We’re back in the office (with some new team members!) and still hard at work improving GigSalad for you. We’ve been focusing a little on behind-the-scenes changes that will allow us to better serve our users, but we also rolled out some pretty cool visual changes that we’re excited about.
In this update:
- See all unread leads & messages
- New inbox sorting
- Design changes to the control panel
- Meet our new team members
Tackle your unread items
Leads or messages that are unread should be your first priority, as response time plays a huge part in your success in business and on GigSalad. To make it easier to tackle just your unread messages, there is now an Unread filter you can use.
With this change, we also renamed the primary inbox page from All Messages to just Inbox – which defaults to All, but you can also switch to just Unread in the menu.
Who responded last?
Previously, your inbox was sorted by the most recently received lead or message. While this makes sense, it doesn’t really align with how many messaging platforms work. We decided to adjust the sorting to instead take into account activity from both parties.
With this new sorting, if you follow up on a lead you got 5 days ago, it will bring that thread item back to the top of your inbox so you can find it easily later.
Control panel makeover
We’re working our way through various cosmetic changes in the control panel that we believe create a better experience when using our site. Here’s what’s changed so far:
Cleaner page layout and menus
The overall feel throughout the control panel has changed slightly. Each section and menu has a clean white box with a drop shadow to help contrast the light grey background. Your menu selections are also highlighted more clearly.
Menu icons for easier navigation
We’re visual people (that’s why we love emojis so much ?) so having appropriate icons associated with different pages makes navigation easier.
Improved thread pages
The response options on your gig leads now have icons for easier identification. We’ve also adjusted the text on these pages to be left-aligned because studies show it’s easier for users to read.
Left-aligned checkboxes
Your main inbox page contains checkboxes which can be used to archive your leads (and, coming soon, to mark them as unread). We’ve moved these boxes to the left side of the items in your inbox because this matches what users are familiar with.
Wanna check it out? Log in to your account and have a look around.
Meet the newbies!
Well, they aren’t exactly new. We welcomed them to the team at the start of the pandemic, but we’re only just now getting to work in the office with them. We spent the last few months getting to know them remotely – so here’s your chance to do the same! GigSalad community, please meet our newest engineers – Vanessa Mendoza and Shawn Casey. Drop a line in the comments if you wanna say hello.
What’s your favorite food?
Vanessa: This is a hard one, but I’m always down for eating some kind of pasta.
Shawn: Snowballs. Ice cream. Pizza. Steak. Steamed crabs. Tzatziki. Hummus and naan. Kebabs.
Who is the best superhero?
Vanessa: I have to say my favorite/the best superhero is Thor.
Shawn: Spiderman. I feel like he’s the most relatable.
How do you take your coffee?
Vanessa: Iced, with creamer and sugar.
Shawn: I like it with sugar and french vanilla creamer, but I’m trying to cut back on sugar, so I just do black.
What song do you have on repeat right now?
Vanessa: Burn the House Down by AJR
Shawn: I Can’t Save the World if I’m Not Happy by Eliza Grace
What is your favorite (or dream) vacation spot?
Vanessa: Dream vacation spot is Italy. I’ve always wanted to learn how to speak Italian.
Shawn: Dubai. I just love that city.
What is your favorite thing about working at GigSalad, so far?
Vanessa: My co-workers. I love the atmosphere of the whole company, even when working remotely.
Shawn: The people are so awesome and friendly and nerdy in very cool ways!
Heather is the Content Manager and a GigSalad veteran of 15+ years. She loves helping event planners create unforgettable celebrations and talent make a living doing what they love. When not at work, she enjoys reading romance and fantasy books, bingeing TV shows, playing board games, and spending time with friends.
Hey, hey! Gigsalad all the way! Get me those gigs & work to do ‘cause part of my living depends on you. So get this COVID outta my face, Gigsalad is my booking place!
Just want to let you know you are great. Don’t think I could find a nicer and knowledgeable group of people to work with. No, I don’t do the virtual performance stuff but you have provided nice leads in the few years I have lived in Cincinnati. In the August move back to San Diego I will be picking up GigSalad again as I form a new group there. Thanks again and stay safe.
Larry Karagheusian
StraightUP Jazz.
I’m a little hurt you didn’t invite me to do a podcast…..or am I?
How do you do a podcast?. ..Olde dude here…LOL…LOL…I JUST NOTICED THAT THE LAST GIG I BID ON SAID SOMETHING ABOUT A VIRTUAL SHOW. I Have no clue how to do that. ..
Hi Rick, we know that it’s a tricky thing to learn! Most people aren’t looking for podcasts though – they’re looking for an on-screen performance via platforms like Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime. We’d suggest looking through some beginner’s guides to each of those platforms to get a feel for how they work! That would be a good place to start, and then you could do a few practice-runs with family or friends to further get the hang of it. Hopefully, that will make things easier when responding to leads asking for virtual performances!