StayBeyond

Leading Value of this SOP

Good Vibes        

Coming Together     
   

Keeping it Real         

Grandma Approved        

Doing It Differently

We want to look after our neighbours and homes. Prevent parties by ID checking all but Airbnb guests. We know who is in our home - all guests are grandma approved.

Step

Description

1.The Booking Process

 Once guests have a confirmed booking, we email  them our ‘Step 1’ form. This confirms where the guest is staying, how many guests are staying and gives guests a chance to add any special requests. All non-airbnb bookings are also asked to complete an Onfido check - they upload a selfie and an official ID. We do not do this for Airbnb since they already ID check all our guests. 

2. ‘Passing’ and ‘Failing’ the Form. The ‘Needs Reviewing’ section in back-office. 

Through this document I will refer to passing/failing the check. Passing and failing is defined as follows:

Pass

• Form is completed and submitted

• (Non-Airbnb Only) - ID and Selfie submitted. The ID and Selfie are clear and have been read by the system. 

• Guest is over the age of 25.

If a guest passes they will automatically be sent the check-in info 48 hours before arrival. They will not appear in the Bookings - Needs Reviewing Section in Back-Office (they have passed and do not need reviewing!).  

Fail

All guests who fail the check will appear in the Bookings → Needs reviewing Section here. 

The ‘Needs Reviewing’ section indicates why the guest has failed and needs to be reviewed. Guests will not receive the access info until they complete the form or we manually validate the booking. 

• Ignored Confirmation - The Form and Onfido has been sent but the guest has ignored it and has not completed them. Guests are sent the form four times before this status appears. 

• Soon and not confirmed - The Form and Onfido has been sent but the guest has ignored it and has not completed them. The stay is coming up soon. Guests are sent the form four times before this status appears. 

• Onfido Check Failure - The guest has completed the form and Onfido but failed the Onfido. Usually the guest just does the Onfido wrong e.g. blurry photo of ID, fingers over ID or selfie has other people in it. 

• Guest between 18 and 25 years old - The guest has completed the form and Onfido but it has returned that they are between 18 and 25 years old. 

You can also see a guests Onfido Status on the needs reviewing page and in each guest profile under ‘additional information’:

• Clear - Completed the Onfido and passed. 

• Sent - Guest has been sent the Onfido but have not completed it. 

• Consider - Guests have done the form but have failed because they have done it wrong or are too young. 

• None - We haven’t sent the Onfido form. 

Note: All Airbnb guests will have the status ‘none’ since they don’t get sent the Onfido.  

Key Point: No Form Completion = No Check-In Guide unless manually validated. 

2. How to manually validate bookings. 

Manually validating a booking means manually approving the guest and overriding the system. This means a guest will be sent the check-in info. If we don’t want to validate them it’s because we want to cancel the booking. 

 The process for doing this is as follows: 

1. Go to bookings - Needs Reviewing. Shortcut here. 

2. Find the guest you want to validate or work from the top of the list down. 

3. Click the ‘consider’ or ‘clear’ button in the ‘Onfido Status’ column to view the ID and selfie. 

4. See sections 3a, b and c below for what to do for each reviewing reason. 

5. To validate, go to the far right column ‘validate’ - slide the validate slider. The booking will disappear from the list. 

6. Note: You cannot undo this action. Please be sure what you want to do!

When your task is to manually validate the bookings, start from the top of the list and work down. 

3. What to do for guests who ‘fail’ and need reviewing

These are the steps that should be taken for each status in the needs reviewing section. These steps should be taken as far in advance from the booking as possible to avoid unnecessary cancellations or stress to the guest. All bookings must be check at least 7 days before check-in to give enough time to send the check-in info or cancel. 

The goal is to keep our homes safe and to not harass or stress out our guests.  

3a. Ignored Confirmation/ Soon and not confirmed. 

Ignored Confirmation - The Form and Onfido has been sent but the guest has ignored it and has not completed them.

Let’s check if we can manually validate the booking anway. Please follow the below questions: 

• Is the Onfido status None? →Yes →  Manually Validate the Booking

• Is the guest coming with kids? (Click the guests name to check) → Yes --.> Manually validate the booking

If you answered NO to both of the above. 

1. Is the booking in less than 5 days? → Yes → Please call the guest. Please use the phone script. Guest does not answer →

• Create a Zendesk Ticket - in subject Onfido Failure (Include Guest Name, Property, Link to booking in BO and reason for escalation e.g. Ignored Confirmation and no kids)

• Assign ticket to Josh

• Add to Slack if booking is less than 5 days in advance. 

• Josh will approve stay or approve cancellation

• If stay is approved → manually validate in BO

• If stay is to be cancelled → Assign ticket to Justin or Andrew only to cancel. 

2. Is the guest booking in more than 5 days? → Yes → Send the email script (below phone script). 

IMPORTANT: Onfido must be checked DAILY. If a booking still appears in the list and goes from being more than 5 days in advance to less than 5 then we will need to CALL them, even if we have emailed already. 

Phone Script

Before you make the call, you will need to know:

• guest first name

• date of their check in

• Where they are staying

• How the booking was made (direct, airbnb, booking.com etc.

Please familiarise yourself with the FAQ’s in section 5 before calling.

“Hi there,is that *guest first name*? (wait for response) this is *your name* calling from StayBeyond, you have booked a home with us via *platform name* in *city* and are checking in on *month and day* (i.e. July 31st)?” 

(wait for guest to confirm)

“Great! as our homes are self check in, we will need to send you an access code for the home plus some further information including the full address. To do this we will need you to complete your booking form, it was  sent to you  via the booking platform to your inbox,* have you received it? We usually send it four times and then we will call to check in and see if you need any help completing the form? 

(wait for guest response)

the emails could be in your junk folder? 

Thank you! The form is very simple to fill in, we just need to double check your details to ensure everything is ready for your stay, and there is a simple ID check as we won’t be there to meet you on arrival. It is a standard policy of most rented accommodation. 

Please complete the form as soon as possible and we will send you through the access details for the home. 

(wait for guest response, answer any questions)

Please give me a call back if you have any further questions. Thank you, Goodbye! 

Email Script 

Hello -guest first name-,

We have sent you a few emails from home@staybeyond.com  to confirm your booking at -property- 

This email contains a link to a confirmation form and will only take a few minutes to fill in. This information is required  so that we can give you the access information for your home and get everything ready for your stay.  Could you please complete this at your earliest convenience?

If you haven't received the email (please check your junk folder) let us know and we will send it again.

Please let us know if you any questions.

Thank you,

The Beyonders 

home@staybeyond.com

+44 207 523 5351

3b. Onfido Check Failure 

Onfido Check Failure - The guest has completed the form and Onfido but failed the Onfido. The most common reason for failure!

Usually the status occurs because of a user error. The guest uploads the ID wrong, it’s blurry etc. A manual check of the ID by logging into the Onfido website usually allows us to validate these bookings. 

So…

1. Click on the button that shows the guests Onfido Status e.g. ‘Consider/Sent’ - the images that the guest uploaded should appear. 

2. If there is a photo, is the person in the photo clearly over 30? Yes → Manually validate the booking. No → Check for ID.

3. If there is an ID, does it show an age over 25? 

Yes → Manually validate the booking. 

Guest is under 25 → Add as a Zendesk ticket and assign to Josh for cancellation approval. If in the next 7 days, please Slack too. 

4.   There is no clear ID or photo + Booking is more than 5 days in     advance - send the below canned message. -->Follow these steps to manually re-submit a request for Onfido - Login to Onfido -->Click ‘Start Check’ - Add First + Last Name + Guest Email - Next

Click 'Document and Facial Sim' --> Next

Click Submit

Hi [name], 

Thanks for completing the booking confirmation form. Unfortunately, we were unable to verify your ID due to a low quality image. We have re-submitted the check for you to try again. Please complete the check in the next 48 hours. 

Thanks, 

The StayBeyond Team. 

3c: Age 18-25

Guest between 18 and 25 years old - The guest has completed the form and Onfido but it has returned that they are between 18 and 25 years old. 

Usually we will cancel a guest if this status appears. However, you MUST seek managerial approval before cancelling. We make exceptions if: 

• Long- Stay Guest

• Repeat Booking

• Friends and Family

• StayBeyond Staff

If you see this status please take the following steps: 

• Create a Zendesk Ticket - Subject - Onfido Failure (Include Guest Name, Property, Link to booking in BO and reason for escaltion e.g. Ignored Confirmation and no kids)

• Assign ticket to Josh

• Add to Slack if booking is less than 5 days in advance. 

• Josh will approve stay or approve cancellation

• If stay is approved → manually validate in BO

• If stay is to be cancelled → Assign ticket to Justin or Andrew only to cancel. 

5. Guest  FAQ’s and Canned Responses 

• What is this form? 

Response: 

Hello,

Thanks for your message.

It's just like the way you would provide your ID when checking into a hotel. They take a scan of your ID (passport or driving license). The selfie is to match your face to the ID and check it's yours. This is to verify your identity as we won't be meeting you in person. Onfido is used by some of the biggest companies in the world including Google, Deliveroo and Tesco. You can view their website here: https://onfido.com/gb

If you have any other questions, please let us know.

Regards,

The Beyonders

• Why don’t I have my check-in info?

Check if the guest appears on the need reviewing page. If the guest needs reviewing take the appropriate steps as details previously. If the booking is urgent, manually validate the booking to provide the check-in info. 

• Why do I need to do this? 

Hi,

Thanks for reaching out.

Onfido is just to verify your identity as we won't be meeting you in person. Onfido is used by some of the biggest companies in the world including Google, Deliveroo and Tesco. You can view their website here: https://onfido.com/gb

If you have any other questions, please let us know.

Regards,

TheBeyonders

• I keep getting the following message: ERROR:Identification failure, please verify your information and documents

This usually means there is an issue with the ID or selfie that the guest is uploading. Please ask them to take new photos and try again. The photo needs to be clear, with only one person in it. Finger must not cover the ID etc. 

Non-Airbnb - If the issue persists, please forward email to Esme so a decision can be made to manually override the check. 

. For Airbnb - always  manually validate in the meantime. 

• My booking is confirmed on the platform. I don’t want to do this and I refuse to do it. 

First, try and explain why we do this using the ‘Why do I need to do this?’ canned response above. 

If it is Airbnb - we don’t need them to do the form so just say that’s fine and manually validate the booking. 

Non-Airbnb - Create a Zendesk Ticket - add the guest name and property. Ensure to detail the conversation had and why the guest refuses to pay.  Assign to Esme. If less than two weeks away, please also Slack. 

You can also tell non-British guests that it is a legal requirement after British Law to request national ID. See here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1972/1689/made

For British guests: It is company policy for security. We will have to cancel any bookings that do not complete the form. NOTE: Do NOT cancel any bookings or tell guests we are cancelling booking before escalating to Esme or similar. 

6. Special Requests 

When guests complete the form, they have the opportunity to add special requests. These are compiled in the ‘Arrivals’ Section of the back-office. 

Each day, a BeyonderBeyond should gather the request for seven days in advance. They should be dealt with as follows:

• Requests for cribs/high chairs - Add note to booking on BO

• General comments e.g. ‘really looking forward to our stay’ - Ignore. 

• Request for Parking Info - Message the guest with the relevant parking info

• Request for item already in the home e.g. cutlery or sheets - Ignore. 

• Request for unusual item e.g. BBQ or extra bed : Create ticket on Zendesk and assign to Esme to approve if it can be provided and the cost. 

7. Re-sending Forms

If a guest has not received the form or, if for any other reason you need to re-send some of the automated messages, you can do t via the BO.

1. Find thebooking in the back office. 

2. Click Mail/SMS

3. You will see a list of sent correspondence with the dates, times and email addresses to which they were sent. The envelope means message sent via email. The text symbol means sent by text. They will be green if sent successfully, red if not. 

4. Booking Confirmation means the Onfido Check + Form. Smart Lock Code is the code to get in the home. 

5. To re-send - click the yellow button to the right. 

8. Cancelling Bookings Last Minute

If all bookings are checked 7 days before arrival, then the number of last minute cancellations by us should be very low. 

However, often dodgy bookings are last minute bookings. If a last minute booking comes in and the Onfido results are dodgy (they are young!), do not send the check-in information and inform the guest the booking is cancelled.