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Morticia

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I recommend this to everyone...try to book a vacation at a B&B. This goes right along with what JB is always posting about...your website has to answer guests' questions, the sooner the better.
I am looking at 2 places to stay that have almost identical names. They have similar layouts (both have a restaurant) and are not too far from each other. So, are the reviews for the right place? Who knows.
But, my biggest peeve is I cannot get my questions answered without calling them. When does the restaurant close for the season? As the menu state 'Summer hours' does that mean a new menu goes out later or, if not, when does 'summer' end for them?
One online booking engine (they both have them) does not let you go back to the original website without clicking the 'back' button. Clicking the home button gets an error message. So, I am in the middle of looking at avail, have a question and I'm stuck on this page and can't figure out how to go back. The questions I want answered is, should I book the room and dinner pkg or is the restaurant closed when I will be there?
One website looked like it was designed by a hotel chain and had very little info that I found useful. The other one is definitely home grown, which I don't mind, except I hate when all the text is in 'internet blue'.
Now I have to figure out what questions my website doesn't answer!
 
And don't make me call to find out you are not open all year.
 
Since we are all using the internet to make most of our sales. A useful website that makes the sale is the key to our business in lots of ways.
 
OK, next BIG peeve and I had no idea it even was a peeve for me until I heard it: 'All that info is on our website.'
Essentially, 'Buzz off and leave me alone.' That pretty effectively crossed them off my list. If I could have FOUND the info I called about, I wouldn't have called. (Which I said...'All I see are hours for summer, I need to know if the restaurant is open year round and what days of the week.')
I got an answer to the question but when I said, 'All I see are summer hours,' I got back, 'They change it all the time, keep looking.' WTH!
I'm supposed to keep going back to the website on random days until the info I'm looking for is posted? There was no interest shown in me or my vacation or why I might be choosing to go there in the off season or anything remotely like help.
 
OK, next BIG peeve and I had no idea it even was a peeve for me until I heard it: 'All that info is on our website.'
Essentially, 'Buzz off and leave me alone.' That pretty effectively crossed them off my list. If I could have FOUND the info I called about, I wouldn't have called. (Which I said...'All I see are hours for summer, I need to know if the restaurant is open year round and what days of the week.')
I got an answer to the question but when I said, 'All I see are summer hours,' I got back, 'They change it all the time, keep looking.' WTH!
I'm supposed to keep going back to the website on random days until the info I'm looking for is posted? There was no interest shown in me or my vacation or why I might be choosing to go there in the off season or anything remotely like help..
Ohhhhhhhhh....not a good answer when someone says to the caller "All that info is on our website". :-( It might be there but they couldn't find it for some reason.
I had trouble booking online (kept getting an error message) when I wanted to book a place and when I called the innkeeper said, "It should be working!" Which implied that I didn't know what I was doing. I had tried 3 times before calling and called out of frustration. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh! Turns out when we talked to the innkeeper later, that booking server had been DOWN! She didn't know it. Sooooooooo.....
There's nothing like going at it from the guest perspective, is there? :)
 
OK, next BIG peeve and I had no idea it even was a peeve for me until I heard it: 'All that info is on our website.'
Essentially, 'Buzz off and leave me alone.' That pretty effectively crossed them off my list. If I could have FOUND the info I called about, I wouldn't have called. (Which I said...'All I see are hours for summer, I need to know if the restaurant is open year round and what days of the week.')
I got an answer to the question but when I said, 'All I see are summer hours,' I got back, 'They change it all the time, keep looking.' WTH!
I'm supposed to keep going back to the website on random days until the info I'm looking for is posted? There was no interest shown in me or my vacation or why I might be choosing to go there in the off season or anything remotely like help..
Ohhhhhhhhh....not a good answer when someone says to the caller "All that info is on our website". :-( It might be there but they couldn't find it for some reason.
I had trouble booking online (kept getting an error message) when I wanted to book a place and when I called the innkeeper said, "It should be working!" Which implied that I didn't know what I was doing. I had tried 3 times before calling and called out of frustration. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh! Turns out when we talked to the innkeeper later, that booking server had been DOWN! She didn't know it. Sooooooooo.....
There's nothing like going at it from the guest perspective, is there? :)
.
Samster said:
There's nothing like going at it from the guest perspective, is there? :)
Nothing at all!
I've had guests call and say they couldn't make a rez and I've asked them where they got hung up so I could 'fix it'. Not that I can do anything but what I've noticed is that most of the time they have had some sort of message pop up asking if they want to see the page delivered as secure or not and they say 'not' and I think then they don't get the right page to enter their info. Or they stop right there thinking the page is broken or not secure.
 
OK, next BIG peeve and I had no idea it even was a peeve for me until I heard it: 'All that info is on our website.'
Essentially, 'Buzz off and leave me alone.' That pretty effectively crossed them off my list. If I could have FOUND the info I called about, I wouldn't have called. (Which I said...'All I see are hours for summer, I need to know if the restaurant is open year round and what days of the week.')
I got an answer to the question but when I said, 'All I see are summer hours,' I got back, 'They change it all the time, keep looking.' WTH!
I'm supposed to keep going back to the website on random days until the info I'm looking for is posted? There was no interest shown in me or my vacation or why I might be choosing to go there in the off season or anything remotely like help..
Morticia said:
'All that info is on our website.'
We are all in the service business. If a potential client calls for what ever reason, we use it to sell the "Mores of McKinnon's". We are all salesmen. We sell our product on the web, in our brochures, in our networking and on the phone. The B&B you called certainly missed the perfect opportunity to book a client.
BBBBob
 
I like the idea of a preformatted standard reply where I fill in the blanks. I have to figure out how to do that on my email service. I generally type out a whole email response and I may get sloppy if I've done a lot of them that day.
But, even when we're full I refer them to places that are not. With a 'you may want to try...' like you do. I do the same if they're looking for a single room for 5 because we don't take 5 but I know places that do.
 
I like the idea of a preformatted standard reply where I fill in the blanks. I have to figure out how to do that on my email service. I generally type out a whole email response and I may get sloppy if I've done a lot of them that day.
But, even when we're full I refer them to places that are not. With a 'you may want to try...' like you do. I do the same if they're looking for a single room for 5 because we don't take 5 but I know places that do..
I have my confirmation letter, a horse guest confirmation letter, and a few other "standard" things saved in WORD to fill in the blanks (address, Dear ___, room/arrival day-date, departure day-date, dietary, etc) and then do a copy paste into the e-mail - including my signature on the letter so it appears to be just to them.
 
I like the idea of a preformatted standard reply where I fill in the blanks. I have to figure out how to do that on my email service. I generally type out a whole email response and I may get sloppy if I've done a lot of them that day.
But, even when we're full I refer them to places that are not. With a 'you may want to try...' like you do. I do the same if they're looking for a single room for 5 because we don't take 5 but I know places that do..
Why don't you just type up a "stationary" in Notepad or Word of exactly what you want to say. Leave blanks where you fill in the time, date, etc. Save the file then when you need it, just "Copy & Paste" it into an email.... simple as that. Can't you create "stationary" in your email software? That's what I always did and it worked just fine.
 
I like the idea of a preformatted standard reply where I fill in the blanks. I have to figure out how to do that on my email service. I generally type out a whole email response and I may get sloppy if I've done a lot of them that day.
But, even when we're full I refer them to places that are not. With a 'you may want to try...' like you do. I do the same if they're looking for a single room for 5 because we don't take 5 but I know places that do..
Why don't you just type up a "stationary" in Notepad or Word of exactly what you want to say. Leave blanks where you fill in the time, date, etc. Save the file then when you need it, just "Copy & Paste" it into an email.... simple as that. Can't you create "stationary" in your email software? That's what I always did and it worked just fine.
.
I've tried doing stationery before but could never save it properly. I'm going to go look at it again.
Ha, just goes to show what I know...I looked up how to do the stationery and voila! I already had 3 in there.
But, it doesn't allow me to save an entire email format, just an overall 'look'. Still have to get the entire email saved somewhere.
 
I like the idea of a preformatted standard reply where I fill in the blanks. I have to figure out how to do that on my email service. I generally type out a whole email response and I may get sloppy if I've done a lot of them that day.
But, even when we're full I refer them to places that are not. With a 'you may want to try...' like you do. I do the same if they're looking for a single room for 5 because we don't take 5 but I know places that do..
Why don't you just type up a "stationary" in Notepad or Word of exactly what you want to say. Leave blanks where you fill in the time, date, etc. Save the file then when you need it, just "Copy & Paste" it into an email.... simple as that. Can't you create "stationary" in your email software? That's what I always did and it worked just fine.
.
I've tried doing stationery before but could never save it properly. I'm going to go look at it again.
Ha, just goes to show what I know...I looked up how to do the stationery and voila! I already had 3 in there.
But, it doesn't allow me to save an entire email format, just an overall 'look'. Still have to get the entire email saved somewhere.
.
Oh I guess I have the terminology wrong. Stationary in Outlook is the "format for the look, background etc" In my old Eudora Stationary was like a template.
Maybe this link will help you.
 
what you can always do depending on your email software is save your standard confirmation in your signature then just adapt it when it pops up.
 
what you can always do depending on your email software is save your standard confirmation in your signature then just adapt it when it pops up..
Yes, that's true, but that is not what a signature is for. Although Some software allows you to have multiple sigs...so you choose which to use when you do a message.
 
I like the idea of a preformatted standard reply where I fill in the blanks. I have to figure out how to do that on my email service. I generally type out a whole email response and I may get sloppy if I've done a lot of them that day.
But, even when we're full I refer them to places that are not. With a 'you may want to try...' like you do. I do the same if they're looking for a single room for 5 because we don't take 5 but I know places that do..
Why don't you just type up a "stationary" in Notepad or Word of exactly what you want to say. Leave blanks where you fill in the time, date, etc. Save the file then when you need it, just "Copy & Paste" it into an email.... simple as that. Can't you create "stationary" in your email software? That's what I always did and it worked just fine.
.
I've tried doing stationery before but could never save it properly. I'm going to go look at it again.
Ha, just goes to show what I know...I looked up how to do the stationery and voila! I already had 3 in there.
But, it doesn't allow me to save an entire email format, just an overall 'look'. Still have to get the entire email saved somewhere.
.
Oh I guess I have the terminology wrong. Stationary in Outlook is the "format for the look, background etc" In my old Eudora Stationary was like a template.
Maybe this link will help you.
.
Thanks! It shortened the process, but I don't have the right version of Outlook. I've saved a file in Office to cut and paste.
 
It's certainly good to see things from the guests perspective. One of my bugbears is email replies.
Recently when I enquired about a hotel we wanted to stay at I received ....
"Sorry, we're full". That's it.......4 word reply. No hello, goodbye, you may like to try......
And another when I enquired about a room/date availbility wrote back and said
"Yes, it's available". Great, what happens next? How do I book? Do you want I deposit, how do I pay it?
Two personal rules, 1 an email enquiry is a potential customer, don't let them get away and 2 always make it as simple as possible for someone to spend their money at you establishment.
It doesn't take much to set up a few standard reply emails that you can cut/paste when required.
I'm sure I'm "preaching to the converted", but it's surprising how many places have this sloppy attitude to emails.
 
I like the idea of a preformatted standard reply where I fill in the blanks. I have to figure out how to do that on my email service. I generally type out a whole email response and I may get sloppy if I've done a lot of them that day.
But, even when we're full I refer them to places that are not. With a 'you may want to try...' like you do. I do the same if they're looking for a single room for 5 because we don't take 5 but I know places that do..
Why don't you just type up a "stationary" in Notepad or Word of exactly what you want to say. Leave blanks where you fill in the time, date, etc. Save the file then when you need it, just "Copy & Paste" it into an email.... simple as that. Can't you create "stationary" in your email software? That's what I always did and it worked just fine.
.
I've tried doing stationery before but could never save it properly. I'm going to go look at it again.
Ha, just goes to show what I know...I looked up how to do the stationery and voila! I already had 3 in there.
But, it doesn't allow me to save an entire email format, just an overall 'look'. Still have to get the entire email saved somewhere.
.
Oh I guess I have the terminology wrong. Stationary in Outlook is the "format for the look, background etc" In my old Eudora Stationary was like a template.
Maybe this link will help you.
.
Thanks! It shortened the process, but I don't have the right version of Outlook. I've saved a file in Office to cut and paste.
.
I've just got all my formats saved in my draft folder, so I open the relevant email in "Drafts", CTL-A, CTL-C, ALT-PF4, CTL-V
 
I like the idea of a preformatted standard reply where I fill in the blanks. I have to figure out how to do that on my email service. I generally type out a whole email response and I may get sloppy if I've done a lot of them that day.
But, even when we're full I refer them to places that are not. With a 'you may want to try...' like you do. I do the same if they're looking for a single room for 5 because we don't take 5 but I know places that do..
Why don't you just type up a "stationary" in Notepad or Word of exactly what you want to say. Leave blanks where you fill in the time, date, etc. Save the file then when you need it, just "Copy & Paste" it into an email.... simple as that. Can't you create "stationary" in your email software? That's what I always did and it worked just fine.
.
I've tried doing stationery before but could never save it properly. I'm going to go look at it again.
Ha, just goes to show what I know...I looked up how to do the stationery and voila! I already had 3 in there.
But, it doesn't allow me to save an entire email format, just an overall 'look'. Still have to get the entire email saved somewhere.
.
Oh I guess I have the terminology wrong. Stationary in Outlook is the "format for the look, background etc" In my old Eudora Stationary was like a template.
Maybe this link will help you.
.
Thanks! It shortened the process, but I don't have the right version of Outlook. I've saved a file in Office to cut and paste.
.
I've just got all my formats saved in my draft folder, so I open the relevant email in "Drafts", CTL-A, CTL-C, ALT-PF4, CTL-V
.
Highlands John said:
I've just got all my formats saved in my draft folder, so I open the relevant email in "Drafts", CTL-A, CTL-C, ALT-PF4, CTL-V
What does ALT PF4 do for you? For me it closed the email. But, thanks for the draft folder idea. That makes it easier.
 
I like the idea of a preformatted standard reply where I fill in the blanks. I have to figure out how to do that on my email service. I generally type out a whole email response and I may get sloppy if I've done a lot of them that day.
But, even when we're full I refer them to places that are not. With a 'you may want to try...' like you do. I do the same if they're looking for a single room for 5 because we don't take 5 but I know places that do..
Why don't you just type up a "stationary" in Notepad or Word of exactly what you want to say. Leave blanks where you fill in the time, date, etc. Save the file then when you need it, just "Copy & Paste" it into an email.... simple as that. Can't you create "stationary" in your email software? That's what I always did and it worked just fine.
.
I've tried doing stationery before but could never save it properly. I'm going to go look at it again.
Ha, just goes to show what I know...I looked up how to do the stationery and voila! I already had 3 in there.
But, it doesn't allow me to save an entire email format, just an overall 'look'. Still have to get the entire email saved somewhere.
.
Oh I guess I have the terminology wrong. Stationary in Outlook is the "format for the look, background etc" In my old Eudora Stationary was like a template.
Maybe this link will help you.
.
Thanks! It shortened the process, but I don't have the right version of Outlook. I've saved a file in Office to cut and paste.
.
I've just got all my formats saved in my draft folder, so I open the relevant email in "Drafts", CTL-A, CTL-C, ALT-PF4, CTL-V
.
Highlands John said:
I've just got all my formats saved in my draft folder, so I open the relevant email in "Drafts", CTL-A, CTL-C, ALT-PF4, CTL-V
What does ALT PF4 do for you? For me it closed the email. But, thanks for the draft folder idea. That makes it easier.
.
The ALT-F4 closes the draft email containing the text I use. Then I go back to the new email I'm about to send and CTL-V to paste the text.
 
I like the idea of a preformatted standard reply where I fill in the blanks. I have to figure out how to do that on my email service. I generally type out a whole email response and I may get sloppy if I've done a lot of them that day.
But, even when we're full I refer them to places that are not. With a 'you may want to try...' like you do. I do the same if they're looking for a single room for 5 because we don't take 5 but I know places that do..
Why don't you just type up a "stationary" in Notepad or Word of exactly what you want to say. Leave blanks where you fill in the time, date, etc. Save the file then when you need it, just "Copy & Paste" it into an email.... simple as that. Can't you create "stationary" in your email software? That's what I always did and it worked just fine.
.
I've tried doing stationery before but could never save it properly. I'm going to go look at it again.
Ha, just goes to show what I know...I looked up how to do the stationery and voila! I already had 3 in there.
But, it doesn't allow me to save an entire email format, just an overall 'look'. Still have to get the entire email saved somewhere.
.
Oh I guess I have the terminology wrong. Stationary in Outlook is the "format for the look, background etc" In my old Eudora Stationary was like a template.
Maybe this link will help you.
.
Thanks! It shortened the process, but I don't have the right version of Outlook. I've saved a file in Office to cut and paste.
.
I've just got all my formats saved in my draft folder, so I open the relevant email in "Drafts", CTL-A, CTL-C, ALT-PF4, CTL-V
.
Highlands John said:
I've just got all my formats saved in my draft folder, so I open the relevant email in "Drafts", CTL-A, CTL-C, ALT-PF4, CTL-V
What does ALT PF4 do for you? For me it closed the email. But, thanks for the draft folder idea. That makes it easier.
.
I was going to tell you to save it to DRAFTS as well after I replied but have been off computer most of the day :)
 
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