Tips for managing the inbox

[jordanhall40]

Hello Fiverr Community,

I am wondering if you can share your tips for managing your inbox effectively.

I receive many enquiries from prospective customers, frustratingly many asking for details that are available on the Gig page and I definitely spend more time communicating with prospective customers than actually doing work for existing clients.

So far I have deployed the following to help out:

1. Quick Responses: I have over 10 QRs and try to answer every questions using a quick response.
2. Q&A session on my Gigs.

Do you guys do anything else to manage the inflow of messages? It’s hard because some customers are high quality and you want to explain everything to them, but others are just wasting time.

I previously looked into hiring a VA to manage the inbox, but realised this was against Fiverr rules. Just looking for some tips and what you guys do.

I also receive messages from existing customers, where I’ve closed and completed the order. How do you best manage these?

Many thanks,
Jordan

[jddjr777]

Hi Jordan,

Yes - I understand this completely. I’d keep doing what you’re doing with quick responses, and don’t be afraid to prioritize certain prospective clients over others if/when you’re busy. In other words, only focus on dealing with prospective ones that you think would actually want to buy your gig, especially if you’re running low on time.

Speaking of time, I would not put lots of pressure on yourself to respond quickly to messages you receive after you’ve made initial contact with the prospective client. I’d only worry about responding super quickly when Fiverr is actually measuring your response rate - and the only time they do that is when you first receive a message from a buyer you’ve never worked with. Obviously, it’s great to be super quick for the purposes of customer service and actually getting orders, but the amount of time it takes to constantly respond to back-and-forth inquiries about services you don’t even know they’re going to buy - while also having sometimes dozens of orders in the queue - can waste time. Since Fiverr is so message-based and the interface is (relatively) casual/available in your email, app, and dashboard, this can seem stressful, but keep in mind that many companies that offer the same services here operate just over email - huge difference in the grand scheme of things!

Also, take advantage of the criminally under-rated STAR feature (the little icon next to each username in the inbox)! You can put a star/tag next to certain people you really want to follow up with which helps a lot with organization if you have lots of messages going on. In the meantime, focus on clients that you will enjoy serving… or ones you already have in the queue. Good luck!

[jordanhall40]

Thank you.

I’ve recently prepared a FAQ document (since the one on my Gig page seems to be ignored) and I now send the document right away as my first message. This seems to have dramatically improved the situation.

[jddjr777]

Uhm is there a way to automate answers to potential question via your Fiverr messages? Like pre constructed questions and answers that help buyers and you of course save time and get responses. The final question could lead to an answer that informs buyer that seller will reach out to you asap.

Yes - it’s called quick responses!