Responding quickly to enquiries

Happy hour. Try and respond to all enquiries within an hour of receiving them. A prompt turnaround will create a good impression and lets people know that their enquiry has been seen. Since many holidaymakers enquire about various properties, the sooner you respond, the better. Also, in this world of instant online transactions, people have come to expect speedy service.

Get the message. We offer all our advertisers the opportunity to receive a free SMS text message whenever their property receives an enquiry. We strongly recommend you use it if you have a mobile phone and you don't have your email inbox open all day. The text message alerts you to the fact that there is an enquiry waiting for your attention in your email inbox and includes a phone number (if the enquirer has provided one) in case you want to phone them straight away.

Time out. Naturally, there will be times when you're on holiday yourself or otherwise unable to check your emails regularly. In such cases set up an out of office reply on your email account, informing holidaymakers when you will be able to respond to their enquiry. If possible, also ask someone else to check your emails and enquiries while you're away. You could also temporarily change the phone number the SMS alert is sent to. This can be done via your Home Management Page.

Fully booked. Respond to holidaymakers even if you can't accommodate them for the dates requested. People want acknowledgment that their enquiry has been received and need to know whether they need to continue looking for accommodation. Rather than simply saying you can't help, you could suggest other dates that are available, in case there is a degree of flexibility in their plans.

For more information on the subject, read our advice on how to convert enquiries into bookings.