Tell us about your experience with Booking Inquiries!
Hi y'all - Thanks again for providing your feedback as part of this group. We'll likely have a few others joining us in the next couple days so stay on the lookout to welcome new folks joining in the intro discussion.
Our prompt this week may feel a bit familiar from last week's, but here is your chance to go into a little more depth on this topic.
One additional guideline to make this discussion as productive as possible:
Please reply to at least one other person's post—you can +1 if what they've shared resonates with you; you can ask questions to get more details; share tips about what has helped you be more effective with booking inquiries.
Prompt:
- Pros and Cons:
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of the current booking inquiry system vs. direct leads?
- Tips and Tricks
- Have you discovered any ways that help you be more effective with booking inquiries? What are they and how do they work?
- Desired Improvements
- What specific improvements would you like to see implemented in the booking inquiry process?
- How would these changes improve your experience?
Thanks! Looking forward to hearing from you all!
Sebastian
Comments
-
Advantage to booking inquiry has to be the ability to verify with the customer this is a good fit for my business. This can involve so much more than just price, things like scope of work, timeline for project completion, and general opportunity for Q&A. Disadvantage, so far my actual lead count has dropped way off. I suspect this has to do with the beta and most of my other service providers on the old system.
Improvement, please make a way for customers to share product links. The filter currently blocks all incoming links so it has been a challenge sharing what they would like assembled or installed.
2 -
I mean let's be honest first major pro is that the pros aren't charged until the customer books 👍
Con in my opinion is not having access to the customers phone number. I always reply in the app first, but I have had situations where it was an older customer and the only way I could get a hold of them was by a phone call. But I also understand in the interest of customer privacy plenty of people don't want their phone number out there.
Personally don't have any tips and tricks to share. I've had 3 booking inquiries so far and none have led to jobs. Like Joshua said the amount of leads has dropped significantly since I turned booking inquiries on.
I can't think of any specific improvements other than phone number visibility. Like I said above sometimes a phone call is the only way to actually get a hold of people. And unless the customer books with us we can no longer see their number.
2 -
So far I have enjoyed using booking inquiries, but honestly, I just have not gotten many of them. Thumbtack has been rather slow for me over the last 2 weeks especially as work as dried up in my area.
I do like the feature though, its nice to be able to consider a job before paying for it.
2 -
Pros of the booking inquiries is getting the details of the job and receiving information directly from the customer. Also, not paying for leads until the customer has booked you for a job. Biggest con is not getting any contact information from the customer and texting/messaging being the only way to communicate.
I feel the biggest trick to being successful with inquiries is responding quickly. Being the 1st or 2nd to respond to a booking inquiry gives you a better chance to win the job. Or responding under 30 mins to someone who has “picked only you” even though I think the customer picks more than one pro anyway.
I have had over 10 bookings and had over 700 views since the booking inquiries feature started. Another effective tip I have noticed is ending my response with a question to the customer to keep the conversation going.
The main improvement I would like to see is that the reasons why you(pros) would decline a job. It’s not enough options so sometimes I don’t even bother to select an option0 -
I agree that the booking inquiry system is a great feature to the thumbtack app I think it allows you to build a rapport with the customer and get to know the customer more on a personal level in a lot of ways before you show up in their house and do something to their home or whatever they have the project may be so I think it's a very good thing to add as a feature and it also just it really increases my job production because most of the time I'm on a low budget that I only get a few leads a week so by the booking inquiry being available I can chat with a customer and I can sell myself and the service better by being able to communicate with them directly with a chat service and so the burking inquiry system is great and I'm glad that it's been implemented i'm going to be sad that when it goes away and I feel like that it will dramatically decrease my lead generations but 90% of the people that have come to me I have got a the job from the lead or job from the inquiry
1 -
For us the greatest advantage of booking inquiries has been knowing if the job is right for us. Most people are very unfamiliar with pest control and don't know what details to include. Starting a chat and being able to ask all the questions we need to before paying allows us to pick all the right jobs.
The main con, like I said in all my video responses is that I feel the payment percentage per lead can be very high. In my business most of the money comes from retaining a customer and having them sign on to be a quarterly client. If the issue they're having is one that makes it hard to sign them up then the almost 50% payment hurts profits by a large margin.
0 -
Thanks everyone for the valuable feedback on the beta booking inquiries feature! We're really glad to hear that the core benefit – aligning with customers before being charged – is resonating. We're actively working to address some of the challenges you've highlighted, and we'd love your input on a few specific points—though since you've already shared your post to the first prompt, answering is entirely optional:
1. Getting to Confirmed Bookings:
- We've noticed some potential friction in the scheduling flow after you discuss availability or price. Customers are presented with a structured message or a "request booking" button.
- Have you observed any confusion or difficulty among your customers in using this flow?
- Are they missing the structured message (e.g., does it come too soon), or is the "request booking" at the top of the chat button not noticeable enough? Or something else entirely?
2. Communication Improvements:
- We understand that the anonymized phone number/call requests before booking can create communication hurdles—especially when speed matters.
- Beyond the call request feature, what specific in-app communication enhancements would significantly improve your experience? (e.g., anonymized SMS/texting, being able to directly call through an an anonymized number rather than relying on call requests, or something else)
3. Availability and Booking Volume:
- We're interested in understanding how your availability settings are impacting your booking requests.
- Has your set availability limited your booking volume or caused issues with customer requests?
- Have you experimented with adjusting your availability, and what were the results?
- What specific improvements to the availability settings would help you better manage customer interactions for booking inquiries?
4. Decline Survey Refinement:
- Paul raised an important point about the decline survey.
- What specific reasons for declining a job are missing from the current survey options?
- What additional options would you like to see added if any?
Don't feel the need to answer all of the questions here, but whatever stands out to you as most important.
Your insights are so crucial in helping us refine this feature and create a smoother experience for both pros and customers. We appreciate your continued participation! Thank you!
Sebastian, Senior Researcher
0 - We've noticed some potential friction in the scheduling flow after you discuss availability or price. Customers are presented with a structured message or a "request booking" button.
-
- Personally I haven't had any confirmed bookings since starting with booking inquiries. So I can't speak to that one personally. But maybe the fact that I haven't had any is an indication that it maybe is not clear enough to the customer?
- Personally I would love to be able to contact the customer through anonymized phone numbers. 100% would love that added in. Sometimes it's the only way to get a hold of people.
- I believe part of the reason I haven't gotten many inquiries is because my availability is only set to one day a week. I had major issues with direct bookings and that was my "solution". I have been wary of adjusting my availability due to the previous issues, but I may give it a shot. I think availability is just the wrong wording, availability implies that you can do the job at that exact time. Honestly I think it should just be "business hours".
- I have yet to "decline" a job, so I haven't seen this survey.
1 -
Pros and Cons: Advantages:
One significant advantage of the current booking inquiry system is that it allows us to engage with each client in more detail before committing any resources to the inquiry. This gives us the opportunity to thoroughly discuss the client's needs, preferences, and expectations for the project, ensuring we have a clear understanding of what’s required before moving forward. This approach can help filter out inquiries that may not be as serious or those that aren’t aligned with our services, ultimately saving both time and money.Overall, I’m receiving more inquiries but booking less jobs.
Disadvantages:
A key disadvantage, however, is that clients may not fully understand that they need to formally submit a booking request after our initial conversation. This lack of clarity can lead to confusion and delays in securing the job. Without a clear next step outlined for the client, the process may become disjointed, leading to missed opportunities or clients becoming disengaged.Tips and Tricks:
Effective Strategies for Booking Inquiries: Through experience, I’ve found that one of the most effective strategies for booking inquiries is to maintain clear and frequent communication with potential clients. People tend to respond more promptly when they feel their inquiry has been acknowledged and addressed. It’s also helpful to reiterate the next steps in the process, ensuring clients know what’s required on their end to proceed with a booking. Another tip is to be proactive and reach out to clients within a short window of their inquiry to maintain momentum and show that we are attentive to their needs.
Desired Improvements:
Changes I'd Like to See in the Booking Inquiry Process:
To improve the current system, it would be highly beneficial if clients were clearly informed that they must submit a formal request to book after the initial conversation. Alternatively, I would appreciate the ability to send the booking request directly to the client, who could then accept or confirm it. This added level of clarity and ease would streamline the process and reduce any confusion about how to proceed.How These Changes Would Improve My Experience:
Implementing these changes would significantly improve my ability to secure bookings. By ensuring that clients understand the next steps, or by giving us the option to send the request directly, we’d be able to stay more organized and efficient. It would also allow me to quickly follow up with clients who may not be responsive, ultimately improving the likelihood of converting inquiries into confirmed bookings. This would not only enhance my productivity but also improve the overall client experience.
2 -
Availability and Booking Volume:
Impact of Availability Settings on Booking Requests:
In my experience, many customers on platforms like Thumbtack aren't typically looking to have services performed immediately, which actually works to our advantage when it comes to scheduling. This allows me more flexibility in managing incoming inquiries. However, our scheduling system tends to change frequently, and I struggle to keep up with manually updating it on Thumbtack, especially since we use a proprietary system that doesn't sync with the platform.Has Your Set Availability Limited Your Booking Volume or Caused Issues with Customer Requests?
No, I haven’t encountered issues with availability limiting our booking volume. As mentioned, the nature of inquiries through Thumbtack tends to be more flexible, so the changes in our schedule don’t usually interfere with booking requests. The challenge comes more from the constant need to manually update availability on the platform, which doesn't always reflect our current capacity, but it hasn't led to a significant drop in bookings.
Have You Experimented with Adjusting Your Availability, and What Were the Results?
No, I haven’t experimented with adjusting my availability settings due to the reasons mentioned above. Since many clients aren’t looking for immediate services, and our schedule changes frequently, manually adjusting the availability on Thumbtack seems like it would require too much ongoing effort without significantly improving our process.
1 -
Getting to Confirmed Bookings:
Personally I am receiving more inquiries about work and confirming the booking than normal with just the direct lead system in place I feel like it is a great idea to be able to talk to the customer in detail about the job and even receive pictures to the messaging so I think that's very important
2. Communication Improvements:It's definitely an improvement on the communication side because we can go into more detail and all we have to go off of in the direct lead system is a short sentence or two describing the issue that they're having and I don't believe they can send us pictures or anything like that until later in the booking inquiry process on the direct lead side
3. Availability and Booking Volume:
4. Decline Survey Refinement:Personally I don't take the surveys for anything that I do I don't usually leave reviews or anything and most of the people I say that are looking into thumbtack app probably don't either so if you can do away with the survey I think you should
3. Availability and Booking Volume:
Now I'm not sure I usually don't have any conflicts with my availability and I don't think that it's keeping me from getting jobs but I could see how it could be an issue for some people because I mean my jobs are so down significantly but there will be a day or two a week that I just can't even deal with the volume so I think the availability is definitely important
1 -
GETTING TO CONFIRMED BOOKINGS
I haven’t observed any confusion from customers using the booking inquiries feature. Some understand the concept and some don’t. There are some customers that just send their address and have faith that you will show up to do the work.
COMMUNICATION IMPROVEMENTS
The call request feature has worked probably 3 times out of the 20+ booking inquiries I have received. I had success with messaging so I didn’t feel a need for the call accept when I was on a job or driving in traffic.
One improvement would be to make the customer apply photos on the project if they choose a direct lead or booking inquiry. Some do post pictures of the project but I think that help us(pros) being able to see what we are exactly getting ourselves into.1 -
AVAILABILITY & BOOKING VOLUME
My set availability has not caused any issues with my booking volume or requests but I have and to make some adjustments to fit customers in my schedule. This has been the first time I have been triple booked on consecutive weeks for 2 days out of the week. That has been challenging and trying to place people out a couple weeks is difficult especially when they need a deep clean or move out/in cleaning they want service ASAP. The main improvement I would like to see is being able to list more appointments outside of Thumbtack on your schedule. The only way I can put multiple jobs on a day on the Thumbtack calendar is through bookings or direct leads. If I have 2-3 jobs on a certain day I can’t add them all to my calendar and the customer then thinks I’m available.
DECLINE SURVEY REFINEMENT
Some additional options I would like to see added would be if I’m currently working on a job at the moment I can send my number and the customer can try and contact immediately. One specific reason I would like added is that I’m already booked for the date and time that the customer will be available. Also, if you don’t have pictures I don’t feel comfortable accepting the job because your description has me questioning how bad this could be. For example, I don’t think there was much I could do for this floor. She understood some of the requests wouldn’t be able to be fixed.
0 -
I think overall the booking feature has worked out well for me. I enjoy being able to see if the lead is a good fit for me without having to pay right off the bat. It’ll as far as disadvantages go, not being able to speak to the guest over the phone right away has slowed down my conversion rate a bit, most of the leads I get in contact with prefer to speak over the phone.
We should also be able to send a booking request as well, I think the leads are having a bit of a challenge with this, I noticed that most done send a booking request and there isn’t a button on our end we can use when the leads want to book.
I fully opened my availability and expanded on the range of reach and my leads have taken off. It’s been several leads daily so very happy about that.
0
Resources
Welcome! Check out our Community Code of Conduct. (review here)