How to add special offers (packages) on the bot

In the competitive hospitality landscape, it is essential to adopt effective strategies to attract and engage potential guests. With the growing influence of social media and the demand for a personalized experience, it is crucial for hotels to be prepared to offer exclusive promotions and special offers that stand out among the competition.

In this article, we will guide you step by step through the process of registering promotional packages and offers in the chatbot, empowering you to provide a personalized, engaging, and efficient booking experience. We will teach how to create and configure promotional packages, define eligibility criteria, establish validity periods, and customize chatbot messages to promote these special offers.

So, if you are ready to make the most of the power of the chatbot to boost your sales, we invite you to follow this practical guide and explore all the possibilities that this innovative technology can offer to your hotel business. Let's start creating an engaging dialogue with your guests and converting more visitors into satisfied customers.

Topics

Steps

Package Format with and without Room Categories

Initial Data

Buttons with Links and Forms

Steps

1. Access your Administrative Panel;

2. Click on Settings;

3. Access the Special offers option;

On this screen, you can perform actions such as:

• Add a new package;
• Sort the registered packages using the 'drag and drop' feature (considering that the package at the top will appear first in the chatbot);
• Observe the status of each package, such as Activated, Deactivated, and Expired (expired packages can only be duplicated and no longer edited to preserve conversion statistics);
• Edit, delete, or duplicate packages (by clicking on the 3-dot button);
• Track package conversions based on the number of bookings and total value acquired. These numbers will only be tracked by the robot if you have the pixel enabled in your booking engine. Click here to learn more about how to activate this functionality.

4. Click on Add package;

Package Format with and without Room Categories

First, you need to choose whether you want to add a package that presents detailed information with room categories or without room categories.

To better understand how each package format would work, see the image below. When there are room categories, the robot presents a 'Learn more' button in the first message so that the user can view each option subsequently. On the other hand, the format without room categories only presents the general package information and optionally buttons to book or contact via WhatsApp.

💡Tip: We recommend using the format without room categories when you have more than 5 categories in your establishment so that visitors can see all the options directly in the booking engine or WhatsApp in a more comprehensive way without compromising the visibility of information within your robot.

Initial Data

After choosing the package format, within this section, you can edit the fields of your package related to:

• Name (required): Name your package in a way that is clear enough for travelers to understand your offer at first glance. Some examples are: Carnival 2023, Enchanted Easter, Incredible Mother's Day, Romantic Getaway, Consumer Week, etc.
• Image (optional but highly suggested): The image field is available just below the package name, and to include a file, simply click within the section.

💡Tip: Prefer square images with dimensions of approximately 600 x 600 px.

Currently, the maximum allowed size for images is 5 MB, and if your image exceeds that, consider compressing it using an online compressor like Optimizilla.

• Minimum number of nights (optional);
• Minimum number of adults: It is common for a reservation manager to want the package to be available for groups of 2, 3, 5, or 7 people (and maybe even more). To avoid the registration of multiple identical packages with only this different information, we suggest that you enter a minimum of 2 adults because all variations would be indirectly included. If this is the case, it is also interesting to add the minimum price for 2 adults because the offer would appear in your robot as "Starting from $ X.XXX." This would help travelers to have an idea of the cost, even if they wanted to book for +3 people.
• Included children: There are packages intended for families that naturally include children as a courtesy, making the offer more attractive to guests. If you select 1 child or more, the child's age field will be revealed for you to select the age range in years. If you select that there will be 0 (zero) included children, this section will be hidden within the chatbot. When the hotel chooses to have only 1 child as a courtesy, it is common to offer a discount coupon for the 2nd child. You can inform the guest about this by entering the text in the "Observations" field located further down the form.
• Stay period (required): Two options are available for entering the stay period:
  • Package for the whole year: Ideal for offers that are timeless, such as Romantic Packages, Wedding Anniversary Packages, Family Daily Rate, etc.
  • Package for a specific period of the year: Ideal for offers with limited start and end dates, such as Holiday Packages (Carnival, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Independence Day, etc). If this option is chosen, the calendar field will be revealed for you to select the desired period. When the package period is completed, its status will be automatically changed to Expired.
• Package highlights / Included items (optional but highly recommended): This is one of the main fields responsible for a significant improvement in sales conversions, as travelers can see the included items in a more organized and visual way. Each topic will appear in your robot as a list item alongside a checkmark emoji (✔️). There is a limit of 80 characters for each topic.

💡Tip: To make your package more appealing to travelers, try describing the attractions in a way that highlights the emotional benefits of each one. This will create a stronger connection between travelers and your offer, resulting in more bookings with your establishment. Here are some recommended examples instead of being too objective:

❌ Spacious pool

✔️ Refreshing pool with a privileged view

❌ Therapeutic massage

✔️ Therapeutic massage to relieve tension

❌ Special programming

✔️ Special programming to create emotional memories

❌ Full board

✔️ Delicious full board made with care

• Keywords (optional but highly recommended): Keywords serve as shortcuts for travelers to find your package more quickly and naturally during the conversation with the robot. To add new keywords, select this field, type the keyword, and press 'Enter.'

💡Tip: Choose keywords directly related to the context of your promotional package and the intention of the guests.

✔️ Carnival

✔️ Holiday

✔️ Vacation

✔️ Summer

✔️ Party

❌ Carnival package (the word 'carnival' already exist, so this variation is not necessary)

❌ "Name of your city" (e.g., Floripa, Rio de Janeiro. This is too generic, as all packages could have this)

❌ "Name of your hotel" (same justification as the previous one)

• General observations (optional): This field is useful for describing important information that doesn't have specific fields at the moment, such as items not included, payment conditions, promotional coupons, or any information that you believe is truly relevant for leads. We emphasize the need to be cautious with this field to avoid redundancy with information already filled in other fields. Also, try to avoid writing too much, as it may make your offer layout in the chatbot too extensive and less attractive for readers looking for summarized information.

💡Tip: You can copy and paste emojis to make it easier for guests to read, take a look:

💸 5% discount for cash payments or pix

🍳 Vegetarian meal options available

👦 Coupon for children aged 12 to 18: 50KIDSOFF

Pricing

In this section, you can enter the minimum price of the package and include the standard currency, such as euros, reais, pesos, etc.

We understand that package prices and their categories often fluctuate significantly.

Therefore, you can enter the minimum price that you are confident this package will cost. In practice, your bot will display the price preceded by the phrase "starting from."

This information is recommended because it helps potential guests have at least a rough idea of the cost, which streamlines the process of selecting options by knowing what fits within their budget.

This can make even more sense considering that the package shown by the chatbot will redirect visitors to your booking engine or commercial WhatsApp, 

Buttons with links and forms

The button section is essential to direct travelers to the booking completion stage. Currently, we offer three types of buttons, and you can choose the ones that align best with your sales channel strategy.

• Link to websites

The Link button is great for directing guests to pages outside your chatbot. Some common examples include:

• Informational page about the offer on your website
• Your booking engine's page.
  • If possible, add the URL with search parameters, so that when the button is clicked, the guest is already directed to the desired result (dates, number of people, etc.)
  • Additionally, you can add the URL with a promotional coupon already applied.

💡Tip: Remember to write a clear call to action in the "Button Text" field. Here are some examples:

✔️ Book Now

✔️ Get a Quote

✔️ Take advantage of the offer

❌ "Package Name," for example, "Carnival Package" (does not clarify the desired action from the guest, leading to confusion and potentially lowering your conversion rate)

• Link to WhatsApp

The option to Send WhatsApp Link directs the traveler to a WhatsApp number in the possession of your sales team.

One advantage is that your reservation center will receive the message "Hi, I'm interested in the (package name) package and would like to know more details" directly in the visitor's WhatsApp.

This is great for three reasons:

1. The traveler saves effort by not having to think about the message to send.
2. Your salesperson already knows exactly what the guest wants and through which channel they came (specific package within the Asksuite bot).
3. If your WhatsApp number is connected to Asksuite, it is possible to retrieve the entire conversation history with this lead. This is possible through the code sent at the end of the message (e.g., #cZUGJ).

💡Tip: Write the 'Button Text' with a clear call to action. Here are some examples:

✔️ Book via WhatsApp

✔️ Get a quote via WhatsApp

✔️ Speak to a consultant

❌ Commercial WhatsApp (does not clarify the desired action from the guest, tending to generate doubts and decrease your conversion rate)

❌ "Package Name," for example, "Carnival Package" (same justification as the previous one)

• Form Button

Lastly, this type of button will provide a form for capturing lead information and automatically redirect them to a desired email address, preferably your reservation center or someone responsible for your sales department. Additionally, you can choose which information you would like to collect from the guest, and if desired, you can create customized questions for the specific context of your offer.

Finalizing

To conclude, click on Save and don't forget to validate if your package is enabled to ensure it is published in your service bot. In the list of packages registered in your company, you can activate and deactivate packages using the green option.

Now, happy selling! 🚀