What exactly is channel management? How does it work? How much will it cost? How many channels are there? These are questions anyone new to the short-term rental business should ask, however until recently there haven’t been any real definitive answers to raise the curtain on the topic.
Terry Whyte – AKA the Vacation Rental Software Guy – has spent years researching property management software, advising small and large short-term rental operators on the best options for them. His knowledge spans every aspect of the technical side of reservation management, including that elusive subject of channel management.
In a recent blog post on his website, titled The Future of Distribution & Channel Management Terry wrote:
‘Channel management might be the single biggest confusing and misunderstood topic I come across. Here are a number of the falsehoods I hear often:
“A PMS is not a channel manager”
“Channel Manager integration is superior to a PMS integration”
“You only need one Channel Manager to be successful”
“All Channel Managers are the same”
“The imminent demise of the Channel Manager”
I believe there is only one way to explain and clear up the confusion.
The reason for the confusion is the misunderstanding between the role a property management software (PMS) and a dedicated Channel Manager play in distribution.’
This episode delves into these misunderstandings and helps to demystify the myths surrounding channel management.
Terry explains:
- What a channel manager can do for your business
- How your PMS could be your most important channel manager
- Why it’s important to have a blend of channel management options
- The benefits and disadvantages of PMS integration
- How to evaluate different PMS and channel managers
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