We know that waiting for a reply can be frustrating when you're planning an exchange. That's why we've designed our response rate system to encourage quick communication, and reward members who are consistently prompt. It also gently encourages those who might take a little longer to respond.
Instead of confusing percentages, your response rate is now shown in easy-to-understand levels. This makes it much more intuitive and clear, allowing you to track your responsiveness at a glance.
Why change the response rate?
Our previous percentage-based system wasn't always clear, especially for newer members. For example, a "70% response rate" didn't really tell you how well you were doing. With the new level-based approach, it's much simpler to see exactly where you stand.
To give you a more accurate picture of your responsiveness, automatic refusals after 4 days are now included in the calculation*. This ensures a fairer and more comprehensive score.
To make your searches easier and reward responsive members, your response rate will now be taken into account when ranking homes in our search results.
*Note: Automatic refusals triggered when the start date of an exchange has passed, due to last-minute exchange requests, are not considered.
How is your response rate calculated?
The calculation is straightforward: it considers messages you've received in the past 3 months, up to 5 days before the current day, and it's updated daily.
For new members, your response rate will start out at ""Great response rate"" and will improve as you interact more with our community.
The new levels will be:
- Low response rate
- Average response rate
- Good response rate
- Excellent response rate
When can I see my new response rate?
It might take a few weeks for your response rate to become fully accurate as it adjusts to your activity.
You'll still see the average response time on listings, giving you an idea of how long it typically takes a member to reply.
What if I can’t respond to messages for a while?
If you know you'll be away or unavailable for a while (for example, if you're on vacation), we recommend setting your calendar as unavailable. This is a great way to ensure you're not penalized for delayed responses during that period of time.
We hope this new system makes it easier for you to track and improve your response rate, leading to smoother and more efficient exchanges!