Accessing direct client contact information

At GigSalad, we offer a full-service booking platform that includes the best benefits and protection for you and your clients. When event planners come to us to find entertainment, they not only expect a great experience, but they also depend on us to keep their private contact information secure. Because of this, the amount of direct client contact information we provide is limited. We leave it up to them to share their information as they choose. 

Email addresses

Clients are free to share their email addresses with you directly, but we do not provide this information ourselves for a number of reasons. Sending your messages through GigSalad will keep a record of all your communication regarding the event and subsequent booking in one location. This benefits both you and the client and allows us to help resolve any disputes or issues.

We also have a responsibility to protect the client's privacy. An email address can be easily saved for future communication in the form of newsletters and possibly spam, and that's not what they signed up for when using GigSalad. They agree to receive emails from us, not emails from potentially ten or more professionals, for years to come.

Our messaging platform makes communication fast and easy between you and your clients. When you send a message, the client is notified immediately via email (and text if text alerts are enabled). Because our site is mobile-friendly, users can read and reply to messages from anywhere. You can also reply directly to the email notification and it will be sent as a message back to the client, just as if you had sent it through the site.

Phone numbers 

Clients may choose to provide their phone numbers on quote requests, and if they do, it will be available to paid members after initial contact is made. Once you have received a quote request, respond with a message or quote on GigSalad, and the client's number will be revealed. Free members will not receive access to the phone number until after the gig is booked. Read more about accessing client phone numbers.

Some clients may choose not to provide a number prior to booking. They often reach out to many professionals and aren't always comfortable providing a phone number to several people they don't know. It also comes down to their communication preference. In this technology-driven world, many users are accustomed to (and prefer) online communication.

Regardless of whether a phone number is provided, we encourage you to utilize our platform to talk with clients so there will be a record of your communication. Even if you speak by phone, we recommend sending a recap of the conversation via a message covering any decisions that were made so that all details will be in one place.

After booking

Once a client accepts your quote and pays, the gig is booked. At this time, the client will be asked to provide a phone number (if they haven't already), which is made available to you whether you have a free or paid membership. We encourage you to keep in touch with your client in the days leading up to the gig.

Frequently asked questions:

• What do I do if the client never responds to my messages or calls?

  It's important to remember that most leads are being sent to multiple providers (at the client's request). While we try to encourage them to respond to every message or quote, that won't always happen. Once they've started communication with one or two promising options, they may ignore all other messages.

  
  

  Give them a day or two, and if you still haven't heard back, send a follow-up message. Perhaps open further negotiation. Maybe your price was too high, or they want more options. We don't recommend any more than one or two follow-up messages. If they haven't gotten back to you at that point, they've likely gone with another vendor.

  
  

• The phone number provided doesn't work. Is this a bogus lead?

  A bad phone number doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad lead. They may have just typed it in wrong. Or, they didn't know it was optional to provide a number and didn't want to give their real one. It's hard to say for sure, but there is no harm in sending a polite message letting them know you'd like to talk to them about their event, but the number they provided is invalid. Ask them to respond via message with more details about their event. They will respond if it's a legitimate lead and they are interested in your service.

  
  

• I cannot proceed with quoting an event until I speak to someone on the phone. What do I do if no number is provided? 

  We have an easy-to-use messaging option to use when no number is provided. We understand that sometimes you need more information before determining your price, so you can easily send a message asking all the necessary questions to provide an accurate quote. When no number is provided, it often means the client doesn't wish to receive phone calls. Honoring their wishes and communicating how they prefer may help you close the gig.