The rise of online platforms (such as Airbnb, Homelidays....) offering short-term rentals has given rise to numerous property management offers from janitorial services. In concrete terms, these new players assist owners in the property management of their short stay rentals and the maximizing their income. While evolving in a changing regulatory context, these young companies are facing multiple issues (optimization of the reception process, automation of the deposit taking process...).
How were concierge services born and what need do they meet?
Today in France, 3 owners out of 5 say they are ready to put their property on a rental platform between individuals. According to Airbnb, more than 1 million reservations are made every day via their website. The success of these rental platforms between individuals benefits many actors.
It is by exploiting the collaborative economy that online concierge services have emerged. These new players offer a turnkey service which allows to optimize the incomes related to the renting of goods between individuals.
A simple Google search is all it takes to see the abundance of offerings. At first glance, all concierge services offer a similar pattern of services. If you take a closer look at their offers, you will realize that they offer different compartments of services (for example, specialization according to the level of the apartment).
The principle is to to take care of all the binding aspects of the management of a rental in exchange for a commission or via a subscription system. The services of these concierge services are diverse and varied: managing the arrival and departure of travelers, cleaning, cleaning laundry, writing ads on the site of short term rental, managing interactions with travelers ...
Offering the services of a concierge is a real asset to get good ratings and an attractive profile on rental platforms!
These new players respond to specific emerging and evolving needs. But what about their needs?
What kind of challenges do concierge services face?
Concierge services are evolving in a ever-changing regulatory environment. Being closely linked to short-stay rental platforms, they are directly impacted by the new regulations that affect this type of platform. For example, the "Airbnb decree" of 30 April 2017 stipulates that large cities can require individuals renting out their property via a platform, to register with the town hall (the aim being to check that the legal 120-day rental period for main residences is not exceeded).
In addition to this ever-changing regulatory environment, these companies face many challenges.
In order to respond to an increasingly demanding demand, concierge services wish to optimize their rental and reception process. Among the tools that meet these needs, the channel manager allows you to automatically feed the different distribution channels used (e.g. update the availability of a rental on several platforms in a synchronized manner).
When renting a property, the taking of a deposit is almost systematic in order to protect the property against all types of incivility. Optimizing the management of security deposits is a real challenge for most concierge services. It is to meet this need for optimization that Swikly was born. Swikly allows you to secure and automate all the processes of taking deposits, taking deposits without debit and even payments secured by 3DS.
At a time when cheques are completely obsolete for taking deposits and standard bank card prints do not meet the needs of concierge services in terms of time and security, Swikly offers a simple and practical alternative.
The secured bonds by Swikly are valid for 3 months from the acceptance of the deposit by the tenant. The tenant's credit card limit, which is usually greatly reduced when a classic credit card is taken, is not affected by a Swikly deposit request. The money is only debited in case of incivility or damage. In this case, it is possible to to collect part or all of the deposit initially requested with Swikly. Swikly also supports the management of possible disputes and recovery.
With each deposit request, Swikly instantly verifies the identity and payment capacity of the tenant in order to to avoid all types of scams or problems with the use of the rented goods.
Through this digital bonding application, concierge services can also benefit from a additional marketing contact point with the tenant generating additional sales. The moment of the deposit taking (a few days before the handing over of the keys) is indeed adapted to propose the sale of additional services, because the tenant is already planning his holidays. For example, it is possible to offer a taxi service, luggage management, delivery of hot croissants on Sunday morning ... Swikly allows, in a single gesture, to secure a bond and to collect the price of these servicesoptimizing the customer experience. Beyond the management of deposits, Swikly can be used to collect tourist taxes.
Considering the volume of deposits and taxes managed by concierge services, Swikly proposes tofully automate the online bail application process for seasonal rentals by integrating easily with the market's channel managers or by API.
