Response Rate and Response Time FAQs for Efrelance Marketplace
We've received numerous inquiries from the Efrelance community regarding response times and rates. Here, we've compiled answers to the most frequently asked questions.
1. Why do we have the Response Rate Indicator?
The Response Rate Indicator serves several important purposes:
- Promotes Quicker Responses to Buyers: Ensuring buyers receive prompt responses enhances their experience on Efrelance, encouraging them to return for more orders.
- Helps You Grow Your Efrelance Business: It allows you to monitor and improve your responsiveness over time, aiding your business growth.
2. What's the difference between response rate and response time?
- Response Rate: The percentage of initial responses to new messages that a seller sends within 24 hours.
- Response Time: The average time, in hours, it takes for a seller to respond to a new message in their inbox.
3. How does the response rate work?
The response rate measures the percentage of first responses sent within 24 hours over the last 90 days.
Example: If you received 10 new requests in your inbox over the past 90 days and responded to 9 within 24 hours, your response rate is 90%. Note: If the 10th message is responded to after 24 hours, your response rate remains at 90%, though timely responses are always recommended.
4. Is every Inbox message factored into my response rate?
The Response Rate Indicator tracks your first response to a new inbox message from a new buyer. Subsequent replies in the conversation are not tracked, but it’s important to continue the dialogue until it’s concluded.
5. I'm in the Red Zone. What do I do?
Improving your response rate is achievable by responding to new messages within 24 hours. Here are some tips:
- Set Up Quick Responses: This feature helps you reply to buyers faster.
- Adjust Delivery Times on Your Gigs: Extending delivery times can help manage inbox requests more effectively.
6. How often does the response rate change?
The response rate updates daily, reflecting the past 90 days.
7. Can automatic responses (Auto Reply) help or prevent my response rate from lowering?
No, automatic responses do not count as a response to the buyer's message. They notify the buyer that you are looking into their message, but you must manually respond within 24 hours to avoid affecting your response rate. Your response time is also impacted by how long it takes to manually reply.
8. I'm in a time zone very far away from my buyers. Will this impact my response rate?
Working across different time zones may affect your response time, but not your response rate. You have a full 24 hours to respond to a message, regardless of time zone differences, ensuring your response rate remains unaffected.
9. When don't I have to respond?
Certain messages do not impact your response rate:
- Spam and Solicitations: Reporting these messages as spam within 24 hours ensures they don’t count against you.
- To Report Spam: Click "Report" next to the message.
If you choose to respond to a message marked as spam by unmarking it, you must reply within 24 hours to maintain your response rate. Additionally, if you block a user, report their messages as spam to avoid affecting your response rate.