Our ongoing efforts continue to be focused on improving client engagement and increasing the quality of incoming leads. With those in mind, this is what we’ve been working over the last month or so.
In this product update:
- More calendar features
- Improved client email notifications
- Measuring the client’s interest
- Instant booking
More calendar features
As we mentioned in the last product update, we’re making several improvements to the GigSalad calendar. In addition to a better design and unavailability options, we recently added the following features:
Lead blocking
All accounts now have a new setting that determines whether or not we will send leads for events that conflict with dates and times on your calendar. This will block conflicting leads by default but you can always update your setting. You can also specify a unique setting per event when adding or editing events on your calendar.
All-day events
If you have an event or unavailability that lasts a full day, you can now check a box to say it’s an all-day event, rather than having to set specific times.
We’re not done yet! Soon we’ll move the calendar to its own page in the control panel and introduce syncing capabilities with external calendars.
Improved client email notifications
In order to improve the client’s experience and encourage them to book, we redesigned their quote and message email notifications.
These redesigned emails now include details pulled from the vendor’s profile, including profile photo, booking numbers, star rating, and media links.
This is one of the many changes we’ve made to get profiles in front of clients more often. It’s more important than ever to make sure you have high-quality media, glowing reviews, and verified bookings. An optimized profile will bring you more leads and help you close more bookings.
Measuring the client’s interest
As a site open to everyone, we get event planners of all types, from serious professionals ready to book to novices browsing for prices. The latter can sometimes be frustrating as they are often the least responsive or not interested in actually hiring anyone.
We’re currently testing various ways to gauge client interest and adjust their experience accordingly. This is an ongoing effort to deliver higher quality leads to our members.
Our first test…
We added a new “intent to book” question in the quote request form. Our first test was asking clients where they were at in the booking process right from the get-go. Are they ready to book? Almost ready? Looking for prices? Just browsing? The purpose of this test was to make sure it didn’t hurt the number of completed quote requests. The good news is that not only did the extra question not hurt conversions, but we actually saw a slight uptick in quote requests. 🙌 The next tests will help us figure out what to do with this new information.
Our current test…
Show the level of interest to the vendors. The current test we have running is showing the client’s interest level to vendors along with the other lead info. Because this is still being tested, only half of the leads will include this information. We will determine the impact that showing this info has on vendors responding to leads as well as how the interest levels correlate with bookings.
Our next test…
Adjust quote request form based on the client’s interest level. Our next test is going to be adding an additional slide to the quote request form when the client chooses the “want pricing” or “just browsing” options. This extra slide will provide them with average pricing information and things to consider for the location/category they’re interested in. Our hope is that by managing their expectations, only those most serious about actually hiring someone will proceed with submitting their request.
Look for more details and the results of these tests in the next product update blog!
Instant booking
We introduced an instant booking feature a couple of years ago that we’ve slowly been expanding to more categories and locations. We only offer this option where we have enough vendors to fulfill the requests.
We recently decided to return the feature to a testing state so only half of the event planners in the applicable cities and categories were given the instant booking option. We wanted to make sure that showing the option wasn’t actually taking away leads from our members. The result was positive! It turns out we can offer instant booking without hurting the number of traditional requests. Now that we know this, we will continue working to expand and improve the feature.
In case you missed it…
There’s another small feature we launched a couple of months ago that we missed in our last product update. We now show an update in the message thread when a client views your profile.
That’s all for now! We’ve got a lot more tests lined up and cool features in the works, so stay tuned. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below or contact us. We’d love to hear from you! ❤
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.
Hi John,
Kudos to you and your crew for the improvements and updates you continue to make and share with all of us. While they all sound great to me, there’s one request I’d like to talk with you about. Please know it’s nothing paramount; just something it’s easier to explain on the phone. You can email me the best time to contact you, or feel free to call me. I’m usually available from 10 am to 10 pm EDT.
It’s a real pleasure doing business with you, and I look forward to hearing from you at your convenience.
Many thanks,
Jane Eisaman, Mgr.
Ovations Big Band
Southern Fried Jazz Band
704.948.9328
Hi Jane, please give our Customer Happiness Team a call at 417-889-9909! We’re in the office Monday-Friday, 8a-5p CST. Thank you!
How do you determine average pricing?
Hi Erin, we determine average pricing by using the data gathered over the last several years through closed bookings on our platform. Keep in mind it’s an average and things like your location, travel to the gig, experience, and length of performance can all affect the actual amount of a booking. Thank you!
when someone asks for quote dont let the client get cold
reply back asap so you are on there mind and they don’t
forget to try to GET THEM TO book ASAP
IT`S OFF THERE DESK THEY won’t FORGET TO BOOK YOU
PLEASE CAN YOU GUY MAKE A CALENDAR TAB AT THE TOP OF OUR PAGE
Hi Guy, that’s a great suggestion and it’s in the works! We’ll hopefully be announcing some improvements to the calendar shortly. Stay tuned!
GigSalad, for the $$$ I spent, I’d think I’d be getting something but I’ve only had one lead and the client didn’t answer me back when I replied. How can you help? Kathy
Hi Kathy, we’d love to take a look at your profile and see if there are some things we can suggest to help you get more leads! Please email us at help@gigsalad.com or call us at 417-889-9909. Thank you!