Implementation: Tailor i-Reserve to Your Needs

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Can I handle the implementation myself?

Yes, you can implement the online reservation system yourself. Depending on your wishes and requirements, setting up i-Reserve can be quite extensive. However, it is perfectly feasible to do it yourself if you are willing to invest the time. We have produced a comprehensive manual to guide you through the process. If you need help translating your requirements into i-Reserve settings, our team is on hand to assist. We will have a conversation with you about, for example, your email and payment processes, and listen carefully to your wishes. We can then translate these into the correct settings in i-Reserve. But let us start at the beginning.

Make a plan

Setting up a reservation system can seem daunting, but with i-Reserve it is quick and straightforward. Whether you do it yourself or let us take care of it, you will be up and running in no time. The first step is to create a plan to give you a framework during implementation. This gives you the opportunity to think things through and make decisions about the configuration. A well-prepared plan will save you a great deal of time during the implementation phase. We will guide you through a successful implementation in 10 steps.

Step 1: What can be booked?

The i-Reserve reservation system is extremely versatile when it comes to bookings. Whether you want customers to book a hall, bungalow, chalet, boat, course, golf course, guided tour, training session, or fitness class, i-Reserve can meet your needs. This versatility is one of the things that makes i-Reserve such a popular choice among reservation system users. The first step, therefore, is to determine what you want to make bookable via i-Reserve. This may sound straightforward, but with this step you also determine the right licence and the various sector settings. You also need to be clear about this in advance so that you know whether your product should be configured as an activity or as an object within the system.

Step 2: Who is your target audience?

When configuring a reservation system, it is important to consider who will be using it. What are the ages of your typical customers? And do they have any special needs that you need to accommodate? Answering these questions will help you determine the best way to set up the reservation system.

If you run a tour company or an events business, for example, you will likely want to allow both individual and group bookings. And if your business is aimed at families with young children, you will need to configure the reservation system to cater for different age groups. In some cases, you will also need to take special needs into account, such as wheelchair accessibility. Is your target audience senior citizens? Then it is probably wise not to make online payment mandatory, as this can be a challenge for some older customers, causing them to drop off and resulting in lost revenue for you.

By taking the time to thoroughly define your target audience, you can ensure that the reservation system is user-friendly for all your customers. Think in advance about who your target audience is, what exceptions and/or special requirements exist, and work these out in detail.

Step 3: How will you use the reservation system?

The i-Reserve reservation system can be used for both internal and external purposes. Do you want reservations to be made exclusively by staff members, or would you like to integrate the system into your website and give customers the ability to make a booking directly? It is also possible to allow affiliates/partners to make bookings through their own website. Think in advance about how you intend to use the reservation system. This is an important step for further integration.

Step 4: When can bookings be made?

Think in advance about when your customers will be able to make a reservation, taking into account your business schedule and activities. Can customers book by the hour, by half-day, by week, or perhaps per activity? You will also need to decide whether a high or low season applies to your business. Or perhaps your organisation has different prices or opening times at certain times of year, or at certain times of day. Are there recurring activities or activities that span multiple days? Once you have considered all these factors, you can determine when you want your customers to be able to book on your new reservation system. In this way, you ensure that customers can make reservations at a time that suits them, and that your business can meet their needs.

Step 5: Which booking dialogue do you want to offer?

Choosing the right booking dialogue is important to ensure that your customers can easily find what they are looking for and make a reservation. But first, a brief explanation of what a booking dialogue is: a booking dialogue is what your customers see on your website and where they can search for the activity or object they want. An activity might be an hour of Glow Golf, a guided tour, or a course. An object is, for example, a meeting room, a boat, or any other item you wish to hire out.

Which booking dialogues are available in i-Reserve? The activity schedule is ideal for activities that take place on specific dates, such as courses and training sessions. With the search function, customers can search by type of activity and by date. This dialogue is therefore perfect for activities that take place at set times, such as guided tours. The Search & Book dialogue is ideal for searching for activities or when you have a variety of objects with different characteristics. Depending on the type of activity or object you wish to offer, there is a booking dialogue to suit your needs.

Step 6: Login or no login?

You can choose whether or not to require customers to log in. For example, you can make it mandatory to log in immediately, or only at the point of making a reservation. You can also determine per type of activity or object whether login is required. There are four options regarding the use of customer accounts. The first option is that customers do not create a user account in order to make a reservation. The second option is that they must always create a user account. The third option is that i-Reserve automatically creates a username and password. The fourth and final option is that the customer has the choice to create an account, but is not required to do so. Whether or not login is required depends entirely on what options you wish to offer your customers. Consider this before configuring your i-Reserve environment so that you can take it into account.

Step 7: Are there any extras or conditions?

To create the most effective reservation system possible, it is important to consider all potential conditions and extras that customers may wish to take advantage of. For example, are there spaces that can be subdivided, making them more versatile and attractive to a larger number of customers? Are there multiple locations that need to be taken into account? Are there trainers or instructors who can only be scheduled once on a particular day or at a particular time? By carefully considering all these factors, it becomes possible to create a reservation system that is as clear and straightforward as possible for your (potential) customers.

Step 8: What information do you need from your customers?

You will need to decide what information your customers must provide when making a reservation. The form should be set up in a way that customers can easily understand. You should include all the information necessary for the reservation, such as name, email address, and telephone number. You can also include optional information, such as gender and date of birth. It is important to clearly indicate all mandatory fields so that customers know which information is required. You can also give them the option to subscribe to your newsletter. By including all the necessary information, you can ensure that your customers have everything they need to complete their reservation. So, what information do you need from your customers?

Step 9: What is your workflow?

A workflow is a process that helps to streamline the reservation process from start to finish. Having a consistent workflow helps ensure that all reservations are handled in a consistent and efficient manner. One of the key benefits of a workflow is that it can help to automate a number of the tasks associated with managing reservations. For example, a workflow can be used to automatically send confirmation emails or reminders before an activity takes place. This can help reduce the amount of time and effort required to manage reservations, whilst also keeping customers informed about their upcoming activities in a timely manner. In addition, a workflow can also be used to send thank-you messages after an activity has taken place. This helps to create a positive customer experience and reinforces the impression that the business cares about its customers. All in all, using a workflow can help to improve the efficiency of the reservation process (and any associated payment process) and create a better customer experience. Developing your workflow is one of the most important steps in implementing the i-Reserve reservation system. By setting up the workflow correctly, you can take a great deal of work off your hands.

When developing your workflow, ask yourself what statuses a reservation can have. Awaiting payment (Open) and Paid are the most commonly used, but there may be a few additional ones within your business. Then ask yourself which actions you want to link to which status. A reservation confirmation, a payment confirmation, but perhaps also a reminder email when payment has not yet been received? Or sending an e-ticket after payment. You might even want customers to receive an SMS reminder a day or a few hours before their reservation.

Step 10: Testing

The final step is to test all the previous settings. Once you have configured the reservation system, it is important to test it to make sure everything is working correctly. You can do this by going through the entire reservation process and checking your email templates. This will help you to identify any issues so that you can resolve them before they cause any problems. Furthermore, testing your reservation system gives you the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the new settings and get a feel for how they work, enabling you to use your reservation system more effectively and efficiently.

Can i-Reserve help me with this?

The steps above may sound a little overwhelming, but there are clients who set up the reservation system entirely by themselves. Most clients, however, opt for a hybrid model, whereby you largely configure the system yourself but hand certain elements over to us. Through a workshop, we guide you through the system step by step. We show you how to enter information, and you provide us with a set of example activities. We create a basic workflow with emails for payment and automatic cancellation, and enter these while you watch. We also provide functional support for any questions you may have — this may take the form of an explanation or some research on our part. Our standard hourly rate is €112. For a three-hour workshop, we charge €450. We are unable to estimate in advance how long an implementation will take. In general, however, most clients take several weeks to complete the configuration.

What are the costs for implementing the reservation system with a hybrid approach?

We have touched on this briefly already, but to start with we recommend making use of a workshop. Through an online session with expert advice tailored to your organisation, you gain valuable insights and assistance to get the most out of your i-Reserve account. Prices vary depending on your needs, starting from €225 for 1.5 hours and €450 for a full 3-hour session — an investment that will save you a great deal of time during implementation.

Beyond that, the additional costs during implementation depend on the individual queries you bring to us. We have set out a few examples below to give you an idea of the hours involved. These are also tasks you can carry out yourself, in which case they are of course free of charge:

How long does it take to implement the reservation system?

How long it takes to have the reservation system fully implemented depends on exactly what your organisation requires. We deliver the licence (upon receipt of the signed contract) within just one working day, so that is taken care of quickly. But if you need help with the setup or configuration, we can assist with that too! We can take on individual tasks or organise a workshop in which we work together to set up your reservation system efficiently. Ultimately, however, the majority of the configuration rests with you. The time required to set up the reservation system therefore depends primarily on your organisation and its capacity to carry out the configuration.

Try i-Reserve free for 30 days

So you have seen what the i-Reserve reservation system can do, and now you are wondering how it could work for your business? Why not try i-Reserve for 30 days? You will have the chance to explore our system using some sample data and see exactly how well it meets your requirements. Try it for yourself.