Booking Management How-To Guide

Enter Tracking Information

The Communications/Tracking section at the bottom of the Booking Entry/Edit page allows you to keep track of your booking communications and fees for each rental. After either sending or receiving each communication, put a check in the box to the right of it. When the checkbox is entered, the "Date completed" field will automatically populate with today's date – this can be changed simply by clicking on the mini calendar and selecting another date to override today's date. If monies are involved, you can enter the amounts in the "Amounts" field. In the Date Due fields, enter the dates you expect to receive the monies or documents.

When finished, click the "Save" tab at the top or bottom of the page. This will return you to the Booking Management section.

View Your Bookings and Tracking Information

You can sort your booking results by clicking on the heading of each column. If you click on the "Name" heading, for example, it will list all of your bookings alphabetically by your tenants' names. See below:

On the main Bookings View, you can:

• Filter results by Date Range and Status
• Sort your bookings by any heading in the table
• Identify which bookings have upcoming or overdue items (see details below)
• View the details of what is required for each booking

View Tracking Information

On the Bookings page, you can view at a glance which bookings have items scheduled and due in the future, which have item scheduled and are overdue, and which had items scheduled that have been fully completed.

The status of each booking record with tracking items is identified by this key

• - all items for this booking have been completed
• - tracking items have been scheduled
• - tracking item(s) are overdue

To quickly view the details of any booking (e.g. to see which item is overdue), expand the booking record by clicking it. This will show the details of all tracking items and will highlight the status of each individual item.

To update tracking and communication items, click on the edit link for the Booking you want to update.

Set Default Settings

You can more quickly and easily enter a new booking each time if you preset the default values to appear in the fields in the Communications/Tracking section.

On the User Settings page, enter the amounts of any elements with monies due (e.g., security deposit, cleaning fee, etc.) and the dates you are due to receive or send them, plus the dates by which other Tracking Items are due (such as the lease, keys, directions, etc.) After saving these settings, you can then select "Apply default settings" when entering a new booking to automatically populate the Communications/Tracking Items. (All default items can be overridden in the Communications/Tracking section.)

Some tracking items have optional settings:

• Taxable - any additional fee charged to the guest should be considered taxable and included in the Total for calculation the Lodging Tax. If a tracking item is used for other purposes (e.g. amount of gift for guest), then "taxable" should not be checked.
• Percentage - instead of using a fixed cost per booking, a tracking item may be defined as a % of the Rental Total.

Default Payment Terms

In User Settings, you may define what you default payment terms are for most bookings. This includes defining whether to use a fixed amount or a % of the booking total for 1, 2 or 3 payments.

The due dates for each payment may also be set in relationship to when the booking is made and when the guest arrives.

Examples:

1. Two payments simply split 50% each.
2. Fixed amount of $1500 for the initial payment and 100% of the remaining total for the 2nd payment.
3. Three payments with a $200 initial payment and 50% of the remaining total for the 2nd and 3rd payments

The example below shows the 3rd option above.

Hiding Tracking Items

To simplify the Booking View and Booking Details pages, you may hide tracking items that do not pertain to your vacation rental.

There are two options for hiding tracking items:

1. Hide Untracked Tracking Items - check to hide any item that does not have an assigned amount or due date from the main Bookings View.
2. Hide individual tracking items - next to each Tracking Item in User Settings, you may select the Hide checkbox. This will remove it from each Booking Details record.

Use Templates

• Why to use Templates to send Automated Emails?
  • If you often find yourself following up on missed payments
  • If you send the same check-in and check-out emails to guests
  • If you want to save time and schedule these emails all at once

• Overview of Using Templates to send Automated Emails with Attachments
  • Emails may be scheduled to send automatically to vacationers using our Templates and Attachments. One email per rental party may be sent for the following:
    • Each scheduled payment
    • Pre-Arrival (check-in)
    • Pre-Departure (check-out)
  • There are four major parts to setting up the Templates to send Automated Emails with Attachments
    • Create Template
    • Upload Attachment(s) and attach to Template
    • Update Booking Management Settings
    • Apply Default to a Booking Record

Step 1: Create Template
From the Homeowner Center, under Manage Listing (next to Guest Tracker), Templates, select either:

• Create New

• or use one of our suggested sample templates. Click on the box next to Show Sample Templates to view our list of suggested templates

• Create a Template Name for your template, this is a name used for your reference only
• Stay Details includes important information pulled from the Booking Record. You are not able to edit this section.
• You can edit the template in the message section, which should include all the check-in information if you don’t have a welcome guide to attach
• Contact information: owners cell phone
• Access information, keycode, key pick up etc
• Linens info
• Bed sizes if you do not supply linens
• Once you’ve drafted your template and clicked Save, you will see it appear in the list of Templates under Template Name with the date you created it.

STEP 2 Attachments

• Upload Attachment(s) to your account, then attach them to a Template

• If you’d like, you can attach a pdf, for example welcome guide or beach parking info to a Template
• From the Homeowner Center, under Templates, select Manage Attachments
• Select Create New
• Choose the type of attachment you’d like to uplaoad
• Upload pdf documents that you would like to attach to the templates.
• Attachments could be a welcome book, an information packet, beach information, pet policies etc
• Now go back to your template and select Edit
• Scroll to the bottom
• Select Add Attachments
• Check off the attachments. You wish to add
• Then x out the window
• Then click Save

STEP 3 Settings

• Setting up User Settings in Booking Management- Automated Emails

• To automatically send emails you will go to Booking Management under Settings
• Scroll to the bottom to see the emails that can send automatically

• Select the timing for the email to be sent
• Select the previously created Template to use from the dropdown menu
• Be sure to click Save /li>
• Then be sure to include an email address in all the Booking Records that you wish to have an Automatic email sent to /li>
• If you want to turn off the Automated Emails, uncheck the blue box

STEP 4 Apply Defaults

• Apply the settings to a specific Booking Record to enable the automated emails to send

• Once you’ve created the settings, now you can select “Apply Defaults” when you are creating a new Booking Record
• Be sure to have an email address saved in the Booking Record

Sending a manual email in Booking Management using templates with attachments

• If you’d rather not have the email automatically sent, you can go to the Booking Record under Communications and Tracking
• Select Pre-view and Send and this will allow you to send the email right away using one of your templates.

Set Email Reminders

If you enter details about each guest in the Communications/Tracking section, you may enable email reminders to be sent to you.

The following two options are available

1. Weekly Booking Management Update - A weekly email containin a summary of any tracking items that are upcoming in the next two weeks or are overdue.
2. Overdue Booking Item Alerts - Receive an alert if an item is not completed by its due date.

Edit Your Calendar

Edit your calendar: Click "Edit Calendar" to access your full calendar, which can be updated with any pricing changes.

Once you enter a booking or a tentative booking through Booking Management, you will be unable to change the status of the booking through your calendar. All changes to these dates must be made through Booking Management. Your calendar will then automatically be updated with the changes.