Last month was a busy one for our product team. Not only did we do a lot of behind-the-scenes cleanup, but we also launched some pretty awesome improvements. Check ’em out!
In this update:
- Mark leads as unread
- Archive within the lead
- New email designs
- Identify bookings with reviews
- Calendar fixes and updates
- What we’re thankful for
Improved lead navigation and management
The inbox is one of the most used areas of the control panel and we receive feature requests for it regularly. Last month we got a good start on our users’ wish list with a few usability improvements.
NEW! “Mark as Unread” ability
You can now mark a lead or message as unread so you can easily identify which threads still need your attention. This can be particularly helpful if you open a message but can’t respond right away and need to remember to come back to it.
Sticky bar with always-present lead actions
Both the Archive and Mark as Unread options will now always be present on a sticky bar as you scroll down your Inbox. This makes it faster and easier to select multiple leads at once and then take the necessary action.
Archive and mark as unread within the lead
One of the most frequent requests we receive is for the ability to archive while actually looking at the lead without having to go to the inbox. Now, both the archive and mark as unread options will appear at the top of the thread and like the inbox, they will be on a sticky bar that moves down the page with you.
Navigate to next unread lead
You can now easily move on to the next unread lead without going back to the inbox each time. There’s also a new back button that allows you to easily return to your inbox. This functionally has been present on mobile browsers for a while, but now it appears on desktop as well!
Our emails got a makeover
Email is our primary form of communication with our members and event planners, so it’s important that we keep them updated and easy to read. We recently introduced a slightly new design and are slowly working through all of our emails to make further improvements to the copy and content.
Find bookings without reviews
We’ve added review scores to booked gigs in your inbox to help you better identify which gigs you might want to follow up on. If a review is present, a star rating will appear above the booked status on the lead.
Pro tip: When you book through the site, we send several review requests to the event planner for you after the event. But it can sometimes be helpful to also send a personal message asking the client to share their feedback on your GigSalad profile.
We updated a few calendar features
We’ve improved the calendar a great deal over the last year. As with any updated feature, as it evolves and more people use it, small things will come up that require adjustments. Here are a few recent ones:
Client names on booked events: The calendar in your control panel will now show your client’s name for GigSalad bookings. Previously it just showed a generic event type, making it hard to distinguish between events.
Public calendar tweaks: Recurring events are now labeled as such on the public calendar lists in profiles. We also made sure non-event unavailability and synced entries were not displayed.
Time zone issues: We found that some calendar feeds weren’t setting the correct time zone for exported bookings. If this is happening to you, you can now adjust the time zone within your calendar settings under Export GigSalad Bookings.
Calendar navigation glitch: We fixed an odd bug that was making the calendar disappear after navigating back and forth between months. It was caused by a recent update to the plug-in we use to display the calendar.
GigSalad is giving thanks
2020 has been a hard year for pretty much everyone, but it’s important to find reasons to be thankful. We asked some of our team members to share what’s got them feeling grateful lately. We invite you to do the same in the comments. 🧡
Kristin (Sales): I am beyond thankful for the different platforms out there allowing everyone to connect. From my yoga studio doing virtual classes to watching movies “together” w/ friends via tele-party and making dinner on Saturdays with my boyfriend in Canada. It makes things…not suck so much! 😁
Kerri (Payments): I’m thankful for my dogs. Being home with them all the time is nice and has helped reduce my stress levels. Their crazy antics also keep me on my toes and make me laugh. 🐶
Shannon (Customer Happiness): I am very thankful for all the people still loving and supporting each through some of the most difficult times any of us have ever faced. I am still a firm believer that “love makes the world go round.” ✌
Ryan (Customer Happiness): I am so grateful for the generosity I received after my lung surgery. The care I was shown from friends and family was the biggest blessing. The GigSalad team has gone above and beyond, which has inspired me to help others in the same manner. 🥰
Madi (Customer Happiness): I’m thankful for all of the creativity the extended time at home has inspired! I’ve started more projects in one year than I have in a long time! 🔨
Pragya (User Research): I am so grateful to have joined a team that truly works together. It’s exactly what I was looking for. It’s so rare to see teams that truly care for each other in the most authentic way. This mentality seems to show toward our customers as well which is awesome! 👐
Locke (Engineering): I am thankful for our National Park Service and the great outdoors. Despite being away from others day-to-day it is great to get outside and feel the seasons change. 🍂
Shawn (Engineering): I’m thankful that amidst all the uncertainty that came with this pandemic, an event company took a chance on me and accepted me as part of the family. It’s been a really hard year but I’m so grateful to have GigSalad. 💕
Heather is the Content Manager and a GigSalad veteran of 15+ years. She loves helping event planners create unforgettable celebrations and talent make a living doing what they love. When not at work, she enjoys reading romance and fantasy books, bingeing TV shows, playing board games, and spending time with friends.
To all of you at Gig Salad….we appreciate all your hard work! Also, just wanted to say “thank you”, again, for allowing us to extend our membership each month at no cost!! Without your generosity, we would have to cancel. Have a great Thanksgiving!! God bless, Dave and Beth Irvin (and Lizzy Lou)
Thank you for the kind words, Beth! Stay safe and well this holiday season!