Outlook

We probably don't need to explain what Microsoft Outlook is, as it is one of the most widely used calendar systems in the world — and a key part of Office 365. By linking i-Reserve with a calendar of your choice in Outlook — such as the calendar for reception, trainers, meeting rooms, or boats — a whole range of possibilities opens up.

How does it work?

Customers who have made a reservation typically receive a calendar item by email that they can instantly add to their own calendar. You, of course, see the reservation directly in the reservation system. But would you also like the reservation to appear in an Outlook calendar? No problem with i-Reserve's Outlook integration.

Once you have set up the connection and a reservation is made, it is automatically pushed into a chosen calendar. Has a reservation been changed? i-Reserve will automatically send notifications to Outlook and update the calendar item accordingly. This way, you and your team are always up to date!

Most users and/or staff have a calendar on their phone and are reminded of appointments that way. With this integration, you can push calendar items to users — for example, a trainer who gives courses, or a reception desk at a venue that rents out rooms. The great thing is that they can also see availability directly in the calendar. So your schedule is always with you, even on the go.

Benefits of the Outlook integration

This integration offers many possibilities and makes working with i-Reserve significantly easier. We are happy to give you an overview of some of the benefits of connecting the i-Reserve reservation system to Outlook. By linking the reservation system to Outlook, you can:

• Automatically track reservations and bookings
• Never worry about double-booking or forgetting an important appointment
• View availability in real time

What information is included?

At first glance, the integration seems very straightforward — and it is, to get started. Yet there are some great features built into the integration that allow you to get more out of your calendar.

In principle, all object, customer, and reservation fields can be used to populate either the title (subject) or the description (body). This allows a combination of fields to be used within the integration platform. i-Reserve can accommodate all kinds of custom fields, which can be combined into a logical title — optionally with abbreviations and formatting.

How to connect Outlook to the reservation system

Now that we have discussed the benefits and possibilities of connecting Outlook to the reservation system, let's take a look at how to do it.

The connection between the reservation system and Outlook is bi-directional. This means data can be sent in both directions — though this is not mandatory. In many cases, a single direction is sufficient. Has a reservation been made? Create a calendar item. Simple as that.

However, it may also be necessary to apply changes — or a calendar item may be dragged to a different time by the calendar user. Should the reservation then "move along" with it? This is also possible with i-Reserve. By using the calendar ID as the external ID in the reservation, we link the calendar item to the reservation. A flow then has an additional step. For example:

What is linked?

To ensure both systems work well together, they exchange data. You can see which data is shared in the table below.

Want to know more?

Connecting Outlook to the i-Reserve reservation system is a great way to boost efficiency and prevent double bookings. Would you like to know more about the Outlook integration or try our reservation system free for 30 days? Get in touch with us.