Kyle Cassidy
Empowering housekeepers with the right technology can help your bottom line. When you support your team with dynamic management software, you’ll start seeing more consistency, better reviews and an overall improvement in operational efficiency.
We asked our rock star Newport, OR housekeeping manager, Rose Lupton about what technologies housekeepers feel helps them do their best work.
Schedule, Status and Hours Tracker
Housekeepers need technology that can keep up with them, especially when they’re out in the field all day. Rose says management software should always cover the basics, such as your cleaning schedule, built-in directions and an hour’s tracker.
Some management software includes ‘clean status’ (such as occupied, ready for clean, clean in progress, etc). This keeps other team members informed, especially if multiple housekeepers or maintenance techs need to visit the home prior to the next stay.
Home Stats
When going into a clean, Rose likes to know home stats, such as total bedrooms, bathrooms and the occupancy of the previous stay. This may be less necessary for housekeepers working in a hotel or a condo building with similar room layouts, but, according to Rose, it's helpful for housekeepers who have to go from a studio cottage to a five-bedroom mansion.
Some housekeeping software takes the home stats concept a step further. Some apps provide housekeepers with image maps of how a room should look once it’s been cleaned, with specific notes to help a housekeeper remember to fill soap dispensers, water a plant, or dust off a picture frame.
“Some of the apps get pretty fancy,” says Rose. “I think what helps me the most is having the ability access cleaning notes about each home.”
Alerts
Things change quickly in our industry: Last-minute stays are booked, reservations are altered. Housekeepers — especially those who work in the field — need to be alerted immediately if another clean has been added to their schedule, or if a clean has just become a back-to-back (for example, when a guest is leaving at 11 a.m. and the next guest arrives at 4 p.m.).
Alerts can be useful in other ways, too. An alert that notifies housekeepers that they’ve gone over an estimated clean time can help them stay on track. A notification informing a housekeeper that they just received a five-star review can help boost morale and confidence.
Housekeeper Metrics
Housekeeping in the vacation rental industry requires independence and consistency. Apps can provide a glimpse into their personal performance metrics. Rose says, giving housekeepers direct access to their stats, including feedback they’ve received from performance reviews and reviews from past guests, can help them improve as they go.
A Comment Section
Technology can also help create custom databases for shared knowledge that can be passed down between housekeepers over the years. Apps that allow for commenting enable cleaning teams to share everything from notes about damage and when it was reported, to tips and tricks for getting a fussy washing machine or vacuum to run properly.
A tool that allows housekeepers to self-serve (and offers nuggets of positivity, like sharing glowing reviews) encourages independence and job satisfaction—which helps your bottom line.
“Giving a housekeeper the tools they need to self-direct their work makes it easier for the entire housekeeping team to power through a busy day, month, or season,” says Rose. “Plus, enabling housekeepers with the proper technology makes for happier employees who are more likely to stay on with us.”
Brought to you by the housekeeping team at Vacasa.
