A promise kept: discover our new response rate!
Weāre excited to introduce a major improvement to enhance your experience on the platform: the new response rate, now renamed the āResponsiveness Rate.ā
A new response rate?
Many of you have shared your frustration with late repliesāor replies that arrive after the start date of the proposed exchange. Gersende and her team have taken your feedback seriously and worked on improving the response rate.
The goal of this new system is simple: reward members who respond quickly, while encouraging those who consistently reply too late to improve their responsiveness.
But thatās not all! This new rate is also designed to be more user-friendly and more human. From now on, it will be displayed in the form of levels, rather than percentages, so itās easier to understand how responsive a member is.
Why this change and what does it mean?
- To bring more clarity: The old percentage-based rate wasnāt always easy to interpret, especially for new members. For instance, what does a 70% response rate meanāgood or bad? The new version is more intuitive and makes it easier to see where you stand.
- To better reflect reality: From now on, automatic refusals after 4 days will count in the calculation of the responsiveness rate, giving a more accurate picture of how responsive you are.
However, if a request was made at the last minute (less than 4 days before the exchange date), then the automatic refusal will not be counted in the responsiveness rateāso it remains fair. - To improve your search and reward responsive members: A quick reminder: the responsiveness rate affects how homes are ranked in search results.
How is the new responsiveness rate calculated?
The calculation is now more simple and fair. It looks at messages received over the past 3 months, up to 5 days before the current day, and updates daily.
A small detail: For new members just joining the platform, their responsiveness rate will start at āGood Responsivenessā and will then adjust based on how they interact.
A few important notes:
- The calculation starts now, so it will take a few weeks for the ratings to become accurate.
- The average response time is still displayed on listingsāit shows how long, on average, someone takes to reply.
One last tip:
We know that real life can sometimes get in the way of replying quickly on the platform. And thatās okay! If you plan to take a break or go offline (for example, during a vacation), we recommend that you mark your calendar as unavailable. This will prevent you from being penalized for delayed responses during that time.
Weāre excited to bring you this update and hope it makes your exchange experience easier and clearer. Let us know what you think!
And as always, if you have ideas to improve the platform, head over to the Suggestions Box, where you can vote for suggestions you like at any time.