Reaching 100% self-service operations for online bookings and payments
We regularly hear phrases like “We need to do that for them [the customer]” or “They pay using bank transfer so we can’t take an online payment”. Handling ad hoc and recurring bookings, regular changes, and payments for a range of facilities, durations, prices and custom rates is complex.
This makes the concept of the user experience being 100% self-service for both the venue and the customer a real milestone.
Across our Playfinder and Bookteq products, we’re very comfortable working with partners to bring bookings and payments online – we’re specialists having been doing it for years – but we’re entering a new phase of sophistication in helping our venues and their customers self-serve more to reduce the repetitive admin that sits around making and managing a booking for a facility or space.
- 🗓️ New Live Calendar – In January 2025, we released our new live calendars with day and weekly views that dramatically simplify the journey to find and book a slot, whether it be a fixed or custom duration.
- 🔀 Enhanced Self-Service Amendments – Customers login to their online account and can make any amendment to any booking, however custom or complex, with advancements made to our amendments feature. The software will automate any additional payment or refund, and no emails and calls between venue and customer are needed to handle the change.
- 💰 New Direct Debit payment method – No payment card? No problem, as we add Direct Debit as a payment method. Payment plans will automatically handle the transfer of funds from customer to venue. This removes the need for venues to generate, send, and chase invoices manually, and removes the risk of debt for community venues.
- 🔁 New Single Payment Subscription – Payments for all bookings will all be handled as one, simple, and transparent payment on a set date each week, month, or quarter; the schedule along with invoices will be available on the customer’s online account.
- 🏦 Automatic reconciliation through online payment – By handling all payments by card or direct debit, bookings and payments are automatically reconciled avoiding the need for venues to manually reconcile between the booking software and bank transactions.
End-to-end, this represents 100% self-service for customers and 100% for the venue. In a time when resources are precious in our schools, local authorities, and volunteer-run clubs, these are valuable benefits packaged in a simple online booking software.
