Create inquiries
You can create an inquiry to capture information about a business lead. If the client decides to proceed with a group reservation, you can then create a booking directly from the inquiry.
A booking is required to take guestrooms out of inventory or block function space.
To create an inquiry
-
Do one of the following to open the New Inquiry page:
- Click the Inquiries tab, and then click New.
- In the Inquiries section of an account, click New Inquiry.
- Complete the fields on this page as needed. In addition to the standard information, you can provide the following details about the inquiry:
Field Description
Status Update this value if necessary. The values for this field are as follows:
Open - The inquiry has been created, but no details have been added.
Working - Details are being added to the inquiry.
Qualified - The inquiry has been converted to a booking. This is an automatic status that is assigned to the inquiry after the new booking is saved.
Turndown - The inquiry is declined.
Lost - The business has been lost to a competitor.
Rating Select the value that indicates the likelihood of the inquiry becoming future business. DUNS Number If your property integrates with Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) and the inquiry's account matches an account in the D&B database, a DUNS number displays. DUNS stands for Data Universal Numbering System, a unique nine-digit identifier assigned to a business entity. This number is universally recognized as a way to track and learn about a business. If your property does not integrate with Dun & Bradstreet but you know the DUNS number for the account, you can manually enter it in this field.
Property This is the name of the receiving property. If you created the inquiry from an account, the account's property displays. Otherwise, select the appropriate property for the inquiry. Only properties you have access to are available. Type Select the type of potential business. Booking Type Select the value that further describes the potential business, for example, Social, Wedding, or Conference. Lead Source Indicate how the business learned about your property. Select Contact & Account If you are creating the inquiry from a contact or an account, the contact and account name are automatically displayed when you save the inquiry. Otherwise, associate the inquiry with an existing account. The account's primary contact is automatically populated in the Contact field. Temporary Contact & Account If an account or contact does not already exist for the inquiry, you can enter the necessary information in the Temporary Contact & Account section. When a booking is created from the inquiry, this information is used to automatically create an account or contact. Select Agent & Agency If this inquiry came from an agency or agent that already exists in your system, enter that information in these fields. Otherwise, use the Temporary Agent and Agency fields.
Temporary Agent & Agency If an agency or agent does not already exist for the inquiry, you can enter the necessary information in the Temporary Agent & Agency section. When a booking is created from the inquiry, this information is used to automatically create an agency or agent.
Lost to Competitor If your property loses the business to a competitor, select the name of that property. Guestroom Information This information is not used to block guestrooms or calculate guestroom revenue on the booking. However, the peak roomnight information you enter is used to create the room pattern. While entering the guestroom information is optional, it can be used to prioritize the inquiry based on potential revenue and report on lost business. Event Information This information is not used to block function space or forecast event revenue on the booking. However, it can be used to prioritize the inquiry based on potential revenue and report on lost business. The required fields display a red indicator. These fields need to be complete before you can save the record.
-
Do one of the following:
- Click Save to save your changes and open the Inquiry page. You can then add activities, notes, and attachments to the inquiry.
- Click Save & New to save your changes and create another new inquiry.
- Click Cancel to discard your changes.