Response Rate Decreased

[Jo1063]

Hi, new to hosting I’ve been a Percent all of my guests and on my public profile. However, I just noticed I’m now at 93% on my profile and I’ve scanned all my messages and I’ve replied if not within the hour to an active guest I’ve replied to a potential guest within 24 hours. So I just called AirBnB’s customer service. I’m told they will call me back with a reasoning or an explanation as to why my rate decreased.
Initially the representative told me not to worry that I was still within the “green” and then 93% was well within a normal range. That is not the point. It’s the principal!

I take great pride in my response rate and if there is really reasoning behind it, I imagine they’d be able to point out specifics if I have lagged in my response rate.  I have a sneaking suspicion they’ll call me back, saying more of the same. 
by chance, did anyone here get a thorough understanding or explanation of what caused the unmerited decrease in their response rate?

[Shelley159]

Hi @Jo1063 

Unless you're on Instant book, all initial contact from guests will be either booking requests or inquiries. You need to respond to requests, as well as hit "approve" or "decline" as soon as possible.

For inquiries, even when they are nonsense such as unsolicited advertising, you need to type a response as soon as possible (you don't have to accept or decline).

If you're on Instant book, you will still get requests to book when the dates are outside of your set perimeters, and you will still get inquiries. So even though most bookings are not at risk of affecting your response rate, those still need to be attended to.

My guess is that there could have been some unsubstantial inquiry (perhaps annoying marketing) that you didn't feel the need to respond to.

[Jo1063]

The decrease in Response Rate is not due to Instant Book option (not enabled on my account) or neglect of messages. 

My response rate was wrongfully decreased due to a well documented technical issue with the Airbnb platform that prevented me from accessing the platform and in turn any messages.

Actions I took:

- I contacted Airbnb Support immediately to report the technical issue.

- I explained that an Airbnb  bug prevented me from accessing messages  

- I provided screen recordings showing my inability to access the platform at the time. 

I’ve requested a manual review and reversal of this response rate penalty since it was caused by a platform issue outside of my control.

[Shelley159]

@Jo1063 I see your listing accommodates 2 guests. Many hosts with smaller listings use Instant book, which would likely have avoided the response rate issue you describe (I assume that the entire system wasn't down, so Airbnb would have accepted an instant booking on your behalf during the time you couldn't access your messages). Hosts with larger homes sometimes prefer to ask some questions before approving guests, and those that host long stays often want to know more about the guest before they approve.

In your case it looks like you could consider Instant book, but I'm also aware that there are hosts who specifically dislike instant book even for smaller, short-term listings. They prefer to accept the risk of a lower response rate.

If your market is mostly domestic, most requests and inquiries will come through while you're awake. For those of us who work with a large portion of international visitors who often book while we sleep, Instant book is very useful in keeping the response rate up.

[Jo1063]

I’m glad the Instant Book option works for those who work with a large portion of international visitors who often book while sleep.
I appreciate your reply but this option / information does not pertain to my Response Rate inquiry above.

[Shelley159]

Ok @Jo1063 , perhaps keep an eye on the response rate and consider Instant book if it becomes a recurring problem.

I don't think you'll easily get Support to manually adjust the existing response rate upward (it's usually more productive to make changes to the things you can control on your end), but do let us know the outcome.

If you're successful, other hosts can get tips from that experience.