Why QR codes are the future of hospitality

Welcome to Boostly Podcast Season 10 Episode 4. This is a recap of my Facebook live video where I talked about QR codes.

Here's the audio for this episode:

Here's the video for this episode:

Timestamp

02:40 About QR codes
06:10 How QR codes evolved
09:00 How we use QR codes
11:25 QR codes are free
11:50 How to set up QR codes

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Transcript from the Episode

We've had a lot of people asking questions about QR codes. And with all of the rules and regulations coming into place with what you can and cannot have in your property or properties. QR codes have slowly but surely started to enter the conversation.

One of the ideas or business that I had was QR codes. The idea was to take QR codes and put them on for sale boards or for rent bars. Because normally, like when you walk them down the street and you see the for sale sign outside, you don't see anything, you can't see anything on the inside.

So my idea was to put a QR code on these on these boards a sticker on it, so somebody walking by, and maybe this property was of interest, they could scan the code, and it would take him straight to the real estate agents page on the website. I tried it on one street, it never took off. But QR codes have always been part of my life and a QR code in very simplistic terms, if you've got a phone, and phones nowadays is so clever, you can just hold up your phone to any QR code, it will recognize it, the camera will recognize it. And it will bring up the web page. So that web page could be anything from a video to a post on social media to literally anything online.

How QR codes evolved

What I've noticed this year since lockdowns have finished and especially into a restaurant, you don't get many menus now, especially in Spain, I don't know it's like anywhere else in the world. But in Spain, you have to scan a QR code to see the menu. And that's just one little way that that you're using them by phone. Hosts, in particular, are really embracing these QR codes. And specifically I find in the rental market. So if you've got short term rental accommodation, these can be really key.

I think everybody here can relate to this. You've had a long day doing whatever, get the kids to bed, you sit down. And remember being on the farm, you just get sat down, you're about to watch TV. And all of a sudden the phone would go or an email pings or a social media message things and it's somebody who's in the cottages, saying I can't get access to work, dishwasher, heating, you name it, and doesn't matter how many times you try and explain it on the phone, you always end up having to stand up and go over and fix it.

It's mentally draining, it's a big time waste. But what I've noticed so much, and this is where I think the QR conversations coming in more and more is that you can now utilize QR codes. And you know whether it's a digital guidebook or just a simple sticker next to the hub, or to the dishwasher, or to the laundry machine or next to the boiler, instead of you having to try and explain it over the phone, you can just say Yep, sure, no worries, all you need to do get your phone, scan that QR code to hold your phone over it, it will take you to a video to show you exactly how to set it up or what to do if it goes wrong.

And the beauty of it is, is that you can literally go around your property tomorrow, you can use your phone to record a few videos. So it can be anything from how to use a Wi-Fi how to use washing machine, you can record all these videos. And you can then go and store them on free cloud-based platforms, Google Drive, Dropbox, you name it. And what it will do is every single file on these cloud base will give you a URL unique URL as it's called. And instead of you having to go to the guest on the phone, show, Mr. Customer, all you need to do is type in dropbox.com forward slash One, two, hashtag, all of the things are really long code that they're never going to remember. You can just say, Yep, sure 100%. All you need to do is scan the code and it will take you to a video and it will show you exactly how to use it also working or even better, this will connect you straight to the Wi Fi.

How we use QR codes

The Grainary is a 14 bedroom guesthouse. It's free holiday cottages on the back of every door, we would have a QR code and we would basically put a little a4 piece of paper or a sticker and put it on the back of the door. And they would see it every single time they were leaving the room. And the message that we would put the QR code would be something along the lines of enjoying your stay, please leave review, scan the QR code, which will take you to TripAdvisor, Facebook, Google. But we would change it to the platform that we're looking to get a bump from. Now bear in mind this is 2012, 2013 when TripAdvisor was really important, not so much now in 2020.

But back in 2012 2013. tripadvisor dominated the review industry and one of the reasons that I attribute to the fact that we became the top three Recommended Business on TripAdvisor. I would say that TripAdvisor was bringing in out of every 10 guests. One in three guests, I would bring in wood because of a trip or the reviews on TripAdvisor. And the reason was is that we're asking, but we weren't asking in a post-stay email, we're asking them every single time they were leaving the room. And because we're constantly asking, and it wasn't me stood outside the room going, leave a review, leave a review, we're doing it with a simple QR code.

And, you know, a lot of the times, because QR codes weren't really used, then we'll go in, what's this QR code, and we just tell him to go leave a review on TripAdvisor. But now if you do the same, and you can do this in your rental, or you can do this in your bed and breakfast, or wherever you may be, then you can just have a QR code, put it on the back of the door, where it's a sticker, or a laminate, or whatever you want it to be. And just say, please leave a review, scan, scan the code.

Now, again, reviews, social proof are one of the most effective ways I think everybody can relate to this to bring in new direct bookings. The problem is, is that we don't ask and this is a fantastic way to ask now you don't have to send them to a review platform. You can send them wherever you want them to go, you could say join our email list, you can say 20% or 10% off your next stay. If you book book now using this code, you can literally send them anywhere. And this is the beauty of a QR code.

QR codes are free

And the best thing is about these QR codes is that they are free, they cost absolutely nothing to setup. And even better, for those of you that think you're not very good technically, is that it's a click of a button and they're created, you don't have to have any degrees in graphic design, you don't have to be an expert in graphic design, it is really, really simple to set it up.

How to set up QR codes

On the bottom left of my screen, they have a free 15-day trial, you can create as many QR codes as you need to. Now you can create it for any URL that we name. So if I were to very quickly go to create QR code, it will load up the next page. And as you can see, when you're in here, it gives you all of the options. So you can take him to coupons, website, social media link, anything that you want it to go to, I'm going to click web pages because it's simple. And what it will then do is if you click on Next, it will then ask you for the website to send it to so if I was again just to put boostlywebsite.com. And I go to next this system will create it for me.

So as you can see the code is right there. Now what I love about this website, is that you can change the templates. So if you're thinking of printing these off, which it gives you the options to do here, and these would look pretty cool is you can change how it looks so you've got scan me, you can change the logo, you can change everything on here. Now you've then got the ability to print it. If you've got a fancy printer and you can do it where it's a sticker, you can do that or you can send them off to a local designer to get them stick it up. It's totally up to you but you've got lots of different frames to choose from. And when you see the one that you like, you just download it.

Now, what I'm going to do is I'm going to download this and I'm going to flip my screen. Back to the full video of me And what I'm going to do is I'm going to hold my phone up to the screen. And I'm going to bring up now the QR code. And I'm going to show you exactly how it works. So my phone is right here, and I'm going to hover it over the screen. Now what the phone will then do is it will recognize what I'm looking at, which is a QR code. And I don't know if you can see my screen there, it says to open the URL, if I tap on the open it up, it takes it straight to the page on where it wants to go. So that is as simple as how it is to create a QR code.

Though, the website that I used is non relevant, as loads will know and loads will be testifying, there are hundreds of these websites and a 99.9% of them are free to do. So I recommend going and creating them. Use them for if you want to send them to leave a review. Use them if you want to send them to your email list. But most importantly, I would use them to send them to show them how to use things in your rental property. Definitely, you could even get away in your b&b rooms as well as the Wi Fi and whatnot. But the main thing is to go and create super simple to do takes a few minutes. And again, it will be a massive time saver tool in the future.

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