Vacation mode - hate it or love it?

[snirelkaras]

Hi there,
My name is Snir, and I am a Product Manager here at Fiverr, in the Sellers team.
As part of our effort to improve your work/life balance, I’m curious to hear about the reasons for using / not using the vacation mode feature.

I’d be happy to hear your thoughts, feedback and insights about this feature, and if you could describe your perfect Vacation mode feature - what would it be?
I look forward hearing from you!

[silberma1976]

I like it for long times I may need to be away due to vacation, illness, or some other reason. I would like to see other options we can post for why we are away, or be able to customize it. It be nice to pause things for even a couple of hours for those intense busy times when messages are coming in and orders are coming and it can be a bit much. Just to allow me to catch up. Not pause gigs, but a sign you may see on a door at a shop that says be back at x time. Or, out for lunch, be back at x.

[Anna]

I like it for long times I may need to be away due to vacation, illness, or some other reason. I would like to see other options we can post for why we are away, or be able to customize it. It be nice to pause things for even a couple of hours for those intense busy times when messages are coming in and orders are coming and it can be a bit much. Just to allow me to catch up. Not pause gigs, but a sign you may see on a door at a shop that says be back at x time. Or, out for lunch, be back at x.

Hi Snir,

Thanks for asking.

I have no issues using VM if I have to but I know a lot of sellers dread it. There is always the fear of gig positioning dropping in search. Sometimes it takes a few hours for the gig to come back in search, so a lot of sellers choose to “pause” their gigs or they “bump up” their delivery times instead.

I personally dislike the “ALOHA” message with the 🌴

Last year I was out quite a few times due to ilness and a cross country move. The last thing I want my clients to think is that I am relaxing on a beach by a palm tree 😁

I would like to see other options we can post for why we are away, or be able to customize it.

I totally agree!

[frank_d]

Hey Snir,

Thank you for dropping by to gather feedback.

I heard a lot of sellers complaining that they lost gig’s position in the results when they returned from vacation mode.

So I’m afraid to use it.

I also agree with @annai80
I need to be able to personalize why I am not available. Illness, personal reasons, hardware issues, too many orders at the moment…

Lots of reasons for me to be unavailable.

So yeah the aloha message is not a good thing to show prospects.

I’d also like for it to be clearer to the potential buyer that I am still available to answer messages I’m just not available for orders.

[perfectresumebc]

Hi There,

So I went on holiday for a week last year. My average gig takes 7 days to complete, which meant that 7 days before i was due to go on holiday I turn on the vacation mode. I completed the last order the day before I was due to fly out. Unfortunately 2 days into my holiday, a customer rejected the order and asked for modifications. I am on holiday and do not have my laptop so i cannot make the changes - so have to refund. So that means in future I have to turn on vacation mode 10 days before I go resulting in a loss of earnings for 3 days.

Secondly, I want orders in my queue the day I start back from holiday. So I turn my vacation mode off 3 days before I return from holiday. However then I get inbox messages and have to reply to them within 24 hours - so I am not really on vacation any more, and have essentially had only 4 days “truly away” from Fiverr. I do get some orders so that i start back to work with actual work load. If I wait until i get back from holiday to turn off the vacation mode the first 2-3 days are again likely to be days without income. Potentially 6 days loss of income on top of the 7 days holiday taken. There must be a better way…ideas…

[snirelkaras]

Hi There,

So I went on holiday for a week last year. My average gig takes 7 days to complete, which meant that 7 days before i was due to go on holiday I turn on the vacation mode. I completed the last order the day before I was due to fly out. Unfortunately 2 days into my holiday, a customer rejected the order and asked for modifications. I am on holiday and do not have my laptop so i cannot make the changes - so have to refund. So that means in future I have to turn on vacation mode 10 days before I go resulting in a loss of earnings for 3 days.

Secondly, I want orders in my queue the day I start back from holiday. So I turn my vacation mode off 3 days before I return from holiday. However then I get inbox messages and have to reply to them within 24 hours - so I am not really on vacation any more, and have essentially had only 4 days “truly away” from Fiverr. I do get some orders so that i start back to work with actual work load. If I wait until i get back from holiday to turn off the vacation mode the first 2-3 days are again likely to be days without income. Potentially 6 days loss of income on top of the 7 days holiday taken. There must be a better way…ideas…

Hi (What’s your name?), 😀

Thank you so much for your answer. Your pains are understood, and thanks for sharing.

Can you also answer the second question: if you could describe your perfect Vacation mode feature - what would it be?

[sue_mcl]

Hey Snir,

Thank you for dropping by to gather feedback.

I heard a lot of sellers complaining that they lost gig’s position in the results when they returned from vacation mode.

So I’m afraid to use it.

I also agree with @annai80

I need to be able to personalize why I am not available. Illness, personal reasons, hardware issues, too many orders at the moment…

Lots of reasons for me to be unavailable.

So yeah the aloha message is not a good thing to show prospects.

I’d also like for it to be clearer to the potential buyer that I am still available to answer messages I’m just not available for orders.

I’m one afraid to use vacation mode, so tend to extend my delivery time - scared I would lose my place in the rankings (although I kinda did anyway, after taking a 2 week holiday - thus less orders and the rankings seem to be based on the number of orders)

I would love more flexibility and would love an auto responder when people do send you a message (if you want it) to remind them you are unavailable and will answer their message later - same as I do for my gmail when I’m away.

I’d also like for it to be clearer to the potential buyer that I am still available to answer messages I’m just not available for orders.

[perfectresumebc]

Hi There,

So I went on holiday for a week last year. My average gig takes 7 days to complete, which meant that 7 days before i was due to go on holiday I turn on the vacation mode. I completed the last order the day before I was due to fly out. Unfortunately 2 days into my holiday, a customer rejected the order and asked for modifications. I am on holiday and do not have my laptop so i cannot make the changes - so have to refund. So that means in future I have to turn on vacation mode 10 days before I go resulting in a loss of earnings for 3 days.

Secondly, I want orders in my queue the day I start back from holiday. So I turn my vacation mode off 3 days before I return from holiday. However then I get inbox messages and have to reply to them within 24 hours - so I am not really on vacation any more, and have essentially had only 4 days “truly away” from Fiverr. I do get some orders so that i start back to work with actual work load. If I wait until i get back from holiday to turn off the vacation mode the first 2-3 days are again likely to be days without income. Potentially 6 days loss of income on top of the 7 days holiday taken. There must be a better way…ideas…

Hi Snir,

Not sure I have the full solution, but i would love to see the following:

Vacation mode that stops new orders, but does not stop messaging and negotiation of future orders that could easily be done on a phone while on holiday.

A way to personalize the reason for absence.

A 100% cast iron guarantee from Fiverr that going on holiday in no way shape or form lowers your ranking whilst you are away and you go back into the same ranking position as when you left…

The perfect vacation mode would incorporate a way to allow a fellow Fiverr seller to support my business while I am on holiday, in hospital etc, and have some level of access to my account to complete work on my behalf - just like a work colleague would do in a normal job.

Thanks for listening,

Mike

[skydesigner]

Well…

Hello, Well i notice when we select vacation mode, even we selected option that we are overbooked it says “Aloha, Skydesigner Vacation mode is now ON. Your Gigs are not active.” Well if we are overbooked i think it shold let buyers sees that we are overbooked Here are some frequent questions i get from buyers when i use vacation mode “Omg i need logo asap when you comming from vacation”“enjoy on vacation let me know when you come back”“happy vacations”“I need this asap when you will co…

[ccutting]

I think it is a very important feature to ensure the sanity of your Top Rated Sellers. I rarely take a break. If I turn vacation mode on it is because I am really out of communication (flying, travelling, having a baby, who knows…). If we didn’t have the vacation mode, I think I would never take a break. I am a one woman show to be honest. I do not outsource my work or have a team… so I think the vacation mode is incredibly important.

[ccutting]

Hi Snir,

Not sure I have the full solution, but i would love to see the following:

Vacation mode that stops new orders, but does not stop messaging and negotiation of future orders that could easily be done on a phone while on holiday.

A way to personalize the reason for absence.

A 100% cast iron guarantee from Fiverr that going on holiday in no way shape or form lowers your ranking whilst you are away and you go back into the same ranking position as when you left…

The perfect vacation mode would incorporate a way to allow a fellow Fiverr seller to support my business while I am on holiday, in hospital etc, and have some level of access to my account to complete work on my behalf - just like a work colleague would do in a normal job.

Thanks for listening,

Mike

A way to personalize the reason for absence.

I think you can still send “offers” when in vacation mode.

I 100% agree that “A way to personalize the reason for absence” would be amazing. If I am going to be gone for the weekend, I would love to say that. If I am going to be gone for a week due to family illness, I would love to let me regular customers know that. Last time I took a vacation, I had a regular customer panic thinking I would never be back… It’s a real balance.

[ccutting]

I think it is a very important feature to ensure the sanity of your Top Rated Sellers. I rarely take a break. If I turn vacation mode on it is because I am really out of communication (flying, travelling, having a baby, who knows…). If we didn’t have the vacation mode, I think I would never take a break. I am a one woman show to be honest. I do not outsource my work or have a team… so I think the vacation mode is incredibly important.

ery important feature to ensure the sanity of your Top Rated Sellers. I rarely take a break. If I turn vacation mode on it is because

I agree. Autoresponder that I will be back soon would be awesome.

[gopros]

My perfect vacation mode 🌴 would include a custom message to let users know when I’m on vacation, holiday or off for the weekend. ✌️

It would keep my exact ranking in search when I return. 👍

A feature where gigs can take orders only, while pausing the inbox from receiving messages. This way I’m stacked with orders when I return from vacation. 📈

Include a calendar feature so I can preschedule vacations for multiple weeks. The ability to block out weekends, weekdays or anytime. 🚫

If Fiverr could implement all that, I’d be over the moon. Time off is good for the soul, and even better for increasing productivity. 🙂

[frank_d]

My perfect vacation mode 🌴 would include a custom message to let users know when I’m on vacation, holiday or off for the weekend. ✌️

It would keep my exact ranking in search when I return. 👍

A feature where gigs can take orders only, while pausing the inbox from receiving messages. This way I’m stacked with orders when I return from vacation. 📈

Include a calendar feature so I can preschedule vacations for multiple weeks. The ability to block out weekends, weekdays or anytime. 🚫

If Fiverr could implement all that, I’d be over the moon. Time off is good for the soul, and even better for increasing productivity. 🙂

A feature where gigs can take orders only, while pausing the inbox from receiving messages

Yes! Every time I am overbooked or traveling or whatever, I need to be able to offer prospects or regular clients a way to secure their place in line when I am back. So it would be really great if Fiverr could secure thst for me. Give me the ability to sell my gigs and add custom turnaround time to each, so once I flip the switch upon ny return, all prebooked gigs get activated.

Include a calendar feature so I can preschedule vacations for multiple weeks. The ability to block out weekends, weekdays or anytime. 🚫

That would be also great! Therr are certain 3-day weekends or major vacation days we know months in advance we’ll be taking a break.

It would be great if we could schedule things in advance and also allow buyers to see our upcoming availability. I get many messages from buyers asking me if I am available for work the coming week because that’s when they need me, but currently there’s no way for them to know.

[gopros]

A feature where gigs can take orders only, while pausing the inbox from receiving messages

Yes! Every time I am overbooked or traveling or whatever, I need to be able to offer prospects or regular clients a way to secure their place in line when I am back. So it would be really great if Fiverr could secure thst for me. Give me the ability to sell my gigs and add custom turnaround time to each, so once I flip the switch upon ny return, all prebooked gigs get activated.

Include a calendar feature so I can preschedule vacations for multiple weeks. The ability to block out weekends, weekdays or anytime. 🚫

That would be also great! Therr are certain 3-day weekends or major vacation days we know months in advance we’ll be taking a break.

It would be great if we could schedule things in advance and also allow buyers to see our upcoming availability. I get many messages from buyers asking me if I am available for work the coming week because that’s when they need me, but currently there’s no way for them to know.

Right on. I’m hopeful Fiverr will continue to work on smoothing out this process for us all. 🙂

[voiceoverpete]

Good day to you Snir,

Thank you for your request for input. My first suggestion is to directly contact those who have used Vacation Mode. Secondly, reach out directly to the TRS community. Vacation Mode currently has a negative impact on the Seller as well as Fiverr. Please reach out to a knowledgeable select audience otherwise all you have done is pool collective ignorance rather than selective actionable information.

Snir, why reinvent the wheel, do what your Outlook does. When you leave on vacation or holiday, you tell Outlook exactly the dates that you will be on leave. You type in the message that you would like everyone to receive and it sends it to them automatically. In our case, it would send the message whether or not it is from a new Buyer or previous Buyer. However, the fallacy of Vacation Mode is that there is no vacation mode! All it currently does is remove the Seller from being seen on the Ranking Page and prohibit first time Buyers from messaging. That is not a vacation, but a slow down of business activity.

Buyers can still place orders if there is an existing Custom Offer (Get rid of that please) and previous Buyers can still message you. Thus, Vacation Mode doesn’t allow the Seller to actually take a vacation since the stats continue to be counted (negatively) against the Seller. KISS: Keep It Simple. Make Vacation Mode give the Seller an actual Vacation! Have it do what your Outlook does for you.

[yourhighness]

The main thing I would love for Vacation Mode would be to still accept orders. I don’t like using VM too much because I can no longer accept orders and then I lose a lot of sales. But I wish I could just go away for a weekend sometimes but not leave the search results or stop accepting orders.

[inka_iskandar]

So I clicked the vacation mode, chose the ‘I’ll be back soon’ for the reason…

And then several hours later a new potential buyer just send me a message asking about price, is this a bug? Or do I have to choose different reason for the vacation mode?

[misscrystal]

It might be that they saved your link to your gig. The vacation mode only takes your gigs out of the search. So it may be best to pause all your gigs. At least that’s how I think it works.

They can also accept old offers you sent while you are on vacation mode.

[inka_iskandar]

It might be that they saved your link to your gig. The vacation mode only takes your gigs out of the search. So it may be best to pause all your gigs. At least that’s how I think it works.

They can also accept old offers you sent while you are on vacation mode.

It might be that they saved your link to your gig. The vacation mode only takes your gigs out of the search.

Well that made sense, thank you so much for the info.

[privani]

I think there should be “Not feeling well” or something along that line as an option for vacation mode.