How StayDuvet Eliminated 200+ Hours of Support Calls Per Year with StayFi and Increased Brand Loyalty
As StayDuvet grew, they needed a simple way to manage Wi-Fi networks across hundreds of locations and engage more guests with their #bookdirect brand. We sat down and interviewed the team at StayDuvet to better understand how they have used StayFi to not only cut down on guest Wi-Fi issues, but also collect valuable guest data.
Introduction
StayDuvet is a premier short-term rental manager serving the Charleston, South Carolina area. The team currently manages over 300 vacation rental properties, with 19 staff members. Over any given week, they manage roughly 350 check-ins. With properties ranging from 300 to over 4500 sq. feet, they cater to a wide range of travelers from digital nomads to multi-generational families looking to get away.
Since 2016, property owners have entrusted StayDuvet to successfully market, protect, and rent out their homes to guests. Providing a complete range of services ranging from furnishing, design, photography, guest management to dayto-day operations —StayDuvet is the premier short-term rental operator in their market. Their systemized approach has allowed them to grow rapidly.
Troubleshooting Internet Connectivity Problems
Overseeing properties owned by over 50 individuals, the StayDuvet team found it frustrating to manage different providers and internet accounts across their rentals. Their team described the process of responding to these individual requests as “troubling, confusing, and timeconsuming.” Often, their team was struggling to diagnose support requests, including service provider outages, user error, and faulty equipment. On any given day, the team responded to two or more of these types of Wi-Fi calls from guests.
Scaling Operations with StayFi
When the StayDuvet team came across StayFi’s offerings at the DARM (Vacation Rental Data and Revenue Management) conference, they were actively searching for a solution to manage their vacation rental’s internet connectivity in a single dashboard. Upon receiving the initial units from StayFi, the StayDuvet team was able to set each unit up through a few simple steps. 5-minutes after opening and installing the device, they were ready to go.
Immediately, the StayDuvet team was able to use the centralized dashboard to address requests for assistance. Instead of trying to decide what was a genuine service outage or user error, they were able to see the internet connectivity status quickly and easily for each access point, including the current Wi-Fi speed, and address the issue.
Reducing 200+ Hours of Support Calls Per Year
After a few months of experimenting with StayFi in their pilot project, the StayDuvet team was more than happy with the results. In October of 2021, they decided to roll out the adoption of StayFi across their entire portfolio of properties. Their team has been able to save 3-4 hours of support call time each week. They have seen excellent coverage and performance with the UniFi WiFi 6 Lite Access Point for most properties, while also opting for UniFi WiFi 6 Long Range Access Point for homes with larger outdoor areas.
Increasing Leads with StayFi Marketing Benefits
Beyond these operational benefits, the StayDuvet team has also been able to enjoy repeat bookings through their direct-marketing initiatives. Thanks to the email collection functionality of StayFi, instead of only being able to contact a single individual —for larger properties, the StayDuvet team can collect the emails of up to 18 guests. The StayDuvet team is then able to sync this data automatically to MailChimp right when guests access the Wi-Fi, and then send marketing emails such as last-minute vacancies, new listings with a 5% repeat customer discount, and promotions on each customer’s birthday.
“One of the surprising value adds was tapping into the marketing side. Obviously, the information that these guests choose to share whenever they log on to the network is often limited, but not with StayFi. It’s very easy to just log into the dashboard and manage our marketing efforts, “said Quinn Foster, Managing Partner at StayDuvet.
Personalized Terms of Service for Peace of Mind
As an added benefit, they have also enjoyed prompting all guests to agree to their personalized terms of service. StayFi added peace of mind that each guest is complying with their terms. They’re pleased with their decision to invest in StayFi across their properties and will continue to implement the hardware across new properties.
“I couldn’t recommend StayFi more. The service removes so many barriers of frustrations for both our staff and guests. For other short term rental managers, just start taking notice of how many times you're answering questions about your internet. If you want to simplify the process and continue to grow rapidly, you need StayFi.”
- Quinn Foster, StayDuvet
