Let me start by saying, I'm a huge believer in making life as easy as possible by using templates and automating procedures as much as possible; and making use of templates for email responses is a great way of doing that. It ensures consistency and saves precious time.
But and it's an important "but", when using templates to reply to email enquiries, you can't be rigid and just send the template, you still have to take the time and personalise the message and most importantly tailor it to your potential couples message to you.
I recently emailed a few venues, on behalf of a couple I'm currently helping find a venue; the responses (where I received them) were varied, however the majority were templates, with no attempt to tailor the response to my specific enquiry or to acknowledge that I was enquiring as a wedding planner and not a bride or groom. So all those responses with "Congratulations on your engagement!" were wasted on me!
Another thing that's a no go in emails is negativity, it's just extremely off putting. One templated response, had no addressee and two negative points. "We're not doing viewings" and "we don't have a 2023 brochure because of Covid". Quite why Covid has prevented them from creating a brochure or price list for 2023 I'm not sure. With many venues already full for 2022 because the the knock on of dates from 2020 and 2021, 2023 is already filling up, not having pricing in place seems like a business disaster.
With regards to not doing viewings, this was post April 12th and in a competitive market when other venues are doing viewings/show arounds it does not make business sense. Couples have spent lockdown researching potential venues and suppliers and are ready start to confirm bookings, not being welcoming and able to show them around immediately puts you at a disadvantage.
If I had received these responses as a potential couple, I would immediately feel unvalued and it would put me off continuing with the enquiry.
Whilst we're on the subject of emails, if on the rare occasion an enquiry asks for a call to discuss their enquiry, don't just send them an email in return, they actually want to speak to a real person. Call Them!
Speed is also the key. Today's couples expect an almost instant response, make sure you have procedures in place to ensure that emails are responded to over the weekends and staff holidays. It doesn't matter who replies to the email, as long as someone does. Oh and when I say reply, I mean an actual response not just an automated out of office.
Thank you for your email. We will endeavour to respond to your email as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
The above example just frustrates, it doesn't tell me when I might get a response, who I can contact if the enquiry is urgent and how I can contact them.
Remember, this is your first communication with your couple, who after all are a potential booking, they need to feel that they are special, you are interested in them, invested in their wedding and already value them as customers. After all, todays discerning couple have already stalked you before deciding to write that email. They've been through your social media, your website, read reviews and asked friends and family for opinions. So by actually writing an email enquiry, even if it was just filling in your enquiry box on your website, you can be sure that they've already shortlisted you as a potential venue or supplier.
By just sending the template response and ignoring any specific questions regarding availability, costs, potential viewing dates or by bombarding them with too much information they've not asked for, you are already reducing your chances of securing the booking. By not addressing them by name or just referring them back to your website; you've probably lost them.
So whilst templates are great, make sure you listen to what the enquirer has asked, answer their questions, don't give them more than they've asked for and remember to give them a reason to reply to you; that call to action. As much as everything else needs to fall into place, people ultimately buy from people, you need to make that initial connection with the couple and then build on it to secure the booking.
Remember: It's not just an enquiry. it's a potential booking!
Not sure if your email enquiry response is working for you? Magnolia and Me can undertake a review and let you know the outcomes with recommendations for improvement if required. Interested? Get in touch via hello@magnoliaandmeconsultancy.co.uk
