How to set up your approval settings for bookings

Determine when to approve or reject bookings before they’re confirmed and payment is processed

If you're a venue manager or staff at a sports club, council, or school using Bookteq to manage your lettings, you may need to vet and approve bookings before confirming and taking payment. This is where the approvals feature comes in handy. In this article, we'll guide you through how to set up your approval settings for bookings.

TL;DR:

Approvals give you the ability to vet and approve bookings for your venue before confirming and taking payment.
To set up approvals, click on ‘Venue Settings’ in the ‘Setup’ menu and select ‘Approvals’ from the dropdown menu.
Choose which facilities require approval for new single and block bookings.
Set the approval expiry period to determine the length of time a pending booking will remain unapproved.
Enable the concurrence check feature if you want to approve instant bookings that coincide with already-approved bookings.

Overview

The approvals feature allows you to determine when to approve or reject bookings before they’re confirmed and payment is processed. This feature is ideal for when you need to check a booker's credentials prior to confirmation, or if you want to ensure that a member of staff is available for the requested time. By using approvals, you can approve bookings on a case-by-case basis, giving you more control over who can use your facilities and when.

Step-by-step guide

To set up your venue with Approvals, click on ‘Venue Settings’ in the ‘Setup’ menu on the left-hand side of your dashboard.
From the dropdown menu, select ‘Approvals.’
If nothing is selected, it means your venue is set up to accept only instant bookings and nothing requires approval.
Choose which facilities require approval for new single and block bookings by checking the corresponding facility from the list provided. For any unselected fields, bookings will be accepted automatically.
Set the approval expiry period to determine the length of time a pending booking will remain unapproved. You have different settings for single and block bookings. From our experience, venues generally allow more time to approve block bookings than one-off bookings.
Enable the concurrence check feature if you want to approve instant bookings that coincide with already-approved bookings. By running a concurrence check, you can accept instant bookings that would normally require approval if a similar booking has already been placed at one of your selected facilities for the same date and time.

Troubleshooting

Q: What happens if I don't approve a booking within the approval expiry period?
A: If you do not approve a booking within this time, the booking will automatically be cancelled, and the customer will be notified via email.

Q: Can I set different approval settings for different facilities?
A: Yes, you can choose which facilities require approval for new single and block bookings. For any unselected fields, bookings will be accepted automatically.

Q: How do I know if a booking has already been placed at one of my selected facilities for the same date and time?
A: By enabling the concurrence check feature, you can accept instant bookings that coincide with already-approved bookings. Bookteq will automatically run a concurrence check for you.