reply to email inq.

[domnl]

Personally I receive inquieries only by email. In order to generate confidence I give a rough indication of price (if available) but ask in the return mail how may persons, if they need special arrangements and if the mentioned dates (if mentioned at all) are exact. In also explain (again, it is on the site as well) how it works on cleaning and bedlinen etc.
Mostly the information is not enough but it gets you in contact and generates the idea that there is a real person behind the properties' website. I also include my own adress.
We only tend to rent to persons whom we trust. If neccesary we ask them to visit us if possible.

[John]

Since setting up a website 90% of my bookings come over the internet/e-mails which saves me a fortune on advertising. However it is terribly easy to misinterpret e-mails. One I had on Friday was and I quote:
"Is this still available? And if so what is the cost and can I provisionally book it?"
I was not sure whether to take this as a provisional booking or not as the customer actually already had the prices from my website. She left no contact number. I e-mailed her back immediately but have had no response yet. Meanwhile I have had someone else trying to book the same dates, so I have given the booking to the latest caller. I may well get an irate customer tomorrow morning who believed she had made a provisional booking.
Anyway, it keeps you on your toes.

[Sue Dyer]

I have a booking form which I have saved as Rich Text Format (RTF) file. This contains our cancellation policy and asks the pertinent info. Most people can open the RTF file whether they have Microsoft Word or Works, if not I just pop a copy in the post.

I agree - It is awkward knowing when a booking is a booking. If they say firmly on the email they want to book I honour this as long as I receive their booking form within say a week with their deposit and immediately take that week from my website availbility to show good faith.

Sue

[John Borg]

I advertise on a very good website that has all the information prospective clients need such as availability calander, photo's, seasonal price list etc.
When answering emails, I give them the exact price for the dates they request, any extra costs, and the deposit I require to confirm the booking.
When the confirmation comes through, I make it clear that the dates will be "held temporarily" until the deposit, by means of swift bank transfer comes through. If the prospective client is serious about confirming, this will usually take about 5 working days. One thing I have noticed is that when you keep your availability calander up to date, clients can get a general idea of the popularity of your property by actually seeing the "booked dates" you have. I have already "sold" July & August 2005 and this all due to having this availability calander on display. It also cut's down on emails asking for booked dates.
It is also important to give clients further information by means of a personal website as advertising sites limit the amount of photos and information you can display.
Another important point is to be as informal as possible. Prospective clients like to feel that they are dealing with a friendly, hospitable person on the otherside and not some template type answer coming from a PC

[paolo]

Another important point is to be as informal as possible. Prospective clients like to feel that they are dealing with a friendly, hospitable person

John, I couldn't agree more. I think this is paramount. People need to be able to like you and trust you. They are likely to have emailed several properties with an enquiry, and all things being equal it then comes down to your response. If you strike a chord with them you have got them in the bag.

By the way I don't do it myself but people who switch from responding to enquiries by email, to responding by phone, tend to report a dramatic increase in their 'conversion' rate.

Has anyone else found that to be true?

[Sue Dyer]

I totally agree with John re keeping calendar's up to date. I'm the type that is put off if I have to ask how much something is and feel awkward if it isn't within my range.

If your listing/site is transparent and prospective guests can see at a glance if the price is right without having to make a call or send an email this seems to make folk feel much more comfortable.

I agree re the personal touch too. If a guest mentions to me they have certain interests, say bird watching I'll look up relevant local sites and forward the info, even after they've booked. They seem to appreciate this extra touch - I'm doing okay with the much valued repeat bookings and more pleasing, referals from happy guests.

Well done on booking out for next August. I'm a bit lax at the minute, I've had an enquiry for August but haven't put next years calendar up yet. - next job!!

[John Borg]

By the way I don't do it myself but people who switch from responding to enquiries by email, to responding by phone, tend to report a dramatic increase in their 'conversion' rate.

Yes, answering by phone helps too, though you have to be careful not to seem as you are pushing too hard.
I can usually tell if a booking will go through by the way the "chatting by emails" is progressing. My guests sometimes tell me that the final decision of "which property to pick" was taken due to the informality of our emails and an intuition that the people "on the other side" seem to be nice people.
It is also true that you can get a good insight of what type of people your prospective guests are by the way "they talk", even via emails. I have been booked solid from April till now (actually, today is the first time since May that the property is empty, at least for the next 10 days, then October and November are about 60% occupied) and not one of my guests has turned out to be someone from a horror story! On the contrary, we have made many new friends and most of them still send the occassional email to catch up on the gossip!

[tansy]

We have 2 houses here in France - 44 bookings generated from holiday-rentals.com for this summer....superb site.

all enquiries are email which I check 3 times a day, I reply straight away...if the enquiry becomes live I send a booking/confirmation form by email - once this is returned I will hold the booking for 14 days until deposit arrives - then it is a confirmed booking - BUT re enquiries I operate a first come first serve basis - I make this very clear on the the initial reply - so no provisional bookings here - they either want the house or they don't - sorry if I sound cynical but 15 years in hotel & catering followed by 10 years in recruitment..there's nowt queer as folk and one thing about your business is that you cannot make that week rehappen.....if you don't sell it you don't make money!
Funnily enough I've never lost a booking - I've only had efficency & courtesy from the clients.

[vrooje]

I hold my property for 5 business days once I receive an inquiry, and if someone says that they have sent payment I'll hold the dates in good faith for them. Most people pay with a credit card online, though, so in that case it's a non-issue. I wouldn't consider holding a property as "booked" if a client hadn't paid the initial payment. If they say they want to book, great -- but it ain't booked until payment is made.

I'd be worried about being too informal in my e-mails... I generally try to be professional while still making them comfortable.