We want to celebrate and reward workers who reply promptly to clients who message them on Mable. Also, since clients can also view how long it normally takes you to reply to a message, this information presented on your profile will help them make an informed decision about who they would like to message.
What does being ‘very responsive’ mean?
If your response rate is 80% or higher and your response time is within 24 hours or less, then your status will be displayed as ‘very responsive’. It shows potential clients that you respond to new enquiries promptly and lets them know that you are very active in the Mable community.
What is a ‘response rate’?
This is the percentage of messages workers respond to within 90 days before the last message they receive. The higher your response rate, the more favourable you will appear to a potential new client. Please note, your response rate is only visible to you, not to potential clients.
What is ‘response speed’?
This is the average time it would take an independent support worker to respond to a message. If you usually respond to messages within 24 hours, your profile will show ‘Typically replies within 24 hours’.
What if I’m really busy and don’t have time to respond to enquiries or I’m currently not accepting new enquiries?
We always recommend being as responsive as possible, even if you don’t intend on accepting any new clients at the moment. It only takes a minute to respond, and you can even have a standard response ready, such as one of the templates below.
Currently busy but will respond later:
“Thank you so much for your enquiry. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve received your message but I’m currently out and about. I’ll send you a proper reply when I get home tonight and can let you know my current availability.”
Not currently accepting new clients:
“Thank you so much for your enquiry. At the moment, I’m focused on my existing clients so I’m unable to help you. I wish you all the best in finding the ideal support worker for you on the Mable platform.”
Please note, if you are not currently accepting any new clients. We recommend you switch your profile to ‘Not available for work’, which means that you won’t appear in search results and receive any new job alerts. You can switch back to being available at any time.
Do I need to respond to all messages and posted jobs?
When a client contacts you directly through the messaging system, it is recommended you try and respond within 24 hours in order to achieve ‘very responsive’ status. Even if you’re not available for that particular job, it would still be important that you notify the client, again within 24 hours to achieve ‘very responsive’ status.
For posted jobs, if you receive a notification for a posted job in your area, you only need to respond if you are available and interested. Responses to posted jobs do not contribute to your response rate or response time. Responding in a timely manner is an excellent way to convey your interest in the job.
Is my response time affected by follow-up messages?
No, you don’t have to send the final message in a conversation to maintain your response time. Your response time will only be calculated if a client initiates the conversation, or shares a job opportunity with you.
I can’t see a response rate on my profile
If you’re new to the Mable community, you won’t have a status yet but it is recommended you try to respond to every new message promptly (within 24 hours) if you would like your response rate to be favourable.
Important points involving your response status
- Customers appreciate prompt communication and how quickly you respond could mean the difference between securing a new client or missing out on them.
- Your response rate/time affect your ranking in search results and the number of job notifications you receive.
- Your profile displays your average response time.
- Your response time will be based on your inbox messages only, not from posted jobs.
- You do not need to reply to posted jobs unless you are interested.
- If a client leaves their phone number in a message and you intend to call them, it helps to reply with a message on Mable so your response time can be accurately determined. It could be as simple as, “Thank you, Mary, I’ll call you shortly.”
- Keep a template handy so that you can respond promptly even when you’re busy and let the potential client know you’ll be back in touch with a proper reply later that day.
- If you’re unavailable to help for a particular enquiry, it would be great if you could still respond so the client knows that they need to look elsewhere.
- If you’re unavailable for all potential jobs, you have the option to change your profile to ‘Not available for work’, which will hide your profile in the search results. Simply go to ‘View Profile’ on web and you’ll see the option there or on your mobile device tap ‘Manage Availability’.
Helpful tips for responses
Apart from responding promptly, what you say and how you say it is also important.
- Read the message fully – Understand what the client is saying/asking before responding.
- Address the client personally – Avoid using generic language. Use the client’s name in communications.
- Show that you understand the client’s needs – Respond to each of the client’s question and talk about the client’s specific job.
- Explain the next step – If you would like to arrange a meet and greet, or talk on the phone, explain this in your message so that the client knows how to take the next step towards working with you.
Maintaining good communication is important when growing your business and lets customers know that they and their needs are important. It’s also important to remember that there may be times when you do need to accept new clients and your responsiveness will be an asset.
