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FAQs

View commonly asked questions about the platform


General

How Do I Access Akia?

Akia is web-based, so you can access it on any browser (desktop or mobile) by going to https://sys.akia.ai/.

 

For reference, https://sys.akia.com/ does work; however, some third-party widget functionality is not supported so we strongly recommend using the .ai website link.

 

When you log in to a new device for the first time, Akia will prompt email verification. Please click the verification link in your email to securely log in to Akia.

 
Akia email verification flow
Akia email verification flow
 

Common Issues

  • I forgot my password
    • Please go here: https://sys.akia.ai/accounts/forgot and use the Akia email you’re registered with to request a password reset email. In that email, you’ll be able to update your password.
      • Akia requires that passwords are at least 12 characters and contain at least one capital letter, number, and special character (e.g. !@#$%)
  • I don’t see the verification email in my inbox
    • Please check your spam folder or contact your IT manager (if applicable) to see if your domain is automatically filtering the email. The verification email would come from noreply@akia.com and can take a few minutes to be sent.
  • I don’t have access to the email shown and can’t verify the login attempt
    • If an Akia admin is already logged in, please have them add an email your team can access, to the Akia account so that you can proceed with email verification.
      • If nobody is able to log in, please reach out to help@akia.com and we can assist
  • The location in the verification email is different than my current location
    • This can happen with IP-based location detection. It could be that your service provider is routing your internet traffic through the other location even though you are located somewhere else. If the verification email is received soon after you tried logging in on the new device, you can safely verify the log in attempt.
 

How Do I Enable/Mute Akia Notifications?

Instructions by Desktop Browser

Chrome

Click on the "lock" icon next to the browser address bar, and then you can select Allow Notifications.

Clicking the lock icon in the search bar will bring up the notification toggle option.
Clicking the lock icon in the search bar will bring up the notification toggle option.
 
Safari

Click on Safari in the top left corner of your screen, go to Preferences > Notifications, and select Allow for sys.akia.ai.

You will need to allow notifications in the popup window rather than in the browser itself.
You will need to allow notifications in the popup window rather than in the browser itself.
 
Firefox

Go to Settings, search for Notifications in the search-bar and click Settings to bring up the pop-up window shown below. Change the status for sys.akia.ai from Block to Allow and Save Changes to re-enable your browser notifications.

Going to the sidebar and clicking on Settings will allow you to get to the Notification settings where you can allow/block Akia notifications.
Going to the sidebar and clicking on Settings will allow you to get to the Notification settings where you can allow/block Akia notifications.
 

Mobile

  1. Click on your profile picture in the top right corner
  1. Select/unselect which notifications you want to be alerted to
  1. Double-check your device settings to ensure Akia notifications are enabled
 

Common Issues

  • [Desktop] I can’t enable notifications
    • Please check if you are using the incognito browser window; notifications cannot be allowed in incognito mode so you will need to use a normal browser window to enable notifications in Akia
  • [Desktop] I can’t view incoming messages
    • If you’re connected to all of the guests in your Inbox (blue dot next to the guest’s name), you won’t be able to see unread messages. Regularly mark conversations as complete to see new unread messages
  • [Mobile] I’m still not receiving notifications
    • Please try uninstalling and reinstalling the Akia app completely and test notifications by texting your Akia phone number
 

How Can I Reset My Password/I Forgot My Password?

Go here: https://sys.akia.ai/accounts/forgot and input the email your Akia account is under to get a password reset link.

 

Guest Management & Communication

I’m trying to update a guest’s phone number but receive the error “contact already exists” OR Akia wasn’t able to pull in the guest’s phone number from my PMS

Akia doesn’t allow the same phone number to be used under multiple guest profiles at the same time so please use the search bar to see if the guest’s phone number already exists under a different name:

 
Notion image
 

I want to move the phone number to the new profile/different profile

Yes! You would need to remove the phone number from the existing profile, and then you’ll be able to add it to the new profile:

 
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How Can I Switch to Email/SMS/WhatsApp?

Desktop

Click on the Platform button in the top left corner of the message thread to switch between platforms. If a guest does not have an email/phone number, the email and SMS/WhatsApp platforms will not be available respectively.

 
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Mobile

In the floating bubble while in a guest thread, click on the SMS/Email/WhatsApp icon in the floating window to switch the platform:

 
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How Can I Send a WhatsApp Message to a Guest?

I Would Like to Get WhatsApp

WhatsApp is a separate onboarding process that can take 2-4 weeks to complete and has a one-time $150 fee (no additional monthly cost). If you’re interested in adding WhatsApp to your account, please gather the following information:

 
  1. Your Facebook/Meta Business Manager ID found here: https://business.facebook.com/settings/info
      • WhatsApp is owned by Facebook/Meta so a Business Manager account is required for WhatsApp
  1. A screenshot of the above page with your business details filled out
    1. Notion image
 

Once you have that information, please reach out to us in the Support Chat or at help@akia.com and our team can help begin the WhatsApp process.

 

I Already Have WhatsApp

If you already have WhatsApp on your account, you can use a pre-approved WhatsApp template to send a message to your guest:

 
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How Can I Create More WhatsApp Templates

There is no limit to how many WhatsApp templates you can create, so feel free to create as many as you would like here: https://sys.akia.ai/automation/whatsapp-templates

 

Direct article: WhatsApp Templates

 
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How Do I Send a Message/Mini App to a Guest?

  1. Go to your Inbox and click Open Chat at the bottom or at the top of the page
  1. Once you are connected with the guest, the message bar will open and you’ll be able to type your message.
    1. To send a message: type your message in the bar and click Send
    2. To send a message template: click the Templates button to select your macro or scheduled message template (if you are in the WhatsApp or Email thread, those templates will also be selectable)
    3. To send a Mini App: click on the magic wand icon and select the Mini App you want to send to them:
Open Chat to begin messaging the guest.
Open Chat to begin messaging the guest.
 
 
Use the magic wand icon to pull up a Mini App or other token to use in your message.
Use the magic wand icon to pull up a Mini App or other token to use in your message.
 

Common Issues

  • I can’t click Open Chat at the bottom and the bar at the top of the message thread is yellow
    • A yellow dot next to the chat thread and a yellow bar at the top of the message history indicates another team member is currently connected with the guest. If you want to send them a message, click Re-Assign to Me in the top right
 

How Can I Resend a Mini App to a Guest?

  1. Click the + Create button on the Mini App sidebar widget to generate a new Mini App for the guest
  1. Once the new Mini App has been generated, Open Chat and use the magic wand icon to select the Mini App and send it to the guest to sign.
 
Notion image
 

How Do I Manually Send a Scheduled Message to a Guest?

  1. Go to your Inbox and Open Chat at the bottom or at the top of the page
      • This is not required but good practice to assign the conversation to yourself!
  1. Once you are connected with the guest, click the Templates button and go to the Scheduled Message tab to select your message
      • You will be able to edit the message or send the message to the guest directly
 
Notion image
 

Common Issues

  • I can’t click Open Chat at the bottom and the bar at the top of the message thread is yellow
    • A yellow dot next to the chat thread and a yellow bar at the top of the message history indicates another team member is currently connected with the guest. If you want to send them a message, click Re-Assign to Me in the top right
 

How Do I Check if a Guest Signed Their Agreement/Mini App?

In the Records Tab

  1. Click on the Records header icon
  1. Click on the + button in the far right and go to the Agreements/Mini App folder to select the agreement you want to be shown (remember to hit Save at the bottom to have the column show up)
  1. You’ll then be able to track if an agreement has been sent to the guest (grey arrow) and if the guest has signed it (blue check)
    1. Notion image
 

In the Guest Profile

  1. Click on the guest's name in your Inbox to pull up their conversation (or search for the guest in the search bar to the left of your name)
  1. In the guest sidebar, scroll down to view the Mini Apps widget
      • If the guest has signed their agreement, the Signed/Submitted flag will show, otherwise it will show as Awaiting Signature/Submission
 
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Common Issues

  • The wrong Mini App was accidentally sent to the guest, how do I delete it?
    • Click on the Mini App in the guest profile and select Void
      • You cannot void a Mini App after the guest has signed it
      Notion image
  • The guest received the wrong agreement, can I manually generate a new one for them?
    • Click on the + Create button to generate the agreement again for the guest to sign
 

For more information on agreements, please refer to this article: Create and Edit Agreements

For more information on Mini Apps, please refer to this article: Create and Edit Mini Apps

 

How Do I Mass Text In-House Guests (Broadcast)

 
  1. Go to the Records tab
  1. Use the filters on the left to define the guests you want to reach
      • Example 1: Use the Arrival Date filter with today’s date to create a list of all guests arriving today.
      • Example 2: Use the In-House date filter with Thursday’s date to create a list of all guests arriving on Thursday.
  1. Click Select All at the bottom to choose all guests in the list.
      • You can also select or un-select guests individually.
  1. Click Broadcast
  1. Type in the message you wish to send or use a Macro. You can insert message tokens using the Magic Wand icon.
      • Specify the platforms to fall back to.
      • Optionally attach a file, such as an image or PDF.
      • Optionally specify a time in the future for your message to send.
  1. Click Ok to queue the Broadcast
 
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How Do I View Previous Broadcasts or Cancel a Broadcast?

  1. Go to the Records tab
  1. Click the clock icon to the right of the Broadcast button to pull up your Broadcast history
 

Common Issues

  • The Broadcast button is greyed out
    • Notion image
    • Either there are no guests selected or you have used up your monthly allotment of Broadcasts (shown in the counter to the left of the Broadcast button). Please reach out to us in the Support Chat or at help@akia.com for more assistance.
 

Mini Apps & Automation

My Guests Cannot Upload Their ID/Photo to the Mini App

Guests who do not allow camera/gallery access to their mobile browser (e.g. Chrome or Safari) may not be able to take a photo of their ID or upload a photo in the Mini App. To resolve this issue, they need to grant camera/gallery access for their mobile browser.

 
iOS
  1. Open your Settings app on your iPhone and tap Safari (or your mobile browser)
  1. Tap Camera.
    1. Notion image
  1. Set Camera to Allow (or Ask)
  1. Have the guest go back to the Mini App and refresh the page to use the camera
Android
  1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
  1. Tap Apps.
  1. Find and tap the browser you're using.
      • If you can't find it, tap See all ### apps (where ### is the number of apps on your phone).
  1. Tap Permissions.
  1. Tap Camera.
  1. Tap Allow only while using the app to enable the hardware for this app.
 
Chrome
  1. Tap the More menu (dots next to the URL).
    1. Notion image
  1. Select Permissions.
  1. Toggle Camera to Allowed.
    1. Notion image
 

How Do I Edit or Create a Mini App?

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For step by step instructions, please refer to this article: Create and Edit Mini Apps

 

My YouTube Shorts Video Isn’t Showing

Akia needs the YouTube video link, not the Shorts link in the video component. To convert the link, replace "shorts/" in the Youtube short link URL with "watch?v=".

 

How Do I Create a New Scheduled Message/Action or Edit a Current One?

 
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For more information, refer to our other articles here:

 

Common Issues

  • + Add Scheduled Action is greyed out and I can’t add another action
    • You have used up all of your available automations. Please reach out to us in the Support Chat or at help@akia.com to add more to your account.
 

How Do I Send Both a Scheduled Email and Text Message to a Guest

Currently, we only send scheduled messages through one platform at a time based on priority. If you want to send through multiple platforms at the same time, you will need to create multiple automations each with its own selected platform.

 
This message is sent via SMS, and only if the message is undeliverable will the email be sent
This message is sent via SMS, and only if the message is undeliverable will the email be sent
 
Two touchpoints would be needed to send a booking message on multiple platforms
Two touchpoints would be needed to send a booking message on multiple platforms
 

Internal Management

How Can I Add New Users?

If you are an Akia Admin or Super Admin, you can go into the Staff & Departments page to add new users to your account. If this link is not available to you, it means you do not have permission to add new users.

 
  1. Go to the Staff & Departments page of Settings
  1. Click on + New User
  1. Provide the required information
  1. Hit Ok
  1. Akia will automatically send an invite link to the user’s email
 
Notion image
 

For more assistance: Users & Permissions

 

How Do I Communicate With My Team Members?

Use our team chat feature to send announcements to all employees at your property, messages for a specific department, or an individual message. You can even use our team chat feature to help onboard new users to your property and familiarize them with your policies/FAQs along with Akia’s functions.

 
  1. Click the + next to Inbox and select Team Chat
  1. Give a topic to the discussion and quickly subscribe multiple departments/users to the chat
  1. Once the chat has been created, all users will be notified of new messages and you’ll be able to add/remove users at any time
 

If you want to use a team chat for internal training, don’t mark it as announcement only so all participants can ask for help. In the Notes section of the sidebar, include any repeat topics for quick access.

 
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For more assistance: Create and Manage Team Chats

 

How Do I Manage Menu/Upsell Orders?

  1. Go to the Orders tab
  1. You’ll be able to view incoming, in progress, and today’s completed orders on the first screen
      • Switching to Archive will allow you to view older orders specified by date
  1. For incoming orders, click Accept to move it to the in-progress section, and then Complete to mark it as done
      • Clicking Cancel will remove the order from the Dashboard and move it to the Archive page
 
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For more assistance, refer to our article here: Manage Order Requests

How Can I Change a Standard User to Admin or Vice Versa? (Admins Only)

  1. Go to Settings
  1. Navigate to the Staff & Departments tab (under the Property section)
  1. Click on the user’s name and toggle the Admin status
  1. Click Ok to save
 

Will ___ Be Sent Back to My PMS?

Each PMS has different integration capabilities so please reach out to us in the Support Chat or at help@akia.com so we can confirm if we’re able to send the information in question back to your PMS or not.

 

I’m Having Other Issues

 
 
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