When guests call to book, you can create and take payment for bookings in Venue Manager. ROLLER automatically updates the booking details and the availability of items purchased across all sales channels in real-time (eg POS, online checkout).
When creating new bookings, you can set if you want to reserve bookings or tentatively hold bookings by default. You can also override the default setting each time you create a new booking.
Create a new booking
- From Venue Manager, go to Bookings > Create booking.
- Start by entering the booking holder's email address or phone number.
- If the guest's email address or phone number matches with a guest record, select it from the drop-down. If not, enter their contact details.
- Select Add booking holder.
A booking holder must be added to take payment using payment request links or invoices.
- [Optional] Update the booking name (eg Sarah's 10th bday).
The booking name displays wherever it appears across ROLLER, such as tickets, order confirmation emails, run sheets and is searchable in POS. - In the Availabilities panel, use the date and product filters to select the product the guest wants.
- Specify the number of tickets or items, then Add [#] items to the booking.
- For multiple products, use the panel's top-left back arrow, then search for and add more items to the booking.
- What you select next depends on what's been configured as the default setting for new bookings in Venue Manager:
- Reserve bookings: If you've set new bookings to reserve bookings by default, select Reserve. This immediately reserves and confirms the booking, regardless of whether it's been paid for or not.
-
Hold bookings: If you've set new bookings to tentatively hold bookings by default for a specified period of time, select Hold for [timeframe].
- This reserves a booking tentatively until payment is made or until booking item is redeemed.
- If guests don't pay within the hold period, the booking will automatically be canceled, freeing up capacity for another sale.
- Prompt staff every time: If you've set new bookings to prompt staff each time, select Reserve. A pop-up appears where you can choose to reserve booking or hold the booking for a set time period.
You can also choose to override the default setting and choose any timeframe you want by selecting the down arrow.
Choosing Save as draft saves a draft booking, but does not reserve the booking. It does not take up any capacity for the items selected so guests may miss out if the booking is not confirmed promptly.
When you're ready to process payment, select Take payment at the top of the page. Read on to learn more.
Tips: Entering contact details
- Enter email (unique identifier), phone (unique identifier), guest name and postcode (optional).
- We recommend entering both email and phone to avoid duplicates.
- For returning guests, enter their email or phone to retrieve their details.
You can edit saved guest details by selecting Edit contact details. You can also select Change booking holder to update the booking holder details. Refer to the guide Edit existing bookings to learn more.
Tips: Searching for and adding products
- Limit searches to 10 days max. More than 10 days is too broad and triggers an error.
- Search results are grouped by selected days. Use the date selector at the top of the right panel to go to a specific date.
- Group passes shows ticket counts below the pass names.
- A warning will prompt confirmation with bookings over 100 tickets.
- Make adjustments to bookings from the Order tab.
Key terms
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Hold booking | To reserve a booking tentatively until payment is made or until a booking item is redeemed |
| Reserve booking | To reserve a booking indefinitely regardless of payment status |
| Tentative booking | A booking that is on hold until payment is made, a booking item is redeemed or the hold period expires |
| Hold period | The time a guest has to make a payment before the tentative booking is canceled |
| Tentative | This status label is displayed when bookings are put on hold |
| Draft | This status label is displayed when you start creating a booking |
| Confirmed | This status label is attached to all reserved bookings, regardless of their payment status |
| Canceled | This label marks canceled bookings. Canceled bookings release availability for sale |
| Imported | This label will appear next to bookings uploaded from a previous booking systems |
Take payment for a booking
Select the Take payment button at the top of the bookings page. You can choose from the following payment methods:
| Payment Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Send payment link | Generate and send a payment link directly to the guest via email or text/SMS. For more details, refer to the guide Send payment request links via SMS or email. |
| Cash | Mark the booking as paid and collected directly by the venue. Note: This option does not automatically connect to the cash drawer of your POS device. |
| EFTPOS | Mark the booking as paid to the venue via an EFTPOS terminal. Note: This option does not automatically connect to the assigned EFTPOS terminal of your POS device. |
| Cheque | Mark the booking as paid and collected directly by the venue via a cheque. |
| Bank transfer | Mark the booking as paid and collected directly by the venue via a bank transfer. |
| Gift card | Deduct the payment from an active gift card in ROLLER. Multiple gift cards can be used but need to be added as separate transactions. |
| Complimentary | Mark the entire booking as free of charge. Note: This option won't be available once payment using other methods has been made. |
| Groupon | When selecting Groupon, make sure that you enter the Groupon voucher ID for reporting purposes. Keep in mind, this isn't a direct Groupon integration, so standard verification methods (eg using the Groupon app) are still necessary for validation. It's not feasible to partially pay with Groupon and another method (eg using cash for one ticket and Groupon for another). Additionally, each Groupon voucher should be redeemed as an individual transaction. |
Adjust the payment amount
You can also adjust the payment amount:
- By default, the payment is set to the full booking cost.
- If your product requires a deposit, the Minimum deposit option for the payment amount will display. It will calculate based on the configured deposit in the product's settings.
- To change from full to a custom amount, enter a new figure in the payment amount field, not exceeding the total amount.
Taking payment with gift cards
When using a gift card to take payment, make sure the deduction doesn't exceed the available balance.
- Expired cards can't be used.
- The balance will show up upon entering the card number.
- Verify the amount before finalizing the payment.
Payment status
The payment status, along with the summary of other booking details, can be viewed at the top of the booking page, under the booking name. Payment status can be Unpaid, Part paid, or Paid in full.
Payment activity
Any payment activity will be displayed in the booking activity stream on the right.
The booking's payment history can be viewed in full from the booking's Payments tab.
Send invoices to guests
Select New invoice at the top of to page to send an invoice to your guest for payment. Refer to the guide Send invoices to your guests to learn how to issue and manage invoices.
Collect additional details using forms
- From the guest's booking, select the Documents tab.
- Select Add forms to search for and add the form you want. If you haven't created the form yet, refer to the guide Create forms to capture additional guest data
- Select the options menu (3 dots) at the top right of the form to copy a public form link to email directly to the guest and they can update the details themselves, or you can select the form and type in the responses over the phone.
- Select Save.
Send a waiver request text/SMS or email from Venue Manager
After creating a booking in Venue Manager, you can seed a text/SMS or email from the booking's confirmation page. The email includes the booking's unique waiver link for guests to sign.
- From the guest booking in Venue Manager, select Send waiver request at the top of the page.
- Choose to send the request by SMS/text or Email. (Additional fees per SMS apply.)
- If you're sending the request by email, you can also choose to include a list of guests who have already signed waivers in the email.
- Select Send.
Learn more about sending a waiver request directly from a booking in Venue Manager. You can also customize the content, language and branding of the waiver request email template.
Quickly share the booking's unique waiver link
For bookings that require waivers signed, you can easily copy the booking’s unique waiver link, then send it to the booking holder via email, text message or social media—however you prefer.
- From the booking, go to the Documents tab.
- Select Copy unique waiver link.
- Paste it into an email or your preferred communication method to send to the booking holder. You can use the booking activity stream email to do so.
Once signed using the booking’s unique waiver link, the waiver is automatically linked to the booking. You'll be able to see it listed here.
Check for signed waivers
You can check and view any linked waivers from the Documents tab. These are any waivers signed using the booking's unique waiver link shared from the booking in Venue Manager, sign a waiver link in order confirmation emails, or signed after purchasing products in the online checkout.
Waivers that appear here could also be any active waivers that match with the booking holder's email address.
Download tickets or send order confirmation emails to guests
You can either download tickets to send to guests through your own email or send order confirmation emails with tickets attached directly from ROLLER.
- To download tickets, select the down arrow on the top right corner of the booking page.
- To send a confirmation email, select the options menu (3 dots) at the top right, then select Send confirmation email. Learn more about the order confirmation email sent from ROLLER.
Canceling bookings
You can cancel a booking from the options menu (3 dots) at the top right of the booking. Once canceled, you won't be able to resurrect the existing canceled booking.
Always create a new booking for a guest so that resource capacity and reporting are tracked accurately. Learn more about canceling existing bookings.