Receiving and Replying to Leads

Leads are sent from the originating RSO or SFA center to the recipient(s) via the communication method selected for the addressee. (See Adding and Sending Leads for details on
creating and distributing leads. Also see Editing Leads for details on addressing leads and selecting communication methods.)
The Lead Reply form is similar to the one shown here.
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The following details can be made available on the form, depending on the information provided on the business block:
1. Originating SFA center name and type of lead (e.g., Pending Lead, Confirmed Lead, Turned Down Lead).
2. Respond link (available on emailed leads when Web Lead Reply feature is available). Hyperlink to Web Lead Reply web page.
3. Lead status and current date.
4. SFA center where the lead originated.
5. Lead recipient information.
6. Business block information.
7. Room grid information if it has been specified for the business block.
8. Meeting Agenda information if it has been specified for the business block.
9. Business block notes. These notes are available to all lead recipients.
10. Lead Notes. These notes are specific to this lead recipient.
11. Respond by date and time. The deadline for reply specified by the originator. All dates and times are local to the originating property.
Once leads have been received by the properties, they are evaluated. Evaluation criteria might include revenue potential, availability of sleeping rooms and function spaces during the
period of the proposed business, past experience with the client, and so on. The properties are responsible for sending a timely reply to the lead originator indicating whether they will
accept or turn down the proposed business. Usually, a "respond by" date and time are specified for the lead.
There are two ways of replying to a lead:
Manually - Reply to the originator by fax, by using the email "reply" feature, or by phone. These methods are considered to be "manual" because they require a greater level of
user intervention than if the recipient uses the Web Lead Reply feature.
Via the Web Lead Reply feature - Use the link provided in an email lead form to directly access an Opera web page on the originator's web server, which you may use to
directly and interactively reply to the lead.
Manual Reply
If the lead was send by mail or by fax, the recipient can reply to the originator by email, by fax, or by phone. Similarly, if the lead was sent via email, but the recipient chooses not to use
the Web Lead Reply feature, or the receiving property does not have the required Internet connectivity, the standard email "reply" feature can be used to communicate the results of the
evaluation to the lead originator.
Upon receipt of the reply, the originating RSO or SFA center needs to edit the lead. You can access the Lead screen in either of two ways.
From the Business Block screen, select the Leads button. When the Leads screen appears, highlight the lead you wish to edit and select the Edit button.
Select Miscellaneous >Leads from the Opera menu bar options. The Leads screen appears. From the Leads screen, search for the lead you wish to edit. Highlight the lead and
select the Edit button.
From the Edit screen, depending on the Lead>When ACL Turn Booking application setting, the booking status of a lead booking can automatically be changed when the lead becomes
ACL. If TDL is selected, a Turn Down Code (turn down reason) must be entered. When you have made your entries, select Save.
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Web Lead Reply
Depending on the SFA system configuration, it is possible to allow receiving properties to reply to the lead via a web page on the originating RSO or SFA center web server. With Web
Lead Reply, the recipient has real-time access to an interactive web page that allows direct communication with the Opera database. The Lead screen Current Lead Status and the Turn
Down Code (if appropriate) are automatically updated based on recipient interaction with the Web Lead Reply web page.
The use of this feature requires the following on the lead originator's end:
An operational web server set-up as per MICROS-Fidelio technical specifications for the SFA. (See Web Server Login File for information about login file requirements needed for
enabling access to the Web Lead Reply page on the SFA or RSO web application server.)
A properly configured Opera-email interface.
The lead recipient must have:
An operational email application that can display HTML format messages.
An active Internet connection with access to the Web Lead Reply web page.
Note: Lead recipients need not have Opera installed in order to use the Web Lead Reply feature.
If all the technical set-up requirements are fulfilled and leads are delivered via email, the lead form will contain an embedded Respond hyperlink at the top of the screen.
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Selecting this hyperlink jumps to the lead reply web page, open to the All Leads tab. The All Leads tab shows all leads sent to this property. The top part of the page displays all leads
already received by the property, along with the new lead. New leads are marked with an X in the New column. (Select the New Leads tab to display those leads that have not yet been
seen by this property, or that have been changed or edited since the last access to the Web Lead Reply page.)
The lead associated with the lead form from which Respond was selected is highlighted by default when the Lead Web Reply page is first accessed.
Web Lead Reply Page Lead Grid Section
The top part of the Web Lead Reply form shows the following information for each lead:
New. An X in this column indicates a lead that has not yet been seen by this property, or that has been changed or edited since the last access to the Web Lead Reply page. You may
select the New Leads tab to view only the new leads.
Origin. The originating SFA center or RSO.
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Destination. The property receiving this lead (the viewer's property).
Description. The Business block description.
BB ID. The Business block ID assigned by Opera.
Arrival Date. Business Block arrival date.
Lead Status. The current lead status. This can be one of the following:
PEL (Pending Lead) - The lead has not yet been sent; or the lead has been sent but not yet replied to (no Reply Status) by the recipient; or the lead has been replied to and
accepted (ACL Reply Status) but the business has not yet been awarded to any of the lead recipients who accepted the lead; or the lead has been replied to and Turned Down (TDL
Reply Status) by the lead recipient.
CFL (Confirmed Lead) - The lead has been replied to and accepted by the recipient (ACL Reply Status); the RSO has awarded the business to this lead recipient.
LSL (Lost Lead) - The lead recipient accepted the lead (ACL Reply Status), but the business was awarded to another lead recipient who also accepted the lead.
Reply Status. The current lead reply status. This is the disposition of the lead following evaluation. Reply Status can be any of the following:
ACL (Accepted Lead) - The property will accept the business proposed by the lead. (If the Status field shows PEL, the business has not yet been awarded. If the Status field
shows CFL, the business was awarded to this property. If the Status field shows LSL, the business was awarded to another property which accepted the lead.)
TDL (Turned-down Lead) - The property will not accept the business proposed by the lead.
Replied. An X in this column indicates that you have replied to the lead.
Due Date. Deadline for the lead reply.
Business Block Information. As each lead is highlighted, this section of the screen provides details about the business block, as available:
Business Block Name. The name of the business block.
Business Block ID. The business block ID assigned by Opera.
Arrival Date. The arrival date for this business block.
Departure Date. The departure date for this business block.
Total Room Nights. The total number of room nights for this business block.
Total Room Revenue. The expected rooms revenue for this business block.
Total Meeting Revenue. The expected revenue from events scheduled as part of the business block.
Web Lead Reply Page Notes, Room Grid, and Meeting Agenda Section
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The middle portion of the Web Lead Reply page shows the following information, as available:
Business Block Notes. If notes have been entered for this booking, they appear here. Business block notes are attached to the business block and are available to all lead recipients.
Lead Notes. If lead notes have been entered for this lead, they appear here. These notes are specific to this lead recipient.
Current Room Grid. Detailed room grid for the business block if this has been created on the SFA system. If no room grid is attached to the booking, this section will not appear.
Meeting Agenda. If an F&B Meeting Agenda has been attached to this booking, the event information is displayed here. If no Meeting Agenda is attached to the booking, this section
will not appear.
Web Lead Reply Page Reply Area
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The lower portion of the Web Lead Reply page provides features to allow a reply to the lead.
Accept / Turn Down. Select the radio button that reflects the desired response. If Turn Down is selected, a list of values will pop up asking for a turn down reason. See SFA Leads
Configuration.
Notes. To add notes to the reply, select the Lead Reply Notes type from the drop down list. This is the default. Other notes types may be available if configured. Enter notes in the text
entry area. Generally properties will use these lead reply notes to specify the conditions and rates at which they can accept the lead. Notes can also be used to advise the SFA of alternate
dates if the original dates are not available. Any other information that is important to get back to the SFA should also be entered here.
Submit. Select this button to send the lead reply information from the web page to the database. This action will update the lead automatically on the SFA system with the new reply
status and reply notes, if any have been entered.
Lead Status Indicators
When the Web Lead Reply Page is re-accessed, it will clearly show the reply status (accepted, or turned down) as appropriate.
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Confirm message to the property to which the business was awarded. The lead form will show "Confirmed Lead" in the title. When the Respond hyperlink is selected, the Web Lead reply
page will open to the confirmed lead, which is clearly marked to show the new status.
Confirmed leads will also show the account information to the left of the business block information.
If any other properties also accepted the lead, a "Lost Lead" message will be sent to them to inform them they were not selected for this piece of business.

See Also
Managing Leads
Adding and Sending Leads
Edit a Lead
Lead Notes
Miscellaneous Leads Screen
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Meeting Agenda
SFA Leads Configuration
Setting Up the Login Files on the Web Server
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