Responding quickly to requests

In order to convert a request of availability into an effective reservation of your holiday villas in Sicily, the key words are: timing and being quick in responding.

Ensure you respond to requests in a quick, fast and in the shortest time possible – on average, not later than six hours after the request’s reception- not only increases your chances of booking but it will make you look as a professional and committed person to the customer’s eyes.

Each incoming request is generated by a potential customer, so be sure to manage it as such. Immerse yourself in the customer’s possible expectations and needs and respond to them as well as you would like to be responded to.
 

WhatsApp alert

WishSicily offers to villas and holiday homes’ owners, a completely free WhatsApp notification service for each request that might arrive to your email address. Agree to the alert service, by doing so, you will benefit of a tool which will considerably speed up instant alert response times in case you were not able to manage your emails on a regular basis during the day.
Informally, the text message will notify you that an availability request was generated therefore the customer is waiting for your response.
 

Timing

Try to reply to all requests within one hour of reception. If you need time to develop a proposal of property rental, however, inform the customer immediately, confirming that you have received the request and soon he will receive a formal, detailed, and proper response.
Since many tourists usually require information to more than one Sicily holiday home, the sooner you reply the more chances you’ll have, compared to your competitors, to drive a deal positively.
Nowadays, online transactions are more and more immediate therefore the customer expects an instant response.
 

Unavailability

If you are on holiday, working abroad, engaged in activities that do not allow you to log in to your mail box, or simply unable to reply to incoming requests, try to set on your email provider a self-generated message which automatically informs the customer of your temporary unavailability, also informing when it will be possible for you to provide a response.
Furthermore you can inform the staff of Wish Sicily of your unavailability, we will then respond to incoming requests, prior to your instructions. In doing so you will not lose any of the chances to settle a potential final reservation request.

Already booked

If you find yourself in the position of having the time requested by the customer already booked (and we wish you that!), respond to the incoming request in any case. The customer wants to know if his request has been received and whether it should carry on searching for a holiday home in Sicily.
Do not just say “already booked”. Offer the first available date or, in case you manage more than a holiday home or villa for rent within the portfolio of Wish Sicily, offer your customer a valid alternative.