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Channel Management

Modified 16:03, 25 Jan 2012 by admin

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Balancing your RMS Online Payments: If you have chosen to use the RMS Payment Gateway for Bookings from your Website, as reservations are dropped into your RMS system receipts are created automatically on the reservation account for the deposit taken. These receipts are placed as a receipt type of Direct Credit and are dated according to when the reservation was created in your system. Along with the above expenses are also created onto the Travel Agent Commission account for RMS. These expenses are created in order to reflect the correct amount that will be paid into your account by our accounts department. Each receipt and expense is created against the user named RMSOnline. Daily Balancing To balance your cash transactions report daily, you should ensure that under the users option on the right of the build screen that you choose all specific users excluding RMSOnline. Then balance as normal. Balancing RMS to your Weekly Online Payment When you receive your Tax Invoice via email from the RMS Accounts Department you will need to build the Cash Transaction report from the correct date range, only selecting the User RMSOnline. This will show the list of receipts and expenses that have been created into your RMS system by the online interface. The grand total of this report should balance to the total of your Tax Invoice. If at any stage the Tax Invoice received does not match your Cash Transactions report please lodge a service request stating the specific information that is incorrect for prompt attention from your Primary Support Person.

Connecting Online Channels

Online Client Installation: Depending on the RMS platform that you use you may or may not need to install the RMSOnline Client, please refer to the point below to see if this applies to you. RMS Cloud Users If we are hosting your RMS database then you WILL NOT be required to install the RMSOnline Client. Once you have completed the setup checklist and required testing your system wil be live automatically. Self Hosted Users If you host your own RMS database you WILL be required to install the RMSOnline Client. The RMSOnline Client must be installed onto a computer that has 24/7 internet connection. The RMSOnline client should never be shut down. 1. Go to the RMS web page - www.rms.com.au 2. Log into Customer Service (bottom left corner) using your RMS Customer No. and Password 3. Go to the download button 4. Locate the download for RMSOnline Client 5. Click once on download and choose to save the file to your desktop 6. Once downloaded, locate the file named Online Client vx.xx.msi and double click on it. 7. Install the file changing no details and clicking Next. Once installed the RMSOnline client should automatically start and minimize itself in the system tray. The image for the RMSOnline Client is a blue satellite dish. You must now configure and synchronize your RMSOnline Client; 1. Double click on the icon for the RMSOnline Client from your system tray (bottom right corner of your screen) 2. Choose Tools 3. Choose Options 4. Go to the Database Tab 5. Enter your SQL Login details 6. Select the SQL Server from the drop down list 7. Select your database name from the drop down list 8. Click once on Save then Exit. Now that your RMSOnline Client is configured you must now complete a full property synchronize; 1. Click once on Synchronize 2. Click once on full property This process can take up to 5 minutes to run, please be patient. When complete you will see a line in the message screen 'Upload completed'. You can now proceed to testing your online page.

RMS Book Now button

Category Settings for the RMS Book Now Button: The below steps will take you through the three setup elements required in the Category setup for the RMS Book Now Button. First Step From any screen in RMS 9 Click once on Setup on the Navigation bar Choose Category/Area from the list (please note you may have chosen to re-label this area your system may say RoomType/Room or something different) Double left click the first category to edit Entering a Long Description The Long Description field is displayed under the category name on the RMS Booking Page, this description should tell your guests about the category including things like, if it has air conditioning, the view, does it include a spa, etc. Setting a Max Occupants per Area Enter the Maximum number of Occupants per Area as shown in the screen shot below. This will ensure that your guests cannot book for more people than your categories can accept. NOTE: Do Not enter information into the field named Max Occupants per Category. Making your Categories Available to RMS Online To give channels access to your categories (room types) you will need to edit each one in turn, tick the option 'Available to RMSOnline', then if you wish, enter a number of areas to hold from RMSOnline. The option 'No Of Areas to Hold from RMSOnline' ensures that no online channel can book the last available area within a category. RMS recommends that you leave this set to 1, however the figure can be changed if you wish to do so. Where you only have 1 area within a category this number will be ignored.
Online Bookings: This section of the setup controls the information that shows on your RMS Booking Page, the images that can be seen, your rates & availability, the colors of your RMS Booking pPge and more. Options Provide details including your Cancellation Policy, Terms and Conditions, Property Features, Travel Directions and much more... Photos Upload photos of your room types and your property. NOTE: Each photo must be an extension of JPG or PNG and cannot exceed 250kb. There is no limit however to the number of photos you can upload. Channel Management Connect the channel RMS Book Now Button to your system. Online Booking Colors The RMS Booking Page is set to our default colors, this screen allows you to alter the color of elements on the page to better match your corporate colors.
Online Client Installation: Depending on the RMS platform that you use you may or may not need to install the RMSOnline Client, please refer to the point below to see if this applies to you. RMS Cloud Users If we are hosting your RMS database then you WILL NOT be required to install the RMSOnline Client. Once you have completed the setup checklist and required testing your system wil be live automatically. Self Hosted Users If you host your own RMS database you WILL be required to install the RMSOnline Client. The RMSOnline Client must be installed onto a computer that has 24/7 internet connection. The RMSOnline client should never be shut down. 1. Go to the RMS web page - www.rms.com.au 2. Log into Customer Service (bottom left corner) using your RMS Customer No. and Password 3. Go to the download button 4. Locate the download for RMSOnline Client 5. Click once on download and choose to save the file to your desktop 6. Once downloaded, locate the file named Online Client vx.xx.msi and double click on it. 7. Install the file changing no details and clicking Next. Once installed the RMSOnline client should automatically start and minimize itself in the system tray. The image for the RMSOnline Client is a blue satellite dish. You must now configure and synchronize your RMSOnline Client; 1. Double click on the icon for the RMSOnline Client from your system tray (bottom right corner of your screen) 2. Choose Tools 3. Choose Options 4. Go to the Database Tab 5. Enter your SQL Login details 6. Select the SQL Server from the drop down list 7. Select your database name from the drop down list 8. Click once on Save then Exit. Now that your RMSOnline Client is configured you must now complete a full property synchronize; 1. Click once on Synchronize 2. Click once on full property This process can take up to 5 minutes to run, please be patient. When complete you will see a line in the message screen 'Upload completed'. You can now proceed to testing your online page.
Tariff/Availability Chart: The short video below will take you through how to add your tariffs into the Tariff/Availability Chart for the first time.

Online Booking Colors: This feature allows you to change the default colors of the RMS Booking Page to better match your corporate colors. First Step From any screen within RMS 9 Click once on Setup on the Navigation bar Choose Online Bookings from the list Choose Online Booking Colors from the sublist Second Step Our RMS Booking Page is made up of 5 base colors, on this screen you can change these to reflect a different color. E.g. If you change the default orange color to be green, all orange elements of the RMS Booking Page would change to green. Select the color on the left you wish to change Click once on the new color from the top of the screen you wish to change to Once all colors are changed select Save TIP: As you make changes you are able to preview them by clicking once on the preview button, you must however save your changes first. If you are unhappy with your color changes, click once on the Restore to Default button at the bottom of the screen.

Additional Features Online Information: By entering information into the fields provided features such as Things To Do, Business Facilities, Travel Directions & Car Parking will appear on your RMS Booking Page. First Step From any screen within RMS 9 Click once on Setup on the Navigation bar Choose Online Bookings from the list Choose Options from the sub list Select the Features Tab at the top of the screen Second Step Enter the appropriate information for your property into the fields provided, then Save. Where does this show on my RMS Booking Page? The information that you enter here will show on the top of your RMS Booking Page as hyperlinked information. If you leave one of the above fields blank the name will not appear below.
Cancellation Policy Online Information: By entering information into the field provided your properties cancellation policy will appear on your RMS Booking Page. First Step From any screen within RMS 9 Click once on Setup on the Navigation bar Choose Online Bookings from the list Choose Options from the sub list Select the Features Tab at the top of the screen Second Step Enter the appropriate information for your property into the field provided, then Save. Where does this show on my RMS Booking Page? The information that you enter here will show on the top of your RMS Booking Page as hyperlinked information. If you leave one of the above fields blank the name will not appear below.
General Online Information: The fields shown on this screen, update your RMS Booking Page to display important information including your cancellation policy, your Star Rating, whether you allow group bookings online and much more. First Step From any screen within RMS 9 Click once on Setup on the Navigation bar Choose Online Bookings from the list Choose Options from the sub list The screen will open to the General Tab Second Step Enter the appropriate information into the fields provided when complete select Save. TIP: Only enter a Merchant Name if you have chosen to use your own payment gateway. For a full breakdown of each field please see the informatio below; Type of Property For single properties this field should not be changed. For multi property systems this field will be the name of the property you are setting up. Availability Alert Email Provide an email address whereby if we notice something incorrect with your availability we will email you. This field is mandatory. Booking Confirmation Email 1, 2 & 3 Provide up to 3 different email addresses where we will send confirmation emails to. At leave one of the three must be provided. Star Rating Do you have a star rating? Enter it here, choosing from the drop down menu. Star Rating Type Who Rated you? Merchant Name This field should only have information entered if you have chosen to use your own payment gateway and should be the name of your bank account. Max Child Age If applicable enter what your property considers the maximum age for a child. Max Infant Age If applicable enter what your property considers the maximum age for an infant. Use Release Back Today & Release Back Time This allows you to enter a release back today at a set time. E.g. Your office may close at 5pm, from that time no-one is onsite, you would tick this option and choose a time of 4pm, this way once your office is closed no one can book online tonight to arrive tonight. NOTE: The time zone used will depend on the country you have told RMS9 you are running from. Allow Group Bookings & Max Areas per Booking Activates the ability for your guests to book more than one area online, if you choose this option you must then enter what you consider should be the maximum areas they can book in one online booking. Sundry Charge + Fee Options These check boxes allow you to pass on the online fees to your guests. If you choose to do you you must select a sundry charge that will be used to charge the fees to when the booking drops into your RMS system. CLICK HERE for a detailed article on how to pass fees forward to your guests. Show Sold as Call When you have no availability on any given day, that day will show the word Sold, if you prefer this to say Call, check this option. Redirection URL Once a booking has been made there will be a button on the screen named finish, by entering a URL into this field the finish button will automatically take the guest to that address.
Online Options Information: By completing this screen you will increase your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and for our UK customers you can expose the Credit Card Concent field on your RMS Booking Page. First Step From any screen within RMS 9 Click once on Setup on the Navigation bar Choose Online Bookings from the list Choose Options from the sub list Select the Options Tab at the top of the screen Setting up SEO Enter a Page Title and Description into the fields provided. Then Save. Why should i use the SEO fields? By entering information into these fields, the more often your booking page is used or hit, the higher your page will become in a google search. As you can see below the search results through google will use the Page Title and Description you have entered from the SEO information entered. Using Credit Card Concent - UK Customers Only If you wish to use the second deposit processing utility in RMS 9 with your SagePay gateway you can choose to show the Credit Card Concent option on your RMS Booking Page.
Property Description Online Information: By entering information into the field provided your property description will appear on your RMS Booking Page. First Step From any screen within RMS 9 Click once on Setup on the Navigation bar Choose Online Bookings from the list Choose Options from the sub list Select the Features Tab at the top of the screen Second Step Enter the appropriate information for your property into the field provided, then Save. Where does this show on my RMS Booking Page? The information that you enter here will show on the top of your RMS Booking Page as hyperlinked information. If you leave one of the above fields blank the name will not appear below.
Property Features Online Information: By entering information into the field provided your properties features will appear on your RMS Booking Page. First Step From any screen within RMS 9 Click once on Setup on the Navigation bar Choose Online Bookings from the list Choose Options from the sub list Select the Features Tab at the top of the screen Second Step Enter the appropriate information for your property into the field provided, then Save. Where does this show on my RMS Booking Page? The information that you enter here will show on the top of your RMS Booking Page as hyperlinked information. If you leave one of the above fields blank the name will not appear below.
Property Terms and Conditions Online Information: By entering information into the field provided your property terms and conditions will appear on your RMS Booking Page. First Step From any screen within RMS 9 Click once on Setup on the Navigation bar Choose Online Bookings from the list Choose Options from the sub list Select the Features Tab at the top of the screen Second Step Enter the appropriate information for your property into the field provided, then Save. Where does this show on my RMS Booking Page? The information that you enter here will show on the top of your RMS Booking Page as hyperlinked information. If you leave one of the above fields blank the name will not appear below.

Passing Online Fees to your Guests: Setting your online system to pass either or both the Credit Card Fees and Booking Fees to your guests is done via the below steps, the fees that you will pass forward to your guests can the be same amount your are charged or a higher/lower amount. Fees current of 15 February 2012 are outlined below; Booking Fee - $1.00 + GST per reservation Credit Card Commission - 1.2% + GST of the deposit taken Credit Card Merchant Fee - 0.80c + GST per deposit taken Create a G/L Acc Code By completing this step you will be able to easily see the amount that you have charged for the fees above. If you wish to use an existing Account Code in your system you can skip this step. From any screen within RMS 9 Click once on Setup on the Navigation bar Choose Accounting from the list Choose G/L Acc Codes from the sub list Select ADD at the bottom of the screen Enter the relevant information into the fields named G/L Acc Code & Description then select Save/Exit. Create a Sundry Charge By completing this step you will be able to easily see the amount that you have charged for the fees above. If you wish to use an existing Sundry Charge in your system you can skip this step. From any screen within RMS 9 Click once on Setup on the Navigation bar Choose Accounting from the list Choose Sundries from the sub list Select ADD at the bottom of the screen Enter the relevant information into the fields named Description, GST Type, as well as selecting your G/L Acc Code then select Save/Exit. NOTE: Do not enter a unit price into this sundry charge. Active the Passing of Fees & Nominate the Amount From any screen within RMS 9 Click once on Setup on the Navigation bar Choose Online Bookings from the list Choose Options from the sub list On the screen that appears you will need to complete the following three (3) steps; Select the Sundry Charge you wish to use to automatically apply the fees Tick Charge Client Credit Card Commission if you wish to do so, you may change the % amount if you desire Tick Charge Client Online Booking Fee if you wish to do so, you may change the $ if you desire Now select Save/Exit. NOTE: If you are a Self Hosted customer you will need to perform a full property sync in your online client for this feature to take effect. How this effects your reporting As reservations drop into your RMS system via the RMSOnline Agent the charges you have selected above will be created onto the reservations account automatically. If you have chosen to take a deposit for your online bookings these fees will be added into the deposit required amount to the guests. These charges will appear on your Daily Cash, Daily Charge, Management Cash/Charge and Audit Trail in your system.

Discounts as Promo Codes: This feature allows you to create a new Discount in your RMS9 system, which is then associated to Rate Types. This discount description can then be advertised to your guests as a promo code to book online. By creating a new Discount in your RMS 9 system, the description of the Discount becomes the Promo Code appending *D to the front of the desciption you have entered. You can then advertise this Promo Code in specials you run. When the guest attempts to make a reservation, they have the option to enter the Promo Code (see boxed below), in turn the rate displayed for the guest will be the Rate Type associated to the Discount, in the payment summary at the bottom of the online booking page, RMS Online will apply the discount as per your setup. The main difference between using Discounts as apposed to Rate Types for Promo Codes is that Discounts will use existing rates in your system, whereas, Rate Types will require you to enter in an entirely new rate. Add a G/L Acc Code By completing this step you will be able to easily see the amount that you have discounted to Online Bookings. If you wish to use an existing Account Code in your system you can skip this step. From any screen within RMS 9 Click once on Setup on the Navigation bar Choose Accounting from the list Choose G/L Acc Codes from the sub list Select ADD at the bottom of the screen Enter the relevant information into the fields named G/L Acc Code & Description then select Save/Exit. Adding your Discount From any screen within RMS 9 Click once on Setup on the Navigation bar Choose Accounting from the list Choose Discounts from the sub list Amount to Discount Select ADD at the bottom of the screen Enter the relevant information into the fields as shown below then select Save. Which Categories does the Discount apply to Go to the second tab along the top of the screen. This screen is made up of two columns; Left: Those Categories that cannot use this discount Right: Those Categories that can use this discount Move those Categories you wish to receive the discount to the right hand side of the screen using the > arrow. HINT: >> will move all categories from one side to the other. Activate this Discount as a Promo Code Go to the third tab along the top of the screen. To use this discount as an online promotion complete the following; Check the box named 'RMS Online Promotion' Select the from and to dates you wish this Promotion to be valid for Select the Rate Types that you wish this discount to apply to by moving them to the right hand side of the screen. NOTE: The rate types you allow access to MUST also be assigned to the RMS Book Now Button channel. Once completed select Save/Exit. How to Use the Discount on your Online Booking page When a guest wishes to book using the Discount Promo Code they will need to enter the promo code into the field provided on your RMS Booking Page before selecting Next >. The promo code that you will promote is *D then the name of the discount. For Example if your discount is called Getaway, the promo code will become *DGetaway. NOTE: The promo code is case sensitive
Rate Types as Promo Codes: This feature is designed to allow you to create a new Rate in your system for specials to promote to specific guests/groups. Normally guests will only see rates that you have assinged to the RMS Book Now Button channel. This Promo Code option allows you to advertise the description (see outlined below) of a rate in your system which you have not assigned to the channel, therefore, this rate can only be seen by those guests you have provided the Description/Promo code to. Creating a new Rate This article will take you through the steps on creating a new Rate within the Tariff/Availability Chart which you can then use as a Promo Code for RMS Book Now Button.

Setting up your Tariff/Availability Chart for the First Time: This tutorial will take you through the basic steps to setting up your rates in the Tariff/Availability Chart for the first time. Acessing the Tariff/Availability Chart There are two ways to access the Tariff/Availability Chart, both are outlined below; 1. The Chart can be accessed via the icon found on the top left of the screen that resembles a Calendar. 2. The Chart can also be accessed from the drop down menu on the Navigation bar under Charts. Creating a Tariff Type When you open the Tariff/Availability Chart for the first time you will be presented with the below message. Select YES. This will automatically open the Tariff Type search screen, select ADD at the bottom of the screen and the below screen will appear. The minimum that you need to entire into this screen to Save is a description in the first field. Enter your description then choose Save/Exit. NOTE: The RMS Online Only check box is not yet active. Once you are back to the Tariff Type setup screen Exit back to the Tariff/Availability Chart. Attaching a Rate to your Tariff Type When you exit back to your Tariff/Availability Chart you will see a screen similar to the below. Each row represents a category in your system Each column represents a date Left click once on the first cell for one of your categories, you will be presented with a drop down list of selections similar to the below Left click once on 'Add New Rate Table' **From here we will break this screen down into three (3) sections Period The period is the dates from and two that this rate is to be used for. IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE: Periods can overlap, RMS will simply look for the smallest period to decide which rate to use. All year round should only ever be used if you have no other periods (For Example if you have a low and a high period you should never use all year round). Manual Dates allows you to choose the from and to date, with this option once your dates are selected you will need to enter a Period Description into the field provided. You can also choose to use a System Color (alternates between green and yellow) or Custom Color where you can choose from the color palette. Min Res Period - normally your periods are shared across many categories, therefore you would only enter a minimum nights against the period if it is not for a specific category. For Example, Christmas may be a minimum 7 for the entire property therefore you would enter 7 into this field. Dynamic Pricing The Dynamic Pricing feature allows you to automatically govern what Tariff is to be charged not only using the Tariff Periods but also on the Time out from the guests arrival and the Occupancy levels of your property on the dates the guest is in-house for. If you wish to setup dynamic pricing choose from one of the following two options by clicking on the word. Occupancy Time Out Rate Enter the nightly rate for this Category/Period/Tariff Type combination. IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE: You must enter a person base, this is especially required if you charge for extra people, the person base as per the below screen shot indicates that this rate is $80.00 per night for 2 people. Do not enter any information into the 'Minimum Charge Per Period' if you are using a nightly rate as this will over-ride the amounts entered above. If the category that you are adding the rate for has a minimum nights ruling this can be set for only this category under the heading 'Minimum Reservation Period ofr Reservations Arriving On.' Once you have entered the rates select Save. Deposits There are two ways to control your deposits from RMS Online, one is by the rate, the other is over-riden through the Online Bookings > Options screen. By the Rate From the rate edit screen go to the Deposits tab, enter the rules for the deposit you wish to request. For Example; if you simply wish to request 50% at the time of the booking then enter 50 into the % field shown below. By the Online Bookings > Options screen - click here Additionals If you wish to charge for additionals above the person base on the rate tab then click on the additionals tab and enter the amount you wish to charge for additional adults, children, infants etc as shown below. Now that you have a general tariff entered for this category select Save/Exit, this will take you back to the chart and display similar to the below. Repeat the above steps for each category and period that you wish to enter into your system.

Advanced tutorials

Quote Reservations from Channels: Quote reservations are created in your RMS system by RMS Online for the below three (3) reasons. Your availability was down to the last room ........the property is booking this room at the same time as someone online. When you are down to the final room the property will always win the allocation leaving RMS Online with no other option than to place a quote reservation in your system. For this reason alone it is critical to always hold at least one room back from the online booking agent. This is done through the Category/Area screen in the Setup Menu, edit each category in turn and ensure that you are holding back at least 1 room. Your Online Client is erroring If your Online Client cannot perform a successful sync it cannot update your online agents with your current availability. Always ensure that your Online Client is not producing any errors. If it is please contact RMS Support immediately. Third Party Agents book by Category 3rd party online agents book by category rather than room therefore what may appear to be an overbooking is actually not. See the example below, Rooms 101 and 102 are in the same category, where you see the green boxes there is an available night. If a client was to go to a third party web site to book your property E.g. Netroomz or Wotif these agents would see the below as available from 01/01/10 to 04/01/10, as by moving reservations in your system you could take a 4 night stay. 01/01/12 02/01/12 03/01/12 04/01/12 101 Smith Fuller 102 James Adams How do you find a Quote Reservation in your RMS system? Quote reservations are not allocated a specific room/site therefore they cannot be located on your booking chart. To locate a Quote Reservation, go to your reservation search screen, choose to search by surname (this will automatically select the status of Quote for you). Enter the surname into the search field then click once on the search button.

Online Photos
Options: This area of the setup controls the information that shows on your RMS Booking Page. General Show your Star Rating online, Cancellation Policy, Property Description, Property Terms & Conditions, Property Features and much more. Features Display Things To Do, Business Facilities, Travel Direct and Car Parking Details. Deposit Settings for Online If you wish to request a different deposit for your online bookings as aposed to guests that call to book, complete this screen. Extra Options Use Search Engine Optimisation for your online booking page. United Kingdom customers can request to show the Credit Card Concent feature.

Deposit Online Information

All troubleshooting pages

Not receiving confirmation Emails
No Availability Showing
RMSOnline Client - IX_Username Error: Full property synchronization error.

Add a Reference Page to Your User Guide

Reference pages list essential facts about a feature or system. To mark a reference page, add the tag article:reference-feature to any page.

Welcome to RMS Online

RMS Online works seamlessly with your RMS system to record reservations and payments for accommodation from the internet providing you with your own online booking system.