Before, we used to see "Pre-booking" status in activity log but now we can't see them. How can I see this feature again as it's really useful to us. A lot of the time our customers can't make a payment due to security problem. So, we just use this feature to contact them by email. This feature is really important, please bring it back to the activity log.
The Pre-Booking's are no longer available in Checkfront. This is due to privacy issues, as some clients may not wish to receive a "call back" if a transaction has failed, or they decided to cancel the booking before making payment.
I have to disagree with you. If the clients don't want to receive a call back, they should not try to book the tour or hotel in the checkfront system. To us, the pre booking is very useful. Our business is in Thailand and we connect our checkfront with paypal. Our problem is that when US customers come to our country, they often have problem using their credit card as the card holder company, like VISA, block all transaction outside USA and therefore, they can't book our tour. In the past, we used the PRE Booking feature to check their email and ask them what's going on and so we don't loss sales. Now, without this feature, we have missed out a lot of US customers.
I think others who use Checkfront internationally may have the same problem as mine. Do you have any recommendation on what I should do regarding this case ?
A pre-booking is really as saved session of the first part of a booking. Customers can reach this point just to get total price, and not always with the intention of completing the booking at that time. In the eyes of the system, the booking isn't completed till a status is assigned to it, (Reserved / Paid etc). It is otherwise considered abandoned, and is deleted from the system soon after (this has always been the case ~ 24hrs).
It was taken out of the activity log as it tended to cause confusion as to a "lost booking", when it's generally a customer backing out of a booking, using an invalid credit card, transaction declined etc.
I do understand where you are coming from. Can I ask, what do you do when you contact customers with failed payments? Do you process payments over the phone, or ask then to use another card and book online?
I understand what you said. However, if customers want to get just a total price, they often leave an invalid email or wrong contact information. So, we can not contact them anyway and when we look at the pre-booking, we know which customers want to check the total price or which customers really want to book our tour but they have a problem with the payment.
In our case, we often have this problem as our business is outside the US and Canada. When these customers come to our country and they just want to book our tour, they can't do so due to the card issuers (VISA, Master card etc) block their transaction outside their country. Basically they already put all valid information in our checkfront system but they fail their payment in Paypal. So, we send them an email asking what going on and basically just except cash to fix an issue.
Do you have any recommendation on what we should do ?
I agree with BFT here. This was something very useful for us to see incomplete bookings. It was great to see when a customer left the booking without completing it may be he or she just couldn't complete the payment. Then we wouldn't need to fill up all the information again if we decide to accept this booking without any downpayments.
Overall all our intention is to sell more and if there is an incomplete booking it is our mission to chase it whatever the reason was it was left incomplete.
We've added the pre-booking status back to the main activity log (not the dashboard widget). Please note, as before, abandoned bookings are cleared from the system within 24 hours.
