How a small property can prepare its information for an assistant: one afternoon

When an owner imagines an assistant, they usually think about the technology. In fact, the biggest part of the work is something else: writing down in one place what is true for your venue. This can be done in one afternoon, without special skills. Below is an example approach you can follow with a notebook or a shared spreadsheet.

Example scenario

Imagine a guest house with a few rooms, breakfast and a small yard. The host, whom we will simply call the owner, decides to prepare the information for an assistant. They set aside one afternoon and arrange the work in four steps. Everything described is an illustration, not a report from a real property.

Step 1: Collect the questions guests really ask

Do not start with a blank page. Open the last few weeks of messages, e-mails and notes from calls and write out every question that repeats. The groups are usually familiar:

• arrival and departure: time, late arrival, leaving luggage;
• room: what is in it, beds, air conditioning, terrace;
• food: what breakfast includes, whether there is a vegetarian option, when it is served;
• parking, pets, children, access;
• how to get there and what is nearby;
• how an enquiry for a room is made and who confirms it.

If you already have questions arranged, use them. If not, the article on reducing repeated questions at reception will help you draw them out.

Step 2: Write the answers as self-contained sentences

Each answer should be understandable without the others. Instead of “As we said, it depends on the season”, write the full condition. A good answer contains what, when and under what condition. Example: “Check-in is after 14:00. If you arrive earlier, we can keep your luggage; please call in advance.” The values above are illustrative, you write your own.

Avoid words such as “usually”, “sometimes”, “where possible”, unless you state exactly when. The guest, and the assistant too, cannot guess what you mean.

Step 3: Look for contradictions

This is the most useful part of the afternoon. Put side by side the four places where the guest learns about you: your website, the listings on platforms, the sign or the folder in the room, and what the team says on the phone. Compare them on:

• check-in and check-out times;
• what breakfast includes and when it is;
• rules for children, pets, parking;
• additional fees and how they are paid;
• cancellation conditions.

Almost always you will find at least one discrepancy: an old time in a listing, an out-of-date price for a service, a rule that no longer applies. Decide which version is correct and fix the other places. That way you win twice: the assistant has one correct answer, and the guest does not hear different things from different sources.

Step 4: Write down what you do not know

Not everything has an answer. You may not know whether there will be places in the car park at the weekend, exactly how much the extra bed fee is, or whether you will accept a child with a special diet. Do not fill this in with a guess. Write it like this: “We do not know: the owner decides; we direct to the phone.”

ISKA Assistant answers from the venue's approved information. When there is no data, it does not make anything up, but directs the guest to the venue's phone. That is why an honest “we do not know” works in your favour: the guest hears “call us”, not a wrong figure. There is more about what the assistant does when it has no answer in a separate short article.

A check at the end of the afternoon

Before you finish, do three small checks:

• Read the answers aloud, as if you were a guest who does not know the venue.
• Ask someone close to you to ask five questions they would ask when making a reservation, and see whether they find the answers.
• Note the date and who is responsible for each part. Prices, times and rules change; information that is not maintained goes out of date quietly.

Where ISKA Assistant fits

ISKA Assistant is for venues that want guests to get an answer at any time, without the team being available. It answers in Bulgarian and English from the information you have approved. A room request is recorded as new, and is confirmed by a member of your staff. It does not take table requests or payments, and does not replace reception. You can review the conversations in the Inbox and see where guests ask something you do not yet have an answer for. If you want to see how it would look for your venue, you can request a demo.

The preparation from this afternoon is not tied to a product: you need the same answers for the website, for reception and for a new employee.

Assumptions

This scenario is an illustration, not a forecast. We assume a small venue with breakfast, one person who prepares the information, and access to the guests' recent messages. The times in the examples are illustrative. There is no promise of a result from using an assistant.