How to Manage Inquiries (New Inquiry Details Page)

Contents:

1. Inquiry Overview
2. Managing Party & Catering Inquiries
3. Managing Reservation Inquiries
4. Managing SpotHopper's Online Orders
5. Inquiry Statuses and Follow-Up
6. Managing Inquiries From the Mobile App
7. WATCH: Manage Inquiries From the Mobile App | Quick, Easy & ON THE GO
8. WATCH: How To Manage Your Inquiries | Never Miss a Big Ticket Inquiry

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Inquiry Overview

Navigate to the "Sales & Inquiries" cluster on the left sidebar. Here you’ll find all inquiries for your active revenue drivers, organized into their respective tabs.

After selecting a tab, your inquiries will appear in two available formats — List View and Calendar View. 

List View

The List View displays all inquiries in a table-style layout, where you can click on a customer’s name to open the full Inquiry Details page.

While the layout may vary slightly depending on the inquiry type, each page includes the same essential controls and filters, allowing you to sort or narrow inquiries by date range and status.

You also have a date navigator, located just above the list view on the right, below the "Add New Inquiry" button.

By default, the List view is set to show upcoming inquiries. To use the navigator, first change the date filter to either Historical or All Dates.

Then, use the left ( < ) and right ( > ) arrows to move between different time periods and view inquiries from earlier or more recent dates. You can scroll back up to 12 months to review past inquiries.

Adding New Inquiry

In addition to inquiries submitted through your website, you can manually add inquiries for guests who contact you by phone or in person. This allows you to track and manage all inquiries in one centralized place.

From the List view, click the green "Add New Inquiry" button on the right.

A pop-up window will appear—enter the relevant details and click "Save" to create the inquiry. 

Calendar View

The Calendar View displays the same inquiries as the list view but organized by date, giving you a clear, day-by-day overview of upcoming and past inquiries.

To view the full details of an inquiry from the Calendar View, simply click on the inquiry card displayed on the desired date. This will open the Inquiry Details page, where you can review all customer information, manage statuses, and take further actions.

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Managing Party & Catering Inquiries 

To manage Private Party or Catering inquiries, navigate to the respective tab under Sales & Inquiries. Click on any Party or Catering inquiry from the list or calendar to open the Inquiry Details page.

Message Panel 

On the left side of the page, you will see the message panel.

You can respond to the customer in a few different ways:

1) From Scratch - Type your own personalized message.

2) Using AI Responses - Select from pre-written AI responses designed to save time and maintain consistency.

Each AI response is connected to an automatic status update. Based on your configured AI response settings, the inquiry’s status will automatically change to the preset value (for example, Waiting on Customer or Confirmed) once the message is sent. 

You can override the default status by clicking the down arrow and selecting a different status before sending.

3) Automatically - If you have enabled Auto Responses, the system will automatically reply with your preset message. Once sent, the auto-response will appear in the message thread.

If your subscription includes Event Planner, you’ll have additional tools available below the composer box:

• Attach File/Doc – Send supporting files such as menus, layouts, or event packages.

• Attach Contract & Add E-Signature – Send digital contracts that customers can easily sign online.

• Also Send as Text - In addition to the email, your composed message can also be sent as text. 

Inquiry Details Panel

The inquiry details panel appears on the right side of the screen and provides a complete summary of each inquiry. From here, you can:

• Change the Inquiry Status
  To update an inquiry’s status, click the Change Status field located at the top of the panel. A list of available statuses will appear at the bottom of the page.

• View Customer and Inquiry Details
  Access the customer’s contact information, including name, email, and phone number, along with the requested date, time, headcount, requested space and any special requests or notes they included when submitting the inquiry:

• See sent E-Contracts (if applicable)
  If you have sent an e-contract, you will see the file here, as well as its status (e.g., signed)
  
  
  

• Handle Payments and Proposals (Event Planner only)
  Create new proposals or payment requests directly from this panel. You can also view details for any previously sent deposit or cancellation fee requests.
  
  

  

• Add Internal Notes
  Use this space to record internal comments or reminders for your team. Notes are only visible to staff and do not appear in customer communications.
  
  

  

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Managing Reservation Inquiries

Once you navigate to the "Reservations" tab under "Sales & Inquiries," you can open any reservation inquiry by clicking the customer's name from the List or Calendar view.

Message Panel

On the left side of the screen, you will see the message panel where you can craft your message and contact your customer. 

All communication with the guest will appear in this same thread. When a customer replies, their message will automatically show up in the conversation view, keeping the full exchange in one place.

Be mindful of the status change! Upon sending the message, the inquiry status will automatically change. 

Inquiry Details Panel

On the right side of the screen, you will see the inquiry details panel. From here you can:

• Change the Inquiry Status
  To update an inquiry’s status, click the status button located at the top of the panel. A list of available statuses will appear at the bottom of the page.
  
  

• View Customer and Inquiry Details
  Access the customer’s contact information, including name, email, and phone number, along with the requested date, time, headcount, requested space (if applicable), etc.

• Capture and Manage Deposits and Cancellation Fees.
  If the Table & Management feature has been activated for your account, you can send Deposits and Cancellation fees for your reservations. 
  
  
• Add Internal Notes
  Use this space to record internal comments or reminders for your team. Notes are only visible to staff and do not appear in customer communications.
  
  

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Managing SpotHopper's Online Orders

Navigate to the "Online Orders" tab under "Sales & Inquiries."  On the List view, besides the customer's name and date, you will also see the size and price of the order.

To view the details, click the name to open the inquiry details page.

Order Details and Message Panel

On the left side of the screen, you’ll find the full order details. At the top of the page, the order type is clearly displayed, indicating whether it’s for pickup or delivery.

As you scroll down, you’ll see the message composer, where you can write and send a message directly to the customer.

Inquiry Details Panel 

Just like with the other inquiry types, the full details of the inquiry will be shown on the right side of the screen, on the inquiry details panel.

Here you can:

• See the Customer's Info
  Such as name, email, phone number, address - if delivery order
• Review the Full Order Details
  The order details will also be displayed under the Details tab. 
  
  If you're using DoorDash drivers for delivery, an additional tab will appear with DoorDash-specific information.
  
  
  
  
• Change the Status
  At the top of the right sidebar, you will have the status button.
  
  
  Clicking it opens the status menu at the bottom of the screen, where you can select the appropriate status.
  
• Write an internal note
  Use this area to add internal notes for your team. The notes will not be shared with the customer.

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Inquiry Statuses and Follow-Up

All communication with a guest is kept within a single thread on the Inquiry Details page. Messages sent by your team and responses from the customer appear in the same conversation, making it easy to track the full exchange in one place.

When a customer responds, the inquiry status automatically updates to Waiting on You, helping your team quickly identify which inquiries need follow-up.

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Managing Inquiries From the Mobile App

In addition to managing inquiries from the desktop platform, you can also handle them directly from the SpotHopper mobile app.

Once you download the app and log in, you will see your inquiries on your mobile screen:

Similar to the web-based platform, you can also sort your inquiries by type, date, and status:

Each of the correspondences will have the next step indicated on the right:

You can take further action by clicking the orange prompt, which can be to either respond or follow-up.

View Full Details

To view the full details, simply click the desired inquiry:

Once selected, the full info will appear on your screen. Depending on the type of inquiry, the details on this screen will vary. 

- Inquiry details - Name, email, phone number, date, number of people, ordered items, etc.

- Messages - you can view your conversation with the customer and also send them a new message from this page.

If your subscription includes Event Planner, you will be able to send Auto responses and attachments (such as Catering packages, menu, etc.)

- Payment - If included in your subscription, you can quickly capture payments such as Deposits or Cancellation fees via the app.

- Delivery - This will only be visible for Delivery Order Inquiries. Once the order status is set to "Accepted," it will trigger a DoorDash driver notification and start the process.

On this tab, you can see the full delivery details, including the driver's name, phone number, and time tracking for each step.

- Notes - You can take/record notes for each inquiry.

- Status - At the bottom of the screen, you will be able to see the current status of the inquiry, as well as change it.

Long Press Menu

If you long press (press and hold) on a specific inquiry, you will open the long press menu.

The long press menu allows for a quick action and change of inquiry details, without having to fully open the entry.

This way, you can either delete the inquiry or quickly change/set its status.

Lock Screen/Banner Notification

Depending on your notification settings, you can receive lock screen notifications each time you get a new inquiry. This is a highly recommended setting, as it helps you make sure not to have a booking slip through the cracks, even on the busiest of days. 

If you long press on the notification window, you will get more options, but those will differ, depending on the type of inquiry.

For instance, you will have a "Respond" option for a Party booking vs. an "Accept Order" for an Order inquiry.

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Manage Inquiries From the Mobile App | Quick, Easy & ON THE GO

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How To Manage Your Inquiries | Never Miss a Big Ticket Inquiry