Vacation Rental Management Company Assistant

We are looking to hire a customer service specialist for a short term rental property management company, Helios Vacation Rentals. We are a rapidly growing company based in Southern California with over 30 luxury vacation rentals. The role will be primarily customer service based managing reservations and assisting with admin tasks.

Position Summary: Reservations Team Virtual Assistant
As part of the reservations team, you are the first point of contact with guests. Your job is to provide fast and thorough responses to potential guests, provide exemplary customer service to maintain positive reviews, and mitigate guest issues. You are the vital link between our internal Helios team, vendors and all guests, and you must be adept at problem solving issues before filtering them to the rest of the team. You must be resourceful and know how to follow a myriad of SOPs to solve the many issues you will encounter. Initially you will be learning our operating procedures and how to communicate with guests via our messaging platforms. After 1 month, you will begin helping with inbound and outbound calls with guests.

Pay and Benefits:
$4/hr and $4.50 after training period. Training period varies per candidate.
Eligible for sick pay after 3 months.
Monthly performance bonus applied to the basic rate only, allowing the hourly rate to increase up to $5/hr for the month, based on performance.

Schedule:
Approximately 40 hours per week. Can be more during Peak Season Feb-April and can be less during the Slow Season of August-Nov. Given that this is the hospitality business, the ability to work weekends and holidays is required. Hours are during Pacific Time Zone sometime between 8am-11pm but hours are subject to change. 1 hour non paid lunch break provided each shift. Given that this is the customer service, we require you to be on your computer during your shift with an average response time of 5-10 minutes.

Key Responsibilities

Guest Relations: The Virtual Assistant shall be responsible for assisting guests throughout the entire reservations process, including pre-booking, during reservation dates, and post check out. The Virtual Assistant shall be responsible for monitoring all communications channels, such as OTA messages, emails, texts, live chats and calls. The Virtual Assistant shall maintain an average response time of five (5) minutes with a maximum of ten (10) minutes. The Virtual Assistant shall further be responsible for assisting with Upsells; collecting pre-check in documents; providing superior customer service and positive communication to all guests and review outreach.

Reservation Management: The Virtual Assistant shall need to understand the different payment terms, cancellation policies, and booking procedures on all platforms. The Virtual Assistant shall be responsible for collecting and verifying reservation payments; performing data entry tasks; verifying reservation payments and assisting with failed payments.

Automations: The Virtual Assistant shall be responsible for generating and deleting door lock codes; monitoring thermostat and settings on Home/Away mode; monitoring pool automation and coordinating heating, lights and spa functions; monitoring WiFi equipment and mediating outages; and monitoring noise sensors and resolving noise violations.

Listing Management: The Virtual Assistant shall be responsible for managing different booking channels, such as Airbnb, VRBO, ---------- , Website, Furnished Finder; creating and maintaining property listings on Hostaway; modifying for Hostaway Listing Details; and modifying website information.

Vendor Management: The Virtual Assistant shall be responsible for coordinating repairs and maintenance with vendors; coordinating with cleaners to obtain evidence of potential damages; filing repair claims with the home warranty; and submitting damage claims with Safely Insurance and Airbnb Resolution Center.

Homeowner Communication: The Virtual Assistant shall be responsible for assisting with STR permit renewals; assisting with homeowner onboarding; assisting with owner stays; assisting with general inquiries regarding expenses and reservations; and coordinating repair approvals with homeowners.

Requirements:
Excellent control of English language and be able to communicate effectively off script
Customer service experience or sales experience
Stable computer and reliable wired internet service with CLEAR voice headset
Two computer screens are not required but optimal
Reliable power and internet setup, with reasonable backup options to minimize work interruptions
Previous work experience in vacation rental property management is a plus
Previous work experience with Airbnb or VRBO is a HUGE plus
Experience with PriceLabs or other price optimization software’s is a HUGE plus

To apply, make sure to email a short 1–3 minute video to ---------- explaining why you would be a good fit for our company. Attach your resume to the email. Do not submit a general introduction video and follow the instructions, as applications that do not comply will not be considered.