Those staying at a campsite don’t want to think about meter readings. However, there is a lot to report: how much electricity has been consumed, when the balance runs out, what will be settled at the end of the stay. Until now, that was done at RecraPlan via SMS and email. WhatsApp is now added.
Why WhatsApp
A text message gets delivered but often gets lost among delivery notifications. An email is often unread for days while on vacation. For most guests, WhatsApp is the channel that remains open all day — where they can also respond. This makes the difference between a message that is seen and one that is missed.
For you as a manager, this means fewer guests coming to the reception asking about their electricity.
What the guest receives
The entire chain around electricity consumption runs through one conversation:
- a message upon arrival with a link to their own consumption
- a notification when the balance is nearly depleted, with the option to purchase directly
- the final overview upon departure, without anyone needing to check the meter
The guest does not need to install anything or create an account. The conversation is just there, alongside the others.
In addition to SMS and email, not instead of
Not everyone uses WhatsApp, and not every guest provides a mobile number. SMS and email will therefore continue to exist. For each company, you can set which channel is preferred; if that is unavailable, the message will go via one of the others.
What it gives you
Fewer inquiries at the counter, less manual checking, and guests seeing for themselves what they consume. The latter is not only convenience: insight into their own consumption makes guests more aware — and ultimately saves on your energy bill.