Whether taking new reservations or updating existing bookings, understanding the booking creation and modification process helps you provide efficient service to your customers while maintaining accurate records.
Watch our quick tutorial to learn how to add and manage customer bookings 👇🏻
Creating New Bookings
The booking creation process is designed to capture all necessary information while maintaining efficiency. Understanding each component helps ensure accurate and complete bookings.
A new booking can be taken from the booking platform by navigating to Calendar > Click on the desired activity > View & Edit Activity Details > Add Booking.
Basic Booking Information
Activity Selection
Start by confirming activity details:
Verify activity name and type
Check selected date and time
Review location information
Confirm availability
Note any special requirements
Customer Selection
Configure participant information:
Choose appropriate customer types
Set the number of participants
Review price per customer type
Note capacity restrictions
Consider certification requirements
Contact Information
Capture essential booking contact details:
Full name for primary contact
Valid phone number with country code
Email address for confirmations
Emergency contact information
Communication preferences
Detailed Customer Information
Each participant requires specific information to ensure proper service delivery.
Individual Details
Collect for each participant:
Full name (required)
Email address (optional)
Gender selection
Date of birth
Certification level if applicable
Certification number when relevant
Equipment and Services
Manage additional requirements:
Equipment rental needs
Selected add-on services
Body measurements for gear
Special accommodation requests
Specific assistance needs
Payment Processing
Handle booking payments efficiently with multiple options:
Payment Methods
Send payment link via email
Process in-person payments
Handle cash transactions
Record payment details
Note transaction references
Price Calculations
Review comprehensive pricing:
Base price per participant
Add-on service costs
Equipment rental fees
Applicable taxes
Total booking amount
Editing Existing Bookings
Modify bookings while maintaining accuracy and customer satisfaction.
Existing bookings can be updated by navigating to Bookings > Click on the desired booking > View & Edit Activity Details > Edit Booking.
Bookings can also be updated by navigating to Calendar > Click on the desired booking > View & Edit Activity Details > Edit Booking.
Editable Components
Contact Updates
Modify booking contact information:
Update phone numbers
Change email addresses
Adjust emergency contacts
Note communication preferences
Maintain contact history
Participant Changes
Manage customer modifications:
Add new participants
Remove existing participants
Update customer types
Modify certification information
Adjust equipment requirements
Service Adjustments
Handle service modifications:
Add or remove add-ons
Update equipment rentals
Modify special requests
Adjust accommodation needs
Update service preferences
Price Implications
Additional Payments
Handle cost increases:
Calculate additional charges
Process new payments
Send payment requests
Record transaction details
Update payment status
Refund Processing
Manage price reductions:
Calculate refund amounts
Process refunds to original payment method
Handle cash refunds
Document refund reasons
Update financial records
Booking Confirmation
Communication
The booking platform sends emails to customers on booking confirmation, booking changes such as rebooking, additional bookings in the existing booking, etc. We recommend you to connect with customers for any additional communication.
Incomplete Bookings
If the booking staff or customer leaves / exits the booking process midway it can be managed as follows:
Business generated booking:
If a booking is generated by the booking staff you will get an option to manually delete the booking from the bookings list
Customer generated booking:
Auto-clean up of booking will be done only for the bookings initiated by customers via web, mobile app or embedded widget
Customer gets 10-minutes to complete there booking until the spot becomes available again, until then the booking stays in unconfirmed state
Bookability Settings
This option defines how customers can book this activity slot.
Open for Online Booking (default): This availability is available for customers to book online
The status of an activity automatically changes to Call to Book when fully booked
Call to Book: Customers need to contact the dive shop directly to book
Closed for Booking: This availability is unavailable for online bookings
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Creating Bookings
Q: How do I handle group bookings with mixed customer types?
A: Follow these steps:
Start with primary customer type
Add additional customer types as needed
Verify capacity for each type
Check certification requirements
Calculate group pricing
Note any special requirements
Q: What if a customer doesn't have all required information?
A: You can still take the booking and update the customer information at a later stage by navigating to Bookings tab > Click on the desired booking > Select Customer tab > Click on the desired customer - this will open the customer information in a side-panel. You can click on Edit button to update the information.
This information can also be updated from the manifest by navigating to Calendar > Click on the desired booking > View & Edit Activity Details > Manifest > Select the desired customer > Click on Edit button (pencil button) next to Booking Contact name > Edit.
Editing Bookings
Q: Can I modify customer types after a customer booking is complete?
A: No, you cannot update the customer type of any participants after the booking is complete as pricing is tied the customer types. You can cancel the booking and rebook to change the customer type.
Note that canceling will incur a loss of platform fees (Buddy Platform Fees) to the customer as it is not refunded, and customer will have to pay the platform fees while creating a new booking.
Payment Handling
Q: What if a customer wants to pay in multiple instalments?
A: If the method of payment is credit card i.e. Payment Link option, you cannot charge the customer partially.
If the method is cash i.e. Paid in Cash option you can take a partial payment. For this case we recommend to maintain notes to avoid any conflicts.
Q: How do I handle payment method changes?
A: In case of booking changes the payment method cannot be changed. If the original payment was done via credit card i.e. Payment Link option, then all subsequent payments will also be processed with the same method. Same is the case of cash method.
Updating Bookability
Q: How can I make an activity available for booking only by call?
A: You can update this setting by navigating to Calendar > Click on desired availability > View & Edit Activity Details, and selecting the Call to book option from the dropdown at the top.
Q: How can I make a particular availability closed for bookings?
A: You can update this setting by navigating to Calendar > Click on desired availability > View & Edit Activity Details, and selecting the Closed for booking option from the dropdown at the top.
Troubleshooting
Q: How do I correct booking errors?
A: Information such as customer details and gear requirements can be updated from two places as shown below:
Bookings tab > Click on the desired booking > Select Customer tab > Click on the desired customer > Edit
Calendar > Click on the desired booking > View & Edit Activity Details > Manifest > Select the desired customer > Click on Edit button (pencil button) next to Booking Contact name > Edit
However, an incorrect customer type is cannot be updated, see this section for further details.
If an incorrect date and time was selected while taking the booking, it can be updated by rebooking the activity. You can rebook an activity by navigating to the booking details page and clicking on Rebook option.