Interpreting is a scheduling business. A translator can work on a document at midnight if necessary. An interpreter has to be in a specific room, or on a specific call, at a specific time, and once that slot is gone it cannot be recovered.
Everything about capturing the enquiry follows from that.
Step 1: capture the languages precisely
Which language into which, and in which direction, including any dialect or regional variety. Getting this wrong wastes an interpreter's day and leaves a client without the service they booked.
Step 2: capture date, time and duration
Start time, expected duration and whether overruns are likely. Interpreters are booked in blocks, and an assignment that runs over affects their next booking, which is why realistic durations matter.
Step 3: capture the setting
A medical appointment, a legal matter, a business meeting, a conference, a school meeting or a social services visit. Each may need an interpreter with specific experience, and some settings have their own requirements.
Step 4: capture the mode
Whether it needs to be consecutive, simultaneous or whispered, and whether equipment is required. Clients rarely know the terms, so describing the situation is more useful than asking them to choose.
Step 5: capture location or platform
In person with a full address and access details, or remote with the platform being used. Remote interpreting has become routine and it changes availability considerably.
Step 6: capture who is involved
How many people need interpretation, whether any are children, and whether there is anything the interpreter should know in advance. Sensitive settings need careful handling without collecting unnecessary personal detail.
Step 7: capture it in conversation
SpideyChat for agencies captures assignment details at any hour and checks them against your published availability.
Client: We need a Polish interpreter for a meeting next Tuesday. Assistant: The interpreting page explains how bookings work and the minimum booking duration. Could you tell me the start time and expected length, whether it is in person or online, the address or platform, and what kind of meeting it is? That determines which interpreter is suitable.
Step 8: explain cancellation terms
Interpreters hold a slot, so cancellation terms are stricter than for document work. Publishing the notice period and charges prevents disputes when a meeting moves at short notice.
Briefing material helps enormously
An interpreter who receives an agenda, a list of names, technical terms or the subject matter in advance performs noticeably better than one walking in cold. Asking clients to share anything useful beforehand, and explaining that it is treated confidentially, improves the assignment for everyone involved.
Minimum bookings and travel
A one-hour appointment may involve a half-day for the interpreter once travel is counted. Publishing minimum charges and travel policy explains a price that otherwise looks disproportionate.
Urgent and out-of-hours requests
Hospitals, police matters and emergencies generate urgent requests. A clear route for these, with honest availability, is far better than silence.
Translation sits alongside
Document work is quoted entirely differently, as described in translation quote requests missing word counts and languages and certified and urgent translation questions.
Event logistics
Conference interpreting overlaps with event coordination, in the way described in AI assistant venue enquiries and corporate lunch and business dining enquiries.
Setting it up
Publish minimum bookings, cancellation terms and what you need to book, then capture assignments at any hour. The guides to installing the widget and training your bot explain how.