Comfortably ahead of the pack and positioned for global growth

MadeComfy has automated its escalation triggers and notifications across Salesforce​ and Slack​ as the company gears up for rapid growth. 

Australian property management startup MadeComfy has unveiled ambitious plans to push into new global markets off the back of a new tech stack bolstering company operations. 

The award-winning short-term rental management firm offers a range of services ranging from property styling and advertising to cleaning and guest services.  

Now, with freshly supercharged management operations thanks to the combined power of a Salesforce​ and Slack​ integration, the customer-focused business can cut through the noise and reach its target audience with new-found speed and agility.  

Automating with tech

Lifting the lid on the tech stack, the company’s Chief Technology Officer Ben Willis reveals exactly what the new automation tools have meant for MadeComfy, which operates in a traditionally manually intensive industry.   

Hired three years ago to find and implement a better tech stack ahead of a push into new global markets, Willis says every technology decision he’s made supports system integration, bolstering operational efficiency to ready the business before entering new markets.  

MadeComfy had been operating under disparate systems and processes as teams handled their communication process on separate platforms that couldn’t talk to each other. “We’re a very process-heavy business that mixes physical services with technology and communications. We were due for a better operational approach.”  

Leaving the past behind, MadeComfy has switched on Salesforce Service Cloud to be the backbone for guest communication and property management, integrating deeply with Airbnb and Booking.com for seamless, automated routing of guest and partner requests.  

Embracing technology in a manual-led industry has enabled MadyComfy to manage accelerate​d​ growth by using Salesforce to drive automation. From finding more efficient ways to manage guest services to streamlining sales processes and creating ways to engage and collaborate with partners, with the help of Salesforce, MadeComfy has resolved an average of 41 per cent of live chat queries daily ​using ​​Einstein and the​ Salesforce platform, with no need for human intervention.  

The ​Einstein advantage

​​Einstein AI ​uses information already recorded in Salesforce to respond to questions such as check-in times and guest parking information. 

Willis says: “​​Einstein AI​​ means the guest services team can access a recap of previous discussions, outstanding and next actions and see a guest sentiment analysis in one click. This new process eliminates the need for staff to write handover notes or search through various booking platforms for the information they need to handle the booking.”   

MadeComfy also relies on Slack as their AI-powered platform for work, to manage real-time conversations with external partners, such as cleaners and real estate agents, ensuring seamless asynchronous communication and on-demand responses. 

Automations in Slack alert key teams in case of high priority issues, driving instant action through integrated workflows connected to Salesforce. Slack’s Workflow Builder is used extensively for automations, from simple tasks to more complex customer requests. 

“Property management is a notoriously hard industry to grow in. Most property managers tap out at 200 properties. We manage 1000 properties, but we have significant growth plans to push into new international markets.”  

Unlike other companies in this space still relying ​solely ​on asynchronous communication tools to get the job done, we’ve invested in operating as a technology-first company as we enter a new growth phase.

MadeComfy CTO Ben Willis

“Removing all of the manual steps usually handled by busy sales teams enables us to focus on better customer service, making calls and handling leads to ensure a strong rate of conversion.  

“Now, if someone shares something with us that they don’t think is an emergency, but we know it is, such as missing keys, AI will set off the alarm bells with our teams. We’re looking for keywords and key conversations in Slack that can trigger an emergency response from our teams,” Willis says.   

Productive prowess

Salesforce and Slack are a powerful combination, enabling customer centricity and AI-powered productivity for organisations of every size, in every sector. For MadeComfy, it’s been a game-changer.  

The timing of the upgrade comes as research from Salesforce shows that generative AI is among the top three business priorities for 81 per cent of Australian C-suite executives aiming to bring innovative customer or employee experiences to market and remain competitive in our ever-changing business world.   

The survey of nearly 300 leaders from large businesses reveals that 50 per cent said their organisation currently had a clear and defined generative AI strategy, while a further 42 per cent are still working on mapping out a generative AI strategy for their business.  

Companies that haven’t already implemented AI risk losing significant ground to their competition, which could occur more quickly than anticipated as chatbots, copilots and autonomous AI agents become the norm in companies of all shapes and sizes, it also reveals.

Simplifying with tech 

Workplace automation tools are here to stay, according to Salesforce tech evangelist Derek Laney. While new tech will increase complexities at work, clever workarounds can transform business processes these days, he says. 

“Across every industry, the simple work is increasingly better served by autonomous AI agents. The work that remains is complex, requiring humans that are great at synthesis.  

​​“We need to train work teams to work faster, not harder, equipping them with​ the right​ tools​ that will drive positive outcomes.​ ​Look at how​​  Slack​ is empowering​ ​Made Comfy to ​ get​ work done more effectively​.”​​ 

“But increasingly, the skill of tech leaders in a business is deciding which work customers will want to interact with an agent for, and which work they’ll prefer talking to a human. While customers will say they prefer the latter, they’ll usually choose the fastest and easiest option in almost every case where there’s not a relationship involved. ​​These tools will mean our teams ​can focus on what really matters – creating a better experience for customers.”  

​Slack integrates with Salesforce database to streamline, simplify and break down traditional workplace silos. Slack customers also report up to 36 per cent faster collaboration. That means if you’re trying to get a product to market, it could happen a third faster because your teams are working faster, Laney explains.  

“For example, let’s look at MadeComfy. When a customer can’t get into a rental property to get their keys, that is a critical moment of truth. But the resolution might be complex; it might involve external stakeholders or different people within the company. 

Laney continues: “So it’s an important ability for teams to act fast, using​ the​ ​array of smarter tools now available, including ​predictive AI, generative​ AI​, and autonomous agents, and then route it to the right person to get the right outcome. ​This is technology being used to create a great human outcome​.” 

Managing the flow

The tech integration has been a game-changer, enabling MadeComfy to handle huge volumes of guest communication via Salesforce using features like omnichannel routing. This has resulted in a 55 per cent reduction in cost-to-serve over the past two years and is on track to reach its target review rating score of 4.7+ across all of the properties on its books.  

“Communication and data can be one of the industry’s biggest challenges, but MadeComfy is bucking that trend with a long-term goal to develop an escalation workflow based on factors like sentiment scores and pending actions. This is where the Slack integration will be particularly useful as it will allow us to flag issues that need attention from senior team members,” Willis says.   

MadeComfy achieves $60 million in booking revenue annually, but the technology implementation puts it well on track to achieve its next target of $100 million in booking revenue.  

The tech upgrade has also helped MadeComfy target new revenue-building opportunities, with a new offering that enables real estate firms to access its sales and service tools for property management teams.  

With a long-term goal to develop an escalation workflow based on factors like sentiment scores or pending actions, the Slack integration will be particularly useful, as it will allow us to flag issues that need attention from senior members.

MadeComfy CTO Ben Willis

Laney adds that in workplaces all over the world, workers are now saving time as technology​, including autonomous AI agents,​ takes on duties previously performed by humans.  

“So if you’re not using these tools already, you’re essentially giving time to your competitors. You’re gifting them the benefit of an additional half a year in every year that they’re going to compete with you for the duration of your company. That’s a cost that any CFO cannot ignore,” Laney says.