Last Update 15April2022
Using the Screen Reservation Manager - Instructions
. This writeup will describe the general steps and some of the extensive edit rules built into use of this application:
(1) When screen first loads: Enter USERID & PW and press INITIATE - wait for this to "process"
(2) When prompted, Select which Client or Reservation [or enter FILTER(s)] then press INITIATE to continue LOOKUP
(3) Press INITIATE button as required (it's automatic most of the time).
(4) Repeat the process always starting with a click on CLEAR button which clears all fields on form (except USERID & PW).
Note change the ACTION to any non-UPDATE value except EMAIL or INVOICE, it automatically initiates a CLEAR. Note also: The program takes the contents seen in the screen fields and, when you press INITIATE in UPDATE mode, translates them into variables seen by the goDaddy server in Arizona where edits are applied before the database is updated. The point is that just because you see it on the screen does not mean it is saved on the database.Lets pause for some terminology overview:
THE DATABASE: CLIENT file - for each client there may be zero or many reservations
RESERVATION file - for each reservation there may be 0 or many deposits
DEPOSIT file - for each deposit there may be 0 or many appr records (i.e. only credit cards have)
APPR file - Written for every deposit or payment made by credit-card. All APPR numbers in this file must be unique, no duplicates.
CALENDAR file - one record per unit/month/year combination - for each not canceled reservation there must be 1 entry but if do not cancel may end up with more
There are additional files and Reports in the ACTION list but are not important to understanding ResMgr.
KEY ACTIONs: LOOKUP changes to UPDATE automatically when you focus mouse on any field but can change manually as well.
LOOKUP is set when you press CLEAR
LOOKUP only reads from the database and tells you if errors are ourstanding
UPDATE performs many edits and if all is ok, updates the database.
Confirmation and cancelation emails
Receipt/Invoice (depends on status)
STATUS: Use it to CANCEL a reservation. This is the main use of the STATUS selection list as most other values are set automatically
CLIENT# is set automatically when blank, creating a new client” - can fill in an existing client# with action LOOKUP only
RES# is set automatically when blank, creating a “new reservation" associated to the client. - can fill in an existing res# with action LOOKUP only
CLIENT TYPE - set automatically to either 1st stay or regular. You must set if owner or owner guest causing no payment info to ever be entered
SRTD: Rarely used, only with some reports. Many Reports can be filtered using Arrival Date, Res#, Unit# fields etc.
Must be a Name, Phone# OR Email to create a CLIENT, if you blank out the client# and update, client info will be duplicated so only use CLEAR button
Must be a Unit#, Arrival & Departure dates to create or update RESERVATiON - if you blank out the Res#, a duplicate Will be created and ERR because of calendar … only use CLEAR buttons
Must be a Res# to display DEPOSIT entry fields, update to create a new reservation then enter
deposit info.for a second update.
Payment is the PAID IN FULL amount (it may be zero if client has paid multiple deposits
to total the whole amount owing - our version of installment plan)
but keep in mind that payment date controls when owner gets paid.
CLEAR RES button is not to be confused with CLEAR - it just leaves client info showing ready
for creation of a new reservation from a repeat customer
canceled reservations display an additional line of fields that are either automatically
set and Wendy fills-in Amount and it's reference
OK, back to the general steps writeup:
. ACTION value LOOKUP & UPDATE
.. When you enter or change Client or Reservation information, ACTION will automatically be changed from LOOKUP to UPDATE.
.. LOOKUPs can be 'filtered' - the most widely used filter is the NAME field. Entering one or two letters causes ONLY names BEGINNING with the letter(s) entered to be found (multiple records cause a pull-down selection list to appear). Entering more than 2 characters in the name field cause all names containing that string of letters to be found. All filter fields are indicated on screen with • symbol. These fields can be used in any combinaion.
When a specific reservation is known, just CLEAR and enter RES#, then INITIATE to directly lookup the reservation [or enter Client# in Client# field to view all reservations for that client.
.. UPDATE inserts new record(s) when INITIATE is pressed with no Client# &/or RES#.
IMPORTANT Client# & RES#s are automatically assigned. ONLY enter RES# or Client# to LOOKUP AFTER irst pressing CLEAR
fto prevent accidental information overlay...
UPDATE changes the values within an existing reservation when INITIATE is pressed with a RES#.
Mesages help you confirm actions happened as intended. An UPDATEs log (report) is available via the Action List as well. The filter by Res Number is very handy to see the whole story of one reservation.
ResMgr fields serve as Filters on the various reports allow you to precisely pinpoint transactions of interest.
Tell the webmaster if you need to have record(s) physically deleted from database... ClientType is automatically set for '1st stay guest' & 'regular' so only other values must be set manually.
.. ClintType OWNER and OWNER'S GUEST will NOT permit deposit or payment input.
.. ClientType NEVERMORE will block any further rentals to someone [death or a reminder not to rent to some problem client again].
.. Status value GC (Gift Certificate) does not require any Person Type to be specified.
.. STATUS values TH (HOLD FOR DEPOSIT), DP (Deposit Paid), and PF (Invoice Fully Paid) are set automatically so only other values (RC,nr,GC) must be selected manually.. Reservation Information is saved-to / retreived-from five separate database files: CLIENT, RESERVATION, DEPOSIT, APPR#, and CALENDAR. Only Deposits & Payments made by credit card require an APPR#.
..Entering "Tax Exempt" in the first 10 characters of the comments field will be appropriately recognized by Monthly Sales Journal. NOTE however, that the EXCEL Journal to which this ResMgr report is compared, has no special programming to identify Tax Exempt and requires entry of a zero to overlay the formula in the Tax column, relying instead on the total at the top of the sheet instad of summary.
..ClrRES button clears all REServation & Deposit fields on the form, but leaves the client fields unchanged.. Set Status & clientType (if required), Unit, Arrival & Departure Dates, and Deposit info (amount, date, ref, & appr#) BEFORE pressing INITIATE to do it all in one step. The design expectation is that ResMgr info will be looked-up &/or entered in real-time, while the client is on the phone.
. Status GC (gift certificate) is used to accept a DEPOSIT from someone who is not necessarily a client without specifying Unit#, Arrival/Departure, nor Payment. To redeem a certificate: if the person redeeming is the same as the person purchasing (not likely) just reset status to DP and enter reservation information. But if the gift recipient is different (likely), the Res# for the certificate is "closed" by checking the carry-forward box and entering the deposit information under a new reservation, as with any other carry-forward scenario.. IMPORTANT *** OWNERS are PAID based on PAYMENT DATE *** so when it makes sense, stays longer than
one month should be broken into 2 reservations but Rate will still be based on total stay duration.
Alse create additional reservations when stay involves more than 2 months.. Press $ in LOOKUP mode anytime UNIT#,Arrival & Departure Date
are filled-in to view derived RATE & DUE information including suggested DEPOSIT amount if none exists.
The $ display, INVOICE and RECEIPT can cross seasons and be of any duration. The $ display is really
independent of reservation entry if you choose to use it that way for quick quotes.. When anything is pro-rated, the rate used is shown (daily/weekly/2-wk/monthly) and ($xx/d).
When 2 seasons, or 2+ months are involved, two lines are displayed on the Invoice.
. Although the $ output displays in the text area, it is not saved anywhere unless you do an
UPDATE while it is displayed. Any text already in the box before you press $ is preserved
below the $'s output.. For same season stays, proRation divisor is based on number of days in Departure Month
[ An exception is made when 3 months are involved, same season (SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN) wherein Arrival Month is pro-rated and departure month is pro-rated with middle month not needing proration ].
For cross season stay, divisors are based on arrival month for 1st season & departure month for 2nd season.. Daily Rates are charged only when stay is less than 7 days and are capped to never exceed weekly rate.
A Month's monthly rate starts and ends same day the next month with additional days counted from there,
pro-rated at monthly rate.
A Two Week (value season rate) is pro-rated at the 2 week rate if longer than 14 days and is
capped to never exceed monthly rate if less than 28 days.. Messages to CONFIRM actions taken, or ERR notices requiring corrective action(s) are displayed.
...STATUS is required to generate EMAIL but not for REPORTS.
...UPDATE is BLOCKED if it would result in a CONFLICT with a previously entered record for same UNIT (DATEs overlap on the CALENDAR)
...Calendar conflicts must be resolved before any reservation can be booked or changed. Status Cancel will clear the calendar so is MANDATORY when making any change affecting the calendar.
... ALL credit card payments require entry of the 6-digit approval# (APPR#) provided by the bank terminal when the charge is posted.
... If a canceled reservation's deposit(s) are carried-forward, the reservation# (RES#) from which the payment came is entered into the APPR# field of the reservation(s) receiving the credit, appended with a dash or underscore and 1, 2, etc so as to make the appr# unique 8char in length, along with the original deposit's Amount, Date Paid. and How Paid. The total deposit amount entered is carried forward, never partial. Book-keeping wise, the total that was banked is just moved to a different reservation. Not checking when you should really messes up book-keeping.
...STATUS value DEPOSIT PAID requires Deposit Amount, Date Paid, How Paid, and if paid by credit card, an APPR#.
[all payments prior to arrival are deposits, possibly resulting in $0 PdInFull treatment after arrival]
...STATUS value INVOICE PAID in FULL requires Amount, Date Paid, How Paid, and if paid by credit card, an APPR#.
...STATUS value HOLD - Depending of GuestType, can give rise to two scenarios:
>GuestType 1stStay Guest or Regular Guest are automatically set. >GuestType OWNER or OWNERS GUEST will reset any STATUS value entered, and display OWNER HOLD, preventing any Deposit or Payment entry
...ACTION value CONFIRMATION EMAIL requires STATUS value DEPOSIT PAID or FULL PAYMENT and automatically fills in the RCE field with the date email is sent.
...ACTION value CONFIRMATION EMAIL verbiage changes from TENATIVE HOLD, to OWNER HOLD based on GuestType if status TH.
...ACTION value CANCELATION EMAIL requires STATUS value cancelED ('nr' is entered by Business Mgr when short notice cancelation deposit not being returned to client).
...ACTION value Generate INVOICE or the equivalent viewBill link, requires STATUS value DEPOSIT PAID or INVOICE FULLY PAID.
We now have the ability toe email the Invoice (it’s called a Receipt if balance due is paid).
When you press viewBill twice, or once and press the print Invoice button, and the window pops-up to display the invoice
the following sequence of actions are expected:
(1) optionally print the page using browser’s print button or right mouse click print
(2) Notice that there is a hopefully inconspicuous button with a dash displayed at the bottom
(A little hokey but did not want a large button printed in step 1).
Press (click on) that button and it will send an email to the email address you entered for the client.
"Invoice Emailed” or “Receipt Emailed” will appear at the bottom just above the button.
Note of course that if no email address was entered for the client in ResMgr then no emai can be sent.
(3) print this page again for Business Manager's use and so it documents that an Invoice was emailed to the client.LINKS AT TOP OF PAGE
Home (jumps to main landingpage for the beachcomber site)
Rates (condensed version of our rates for Office Manager's reference
Blue button (this information page discussing ResMgr use and features)
RM (jumps to a new tab with a blank resMgr page and UserId/Password pre-filled)
RMc (jumps to a new tab with same client as current page as well as UserId/Password pre-filled)
Mgr.Calendar (jumps to new tab with Manager's Calendar displayed and UserId/Password pre-filled
DIAGNOSTIC (aka All-In-One Report DIAGNOSTIC report) should be reviewed DAILY (and corrective action taken as needed)OTHER REPORTS
. EMAILS can and should be sent to (a) CONFIRM a reservation and/or a deposit, (b) CONFIRM a cancelATION, and (c) CONFIRM a GIFT CERTIFICATE purchase.
.INVOICE should be printed &/or emailed to (a) request payoff [if required], and (b) acknowledge RECEIPT of
final Payment with a duplicate for Business Manager.
. MONTHLY SALES JOURNAL has become the hub of our Financial Control. It is used for Reconciliation
with Bank & Invoice Records monthly by Business Manager and is submitted to our Accounting firm.
. ALL-IN-ONE DIAGNOSTIC - reports on anomolys such as data entries not made and calendar issues with reservations
. UPDATEs LOG records values of most fields & error messages, every time an update is initiated even if errors were encountered and the update was halted. It also records as an Invoice is previewed. When viewing the Update Log report, there is extensive ability to filter.
. HOUSKEEPER Planning Sheet - Arrivals & Departures by Unit in a concise one-page format - kept Up To Date by Office Manager.
. RENTAL STATS - occupancy & advance booking statistics with slice & dice filtering and display options.
. The following are less frequently used:
.. Client List - Information (find client#) .. Regulars - Ranked by Number of Stays - Loyalty - Information .. DEPOSIT RECONCILIATION CHECKLIST - provides a convenient mechanism to verify all open deposits.
.. PAYMENT search
.. RENTAL LOG reservation report selects ALL reservations, filtered by Status, Unit#, HOLDs, Arrival & Departure Date screen described above.
. Some features can only be done by the Business Manages (or webmaster) to insure no negative impact on book-keeping:
.. canceled Reservation Deposit Returned Amount and Return Reference w/Date
.. Deletion of a Payment or Deposit (red X appears)
.. Changing of an Appr#
.. Generating an Invoice on a canceled reservation
.. Entering Stays of more than 92 days (typically this is an entry error)
.. Changing Payment Date, Amount or Payment Appr# once entered
.. Deleting a Deposit or Deposit Appr# once entered
.. Setting STATUS to 'nr'See Also:
Beachcomber Office Procedures Manual ( click here to view) - describes how to enter unusual situationsThe following reports are generally depreciated, being integrated into monthly JOURNAL and ALL-IN-ONE Diagnostic reports:
.. CALENDAR RECONCILIATION - one month at a time with filter & display options.
.. DEPOSITS log - many ways to track down a deposit.
.. DEPARTURES log (pre-dated JOURNAL) - payments by Month.
.. PAYMENT RECONCILIATION CHECKLIST - A log of all Payments in descending date sequence - used to "find" reservation associated with a "lost" payment.Background
4/5/2007 conversation with Dick Eberhart who wanted to react to a guest's suggestion that a timely Reservation Confirmation (email) be provided to confirm payment, dates reserved, terms including Red Tide and Hurricane cancelation policies, etc etc. I responded that it would give us needed information about who our regulars were and rental patterns as well. I deferred work toward that end until researched possible purchase of a quickbooks add-on (pms) that possibly included such functionality, but promised to 'carry the ball' if we did not purchase quickbooks or another system.
The ResMgr was created with custom CONFIRMATION, and cancelATiON emails later that same year, and in 2008 extensive statistics were added to the calendar program developed in 2004. The ResMgr automated the Calendar Update but has necessarily been a buckle-on from a systems design point of view. The dbtxt file should probably be a temp file created on the fly as needed but response time is seen to be at issue as well as major programming effort.