Inquiries let customers ask about a room without committing to an instant booking. You review each inquiry in your dashboard, and either approve it into a real booking or decline with a custom reply.
Inquiries are a good fit for:
- **Rooms that need a conversation first.** Large live rooms, film stages, or bespoke bookings where you'd rather quote than publish a fixed rate. Great also for recording studios and long-term rental rooms.
- **Rooms you're still figuring out.** Test demand for a new room while you work out pricing or availability windows.
- **Overflow.** Any room you're not quite ready to put online for direct booking.
> **Subscription note:** Inquiry-only rooms don't count toward your Jammed subscription. You're only charged for rooms that are available for direct online booking.
## Turning on the inquiry system
The inquiry system is off by default. To enable it:
1. Go to **Settings → Booking Settings**.
2. Find the **Inquiry system** setting.
3. Switch it to **Enabled**.
4. Save.
![[inquiry-booking-settings.png]]
Two things happen when you enable it:
- A general inquiry form becomes available on your booking page, so customers can reach out with questions that aren't tied to a specific room.
- The **Online (inquiry only)** option becomes available on each room.
## Making a room inquiry-only
1. Open the room under **Settings → Rooms**.
2. Find the **Online availability** setting.
3. Choose **Online (inquiry only, no Jammed subscription charge)**.
4. Save.
![[space-inquiry-settings.png]]
The room will now show on your booking page with an **Inquire** button instead of the usual booking flow. If it was an active room, you'll stop being charged for this in your next billing cycle.
## What the customer sees
When a customer clicks Inquire, they see a short form asking for:
- Name
- Email
- Phone
- Number of people expected
- Preferred date
- Budget (optional)
- Notes (optional)
![[inquiry-customer-form.png]]
They hit **Send Inquiry** and get a confirmation that you'll be in touch.
## Reviewing inquiries
![[staff-view.png]]
New inquiries land in your dashboard in a dedicated inquiries view, alongside your regular bookings. From there you can:
- **Approve and convert to booking.** One form that lets you set the confirmed date, time, and price, then creates the booking.
- **Decline.** Send a polite "no" with a customized message.
- **Reply with questions.** Email the customer directly if you need more info before deciding.
You can edit the default approval and decline email templates under Settings → Booking Settings → Inquiry emails. Use them to add studio-specific info like directions, house rules, or deposit terms.
## FAQ
**Does an inquiry reserve the room in my calendar?** No. The time only gets blocked out when you approve the inquiry and convert it to a booking.
**Can I take payment at the point of approval?** No. You can request a payment via the booking once it's made, and it'll appear as unpaid until we see the transaction.
**Are inquiry-only rooms billable?** No. Rooms set to inquiry-only don't count toward your Jammed subscription. Rooms available for direct online booking are billed as usual.
**What if I want some rooms bookable online and others inquiry-only?** That's the intended setup. Each room has its own Online availability setting, so you can mix and match.
**Spelling: inquiry or enquiry?** Both. The admin panel shows "inquiry" if your account is set to US English and "enquiry" if you're on UK English. It's the same feature either way.