Send Leads

Sending Leads

It is possible to send either one lead or all leads for the booking, or send just lead notes if you need to respond to a lead by asking for more information or offering alternate dates.

Important! When leads are sent to SFA from an external system, a lead master (see Creating Business Blocks in SFA) is created in SFA on insertion of the lead. That lead then gets attached to the newly generated master. Any updates of the lead from the external source will then also update the lead master.

Lead Sending

Send contact information about the Guest who is inquiring to relevant properties. Use the lead sending module to search for properties by hotel code, destination code, city, or contact information. If several properties accept the lead, these Hotel options are passed on to the potential Guest for his or her final decision. After the client has made his decision, the person responsible for the booking in the RSO will have to change the current lead status of the lead that ‘wins’ the business to CFL (Confirmed Lead) which will turn all other outstanding accepted leads to LSL (Lost Leads). From that point onwards the property that gained the business will generally take over further discussion with the Guest(s) themselves.

Send One Lead

You can use this option when first sending leads, but it is more useful when you are resending leads, i.e. reminders to leads that have not yet gotten a response.

Find and display the booking and select the Leads button.
From the Leads screen, highlight the lead you want to send and select the Send button.

Send All Leads

This option allows you to send all leads with one mouse click. This option is most useful when first sending leads, but can also be used when resending leads.

Find and display the booking and select the Leads button.
From the Leads screen, select the Send All button.

Send Notes Only

This option allows receiving hotels to ask for additional information or send an interim response to the lead, without either accepting or turning down the business.

For example, a hotel receives a lead but cannot accept the exact dates that have been requested. The sales manager can use this option to send an offer of alternative dates or a request for more information to the originating regional sales office.

Find and display the booking and select the Leads button.
From the Leads screen, highlight the lead you wish to respond to, and select the Send Notes button.
Type in your message, i.e. "Cannot offer any Wednesday arrival/Sunday departure but could offer Thursday arrival/Monday departure. Is client flexible? Best offer on rate (based on details you have supplied) would be US$150 single/double per room per night, exclusive of tax, service and food. Awaiting your reply."
Send lead notes to and from as often as necessary, and when ready, the sales manager will change the current reply status to either Accepted or Turn down.

Leads sending formats

Manual Fax
Fax Gateway
Mail text file. Message is sent to hotel contact who checks availability and enters the booking in their S&C system. Then the hotel replies via email or fax.
Mail data file. Message is sent to the hotel via the Lead Sending gateway. The hotel must have at least the basic S&C system and also must have a Lead Sending gateway to receive these data files. Information is sent back and forth from Hotel to RSO in data format and is transferred directly into the other party's S&C system.

How to Send Leads

To enter and send a Lead, a Booking must be created first.

The process is the same whether a regional sales office (RSO) or a hotel is the originator of the lead.

1. The RSO sends the lead

RSO Booking Status is INQ
Lead Status is PEL; Reply status is empty.

2. Hotel Receives the Lead

Booking is created with status PEN
Hotel accepts or turns down the business. The user is prompted to turn the booking either TEN or to LOS.

3. Hotel sends reply to RSO.

If TEN at Hotel, the lead at RSO turns it into an accepted lead
If LOS at the Hotel, the RSO turns it into a TDL (turndown lead)

4. RSO offers rates and dates to client and sends updated information to Hotel. The lead at RSO is turned into CFL (confirmed lead) or LSL (lost lead).

If lead becomes CFL, the booking turns DEF and the RSO sends the information to the hotel.
If the lead becomes LOS, the lead turns LSL.
The booking at the hotel is turned DEF or LOS

5. The hotel sends the actual information to the RSO.

Booking at hotel is ACT
Booking at RSO becomes ACT