iGMS Launches Support Program to Aid Hosts

The global pandemic has turned the world upside down and brought chaos and uncertainty into our lives. With trips canceled and restrictions imposed across the globe, the travel industry is not having its finest hour.

Being hosts ourselves, we are familiar with the challenges that you are facing now. We are in the same boat, and understand the complications your business might have already encountered. 

The good news is that this crisis is temporary and everything will return to normal. Let’s hope that proves to be even faster than we might expect.

It’s hard to make predictions, but experts conclude that people are likely to start traveling again as soon as restrictions are lifted. That’s no surprise — people have been under great stress and will be looking for a change of scene and a chance to relax.  

In the meantime, we need to continue to support one another. That is why we’ve decided to introduce special conditions for our new and current customers. We are keen to help the hosting community to weather this storm and break through the crisis. 

Free Access to the PRO Plan for New Customers Until May 31, 2020

To keep your business afloat in times of trouble, you must manage your costs wisely. Automation tools have proved to be effective in streamlining business activities while reducing costs. 

To help save you even more, we have introduced the Support Program for New Customers. If you register with iGMS starting from March 27th you are eligible to use the iGMS PRO plan for free until May 31st, 2020. If you are ready to make a switch under our Terms and Conditions you can get access to the full package of professional features — designed to simplify the management of your vacation rental properties. 

By switching to iGMS you can take advantage of all our automated tools to sustain your business growth. The key benefits of iGMS PRO plan versus the Free plan include:

• The Unified inbox for all your messages from both Airbnb and HomeAway/Vrbo platforms.
• Review management feature enabling you to automate the process of leaving reviews. 
• Multiple account management (the Free plan is only available for up to 4 properties).
• Reporting feature that helps you to track your business results. 
• Email and chat support with a response within 24 hours. 
• Notifications to your team members about assigned tasks via email, text messages (SMS) or our mobile app.

Automating your business will help you to save costs on subcontracted operations and assist you in keeping all aspects of your business under control. To participate in our program you need to sign up with iGMS and then follow the next steps outlined in our Terms and Conditions.

Note: This offer is only available for new customers.

Easy Onboarding and Data Migration Service

Another advantage of our recently launched Support Program is our deep onboarding and data migration service. This service is available to new customers who currently use other property management software and manage 5 or more properties.

We understand that switching software might be time-consuming, as it requires entering your data into a completely new system. With this in mind, as a new customer, you will be eligible for a one-hour setup session with partial data transfer. Also, at your request, our Customer Experience Team will help you to move data from your current provider to the iGMS system. This service includes: 

• Connecting Airbnb and HomeAway/Vrbo accounts, 
• Transferring message templates, 
• Merging Airbnb and HomeAway/Vrbo properties using our channel manager.

The deep onboarding and data migration service are both provided at no cost. Save yourself time, and the trouble of entering data manually. We truly hope that this service will help you to start making the most of the iGMS advanced features right after you sign up. This service is already quite popular so we encourage you to book your slot in advance.  

No Charges for Reservations Canceled for Current Customers

We are pleased to say that we also have more good news to share with you. We treat our customers as partners, and that’s why we have decided to update our pricing policy for March and April (all at our own cost)! 

The COVID-19 outbreak has forced people to change their plans and cancel bookings, and as a host, you may have had to deal with an influx of cancellations. To help you keep your business going, our billing team will not be charging you for canceled reservations for March and April 2020. Thus, if you are on the Flexible Plan you will not pay for canceled nights. If you are on the PRO plan you will not be charged for properties with zero guests during this period. 

We trust that our decision and temporary changes to the pricing policy will support your business. We really want to reduce the extra pressure placed on your budget during these challenging times.  

Making the Most of Your Business with Automation 

You need to adjust your approach and adapt to new situations in order to maintain your business in times of crisis. 

Cutting expenses might be the first idea you explore as you introduce your crisis recovery strategy. Business automation is not only effective for simplifying and streamlining operations but is also renowned for its cost-reducing benefits. 

By “hiring” an all-in-one vacation rental software solution, such as iGMS, you can increase productivity while cutting down your expenses. This means you can do more without expanding your team or employing third-party subcontractors. 

Managing your vacation rental properties remotely is another strategy to take a closer look at. Social distancing is crucial for flattening the curve and having a software solution to run your business from a distance will help eliminate the number of face-to-face interactions. Once this crisis is over, you will be able to continue managing your properties remotely from any corner of the world. 

Learning Hub Resources on Coping with COVID-19 

To help you navigate the crisis, our content team is constantly working on the best strategies and ideas for your business. Feel free to check our useful articles and resources: 

Coronavirus: 7 Strategies to Sustain Your Vacation Rental Business Growth

Safety Vacation Rental Property Checklists (COVID-19)

How to Market Your Vacation Rental Property to Domestic Travelers?

We are in the process of conducting a survey to collect statistics and useful recommendations based on other hosts’ experience. We invite you to complete our short survey too and help the hosting community by taking a minute to submit your replies. We will analyze the data and share the most important findings with our audience as quickly as possible. Your voice would be a great help! 

In times like these, mutual cooperation and support have always been crucial for overcoming challenges and dealing with difficult situations. We believe that our Support Program and alterations to our pricing policy will help you stay in the game. Once this pandemic is over you can get back on track for success – and we will be with you every step of the way.