Every venue owner or admin that has a listing on EventUp.com has the ability to view and respond to messages that have been sent to them through their EventUp listing.
There are two ways that an event planner can send a private message to you in the EventUp portal.
- When an event planner submits a quote request to you, as a lead, they can also include a message such as expanding on the event needs or asking a question about amenities.
- Once a planner submits a quote request to you, you have the ability to respond to them directly in the portal, therefore opening up a back and forth conversation through messages.
According to a recent EventUp survey: Consumer Event Planning and Booking Habits, EventUp asked 500 consumers about their habits and preferences when booking events online. 92% of planners are looking for venues to respond to an event inquiry within 48 hours of submitting their initial request.
As an event manager or venue owner, you often wear many hats and it can be difficult to juggle them all while also responding to every single event lead in that desired 48-hour time frame.
EventUp Auto Responses
EventUp’s portal includes the feature ‘Auto Responses’. All venues have access to this feature regardless of the listing package you sign up for.
Auto Responses, are email responses that can be sent automatically to an event inquiry with pre-determined messages that you create based on the event type.
Benefits of setting up automatic responses:
People are always looking for information such as hours, how to make a reservation, what you are offering on your latest menu, what types of events you can accommodate, etc. at all hours of the day and night, and you simply cannot have someone monitoring the inbox 24/7 to answer those questions in real-time. Having automated responses activated eliminates the need to have someone watching those messages around the clock.
Secondly, you are going to receive the same questions over and over - even if the information is right on your listing. Some folks prefer to have that one-to-one conversation to get directly to the answer in the easiest way possible. Having these questions automatically taken care of for you allows you to focus on other pressing matters but still gives the event planners the feeling of a personal conversation with your venue.
You can also view this section as an interactive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section for current and future customers.
How To Create Auto Responses
In your EventUp portal, visit My Listings, then Auto Responses. This is where you will input your email messages
Setting up Automated Responses in your EventUp portal can be completed in minutes yet has many benefits for both you and your customers. Once you have set up your Automated Responses within your portal, it’s an easy and handoff way to further delight your customers and provide them with an overall positive experience. Delighted customers become repeat customers, and promote your venue to their family and friends.
Auto Responses Per Event Type
With EventUp’s Auto Responses feature, you have the ability to create separate Auto Response messages for different event types. This way you can further customize the information you provide back to the event planner based on the type of event they are looking to plan.
A wedding planner may need very different information than someone planning a birthday celebration. Creating different messages allows you to customize each individual message when it makes sense for your events business.
You have the ability to select multiple event types if one message will cover the needs for those. If there are particular event types that you do not accommodate, you can simply leave those off your selections.
What should My Auto Response Message Include?
When setting up your auto-response messages, there are key themes that should be included in every message you write.
Remember to always be:
- Personal
- Friendly
- Helpful
- Set Expectations
- Provide Next Steps
With every message, first, make sure that the message is personal to the event type that they have selected.
It should be obvious, but always be friendly in your messages. You are still in the ‘selling’ phase with these messages as no event has been booked yet.
Even though it's an automated message, provide help and start to fill in the holes of information needed for the event planner to want to finalize their event with you. This can be answering common questions, walking through the booking process, or providing links so the planner can review and select options.
Always set expectations on when and how you, the venue will be in contact with the planner and clearly state what the next steps in the process will be. This way, the planners know in advance what will happen and when. They won’t be left wondering causing frustration with you and your venue.
Automated Response Email Message Example:
Hi!
Thanks for reaching out to Porcupine and Bear for your upcoming Baby Shower. We are excited about the opportunity to help you and your family celebrate this new bundle of joy.
Here are a few helpful links to get your planning started:
- Menu options: www.babyshowermenu.com
- Linen options: www.linenanddecorationoptions.com
- Recommended vendors: www.pandbvendors.com
Our event manager Nicole will be in touch within 48 hours to answer any questions and finalize event details.
Thank you,
Porcupine and Bear
The above automated email example has an overall friendly tone, customizes the experience for the event type, provides links for the planner to continue the process on their own, and provides a follow-up time along with the name of who will be reaching out.
EventUp Listing Reporting
Once you set up all of your automated responses, don't forget to periodically check your
listing performance.
You can view your listing performance under My Listings.
Response Rate is the average percentage of messages you respond to within the EventUp portal. Some venues choose to work their leads in their email or an Event Management Software tool like Tripleseat. This is perfectly ok, it just skews your overall response rate within the portal.
Average Response Time is how quickly a venue responds to leads in the EventUp portal calculated in hours. Again, if you choose to work the leads outside of EventUp is perfectly ok, your average response time just won’t be accurate in the portal.
Ready to take advantage of EventUp’s Autor Response feature?
Schedule a quick demo with one of our growth managers to learn about all of EventUp’s features and benefits and find the listing package that is perfect for your venue to help you grow your events business and revenue.
