What to do if a Guest is Unresponsive?
It's not uncommon for guests to be occupied with various commitments. In such cases, we kindly request your patience and allow them 24 hours to respond.
If, however, you don't hear back from your guest within 24 hours, or the booking is scheduled before then, we are happy to reach out to the guest directly. Our goal is to ensure a smooth and positive experience for both hosts and guests on Swimply.
Should you have any further questions or concerns in the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out to Swimply Customer Care. We are committed to resolving this matter promptly.
What are Blocked Messages?
When messaging a Guest it is possible to encounter a blocked message, albeit rarely. What are blocked messages and why may you see them pop up from time to time?
As part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and integrity of our platform, our Trust and Safety Team actively reviews and takes action on messages that contain flagged or redacted keywords.
Additionally, our system also detects and flags contact details such as email addresses, phone numbers, social links, and physical addresses. While we strive to implement robust measures, we acknowledge that users may attempt to circumvent these restrictions by using alternative formats or methods.
Please be assured that our primary goal is to maintain a secure environment for all Swimply users, and the review of messages is conducted with this objective in mind.
Can I Report Messages to Swimply?
We appreciate your partnership as we work to maintain a safe and secure platform for all users.
As part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and integrity of our platform, our Trust and Safety Team will investigate the messages you are reporting to us.
If A Guest Has A Complaint
Handling Complaints
Swimply encourages open and courteous communication between Hosts and Guests. Just as you prepare the space for your guest, your guest prepares to arrive at your space for an amazing and relaxing experience! If a Guest expresses concerns about the booking, it is important to communicate with them, acknowledge their concerns, and work to find a resolution.
Should you require further assistance with a situation, Swimply Customer Care is always available for you to submit a ticket. When reviewing the situation, Swimply Customer Care will check the Swimply chat between you and your Guest for any communication regarding the booking including a possible reschedule or refund.
If you ask your Guest to contact Swimply Customer Care for a refund without making explicit arrangements with the Guest, Swimply will come up with a solution that best accommodates both parties. This may include deducting from your payout and issuing a partial refund, depending on the circumstances. For this reason, if you have a solution in mind it is best to be clear and open with your Guest.
Swimply is committed to a quick resolution of any issue that arises on the Swimply platform. We ask our Hosts to get back to us within 48 hours and to include any evidence or relevant information for the complaint. If we do not hear back within this timeframe, Swimply Customer Care will review the situation and your payout may be reduced to accommodate the Guest.
Pool Temperature Expectations and Complaints
Changing weather can affect the temperature of an outdoor swimming pool. Whether your pool is heated or unheated, your Swimply Guests should expect to be comfortable at a Swimply reservation. Here are Swimply’s expectations for pool temperatures, and also how we resolve complaints from swimmers about pool temps:
Expectations for Unheated Pools
In Manage Listing you can specify that your pool is heated. This will add the information to your Pool Listing page so Guests know what to expect. Guests who book your pool will be aware that the water temperature may be cooler, especially in the off-season months. Should Guests reach out to ask please do your best providing an estimate of the temperature. You may wish to equip your pool with a thermometer in order to better estimate.
Guests who choose an unheated pool should not be expecting 90°f degrees. But if your pool is under 80°f, you should definitely let them know so they can be aware ahead of time.
Expectations for Heated Pools
Heating your pool can seem like an expense, but our Swimply hosts who choose to heat their pools over the summer and into the off-season have gotten tremendous responses from Guests, both in terms of 5 star reviews and in booking volume. A few extra bookings a month in your nicely heated pool will definitely off-set the heating bill.
Guests who book a heated pool will expect a comfortable experience. The most positive responses we’ve seen start around 85 degrees. The minimum expected temperature for a heated pool during a Swimply reservation is 80 degrees. Outfitting your pool with a thermometer can help your Guests know what they’re getting into.
Cold pool complaints
When Swimply Customer Care receives a complaint about a pool being too cold to swim in, we will immediately follow it up to investigate. We require swimmers to report no more than 24 hours after their reservation time, any further delay makes it difficult to assess with certainty.
Once we receive the report we will first consider how your pool is marketed then make a determination based on the following:
-
For an Unheated pool
- If you’ve been in contact with your Guests and let them know the estimated temperature in advance we will likely remind them of the details of your pool Listing and the expectations they agreed to. Offers of compensation to the Guest will be based on the individual experience.
- As an alternative, which will likely earn a better review, you may wish to offer your Guest a rescheduled swim. You can use the Reschedule tool to offer a new date or time.
- For a Heated pool
- Swimply Support will ask you for a photo or screenshot of the thermometer or temperature regulation app to show the current temp of your pool. Your response is expected within 24 hours to be considered valid evidence, longer than that and we can’t reasonably assess the data.
- The minimum expected temperature for a Swimply reservation is 80 degrees. If your pool is cooler than this, we will offer the Guest a refund which will affect your payout. If it is warmer than 80 degrees, but not by much, then any offered compensation will be based on the Guest’s experience and how long they stayed at the reservation.
In all cases, to prevent a refund, you should offer to reschedule with your Guest instead. This will let them return at another date or time when the pool temp is increased. They will enjoy their swim as expected and your payout will be unaffected. Should your Guests stay the entire time of their original reservation, regardless of whether they swam, this is considered a full use of their Swimply reservation.
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