Why email personalization is one of the best online booking tools you’re overlooking

Picture this: you’re sitting down to write a letter to a close friend. You’ve got your pen, paper and a heartfelt message or important news for them. You, of course, start with “Dear …” because you want them to know this letter is meant just for them. That, in a nutshell, is what email personalization is all about.

While you’re probably not sending your customers handwritten letters (or maybe you are, nice touch!), personalized emails are one of the best online booking tools that you might be overlooking. 

Don’t just take our word for it. Your customers are seeing email personalization in their inboxes from other brands already. In fact, according to research from McKinsey & Company, “76% of consumers get frustrated when it’s not there.”

When it comes to your business, there’s a suite of booking email essentials that customers are expecting to receive: booking confirmations, invoices, waiver reminders, follow-ups, and more. These play a big role in logistics, something that’s valuable to you. But, by adding personal elements throughout, you’re adding value to your guests’ experience along the way.

As a booking tool, email personalization will make your admin tasks easier and grow customer loyalty. 

What is email personalization?

Simply put, it’s the practice of including detailed, personal information in your communications. The result? Your customers feel like truly valued guests instead of just another booking.

Building and nurturing a relationship with your guests goes a long way in terms of customer satisfaction. Incorporating personal details with specific information about their booking shows that you care and that you’re prioritizing their time by making things convenient. 

Using email personalization is one more way you can be thoughtful about your guest’s experience before and after they visit you. And that gets noticed! Leading to increased word-of-mouth marketing, positive reviews online, and repeat bookings

Let’s explore all the ways you can take your emails to the next level. 

Make personalized emails work for you

Maybe you’re already convinced including all these details in your customer’s emails is a great idea but worried it’s going to add to an already long to-do list.

With Checkfront, you don’t need to do it manually! Our booking software gives you access to a wealth of data like: first and last names, booking ID, booking items, invoice status, booking QR codes, and more. Then, with personalized email automation, you can craft messages in our Notification Centre (made even easier with our free booking email templates!) and watch them get sent exactly when they need to. Plus, if learning all about automated messages has piqued your interest, you can also find options for SMS notifications in our Notification Centre. 

We’ve put together some real-world examples of how to personalize emails so you can build a stronger relationship with your customers and increase their loyalty to your business. 

5 ways to use personalized email automation

1. Greet your guests personally

While Shakespeare asked the question, “what’s in a name?”, our answer would be a lot. In fact, research shows that using the recipient’s first name in the subject line can increase open rates by 26%. From subject lines to the body of your email, there are so many great ways to acknowledge your guest by using their name. 

• Options in Checkfront: First name, last name, full name, and company name.
• Get creative: Include their first name in the email subject line to catch their attention and increase open rates.

Example:

2. Confirm booking details 

A well-timed and automated email can save your business hours of customer service work. Make sure your guests have their exact booking details in their inbox to reduce follow-up calls and questions. 

• Options in Checkfront: Booking ID, booking status, booking total, booking items, start date, time, end time, details, and more.
• Get creative: If your guests book their experience months or weeks out, build and schedule a few emails counting down to their booking to build excitement!

Example:

3. Automate follow-up tasks

You know better than anyone how much administrative work comes with keeping bookings on track. Get back valuable time by automating admin tasks like settling up invoices and signing waivers.

• Options in Checkfront: payment links, discount codes for re-booking, and an option to cancel their booking.
• Get creative: capitalize on your guest’s excitement and extend a discount for a future booking in the off-season.

Example:

4. Help your guests find you

Nothing can dampen your guests’ excitement and experience quite like getting lost trying to find you — especially if you have multiple locations. Reduce the possibility of frustrated guests, latecomers and accidental no-shows by sharing exactly where they can find you.

• Options in Checkfront: you may provide several links to multiple locations (if your guest has made multiple bookings) or just one. 
• Get creative: When giving directions to your business, guests appreciate extra details to make sure they’re in the right place – like adding a note about signage or directions.

Example:

5. Create your own email variable!

Your business has unique needs, so use a booking software that can keep up. With Checkfront, you can create custom variables that are built just for your business. The options are limitless, from dietary restrictions to sizing details for rental equipment.

• Custom variables are created easily through the custom fields in your booking form. 
• Get creative: the sky is the limit – build a variable that suits your business’s exact needs.

Example:

Final Thoughts

Personalized emails are powerful because they’re just that – personal. Your guests will be expecting to get the basics from you in their inbox, so why not blow them away by investing some time with this useful tool? It can go a long way in an increasingly digital world to make things feel a bit more human.

With Checkfront, your business can stand apart from the competition and stand out in your customers’ minds. 

While we put together five email variable examples, the options are endless! Already a Checkfront user? If you’ve got an idea and aren’t sure if it will work, our 5-star technical support team is always here to help.