2008 Procedure 35 Fore! Internet Web Bookings
Customers with a constant Internet connection need to follow the 24 hour direct reservations procedures to accept Internet reservations all day. Those facilities that cannot maintain a constant Internet connection can utilize After Hours reservations to receive Internet reservations overnight while the golf shop is closed. It is necessary to follow one procedure or the other, so do not attempt to do both.
Fore! Internet 24 Hour Direct Reservations Daily Automated Procedures
The 24 Hour Direct Reservations procedure allows Internet reservations to be made around the clock even when the golf shop is closed.
In the Morning
At the morning computer boot up, Fore! Internet starts up, logs in and begins the first synchronization. Provided that this occurs after the Internet Master finish time, the Internet Master checkbox will be unchecked after the first synchronization. If it is before the Internet Master finish time or if Internet Master is left checked, the Fore! Internet stoplight turns yellow and you receive booking conflict warnings when attempting to book locally. Do the following procedures to uncheck it:
1) Confirm that you are connected to the Internet.
2) Select File | Setup | Internet or click the stoplight.
3) In the Fore! Internet screen, click the Stop button.
4) Remove the check from the Internet Master checkbox.
5) Click Save.
6) Click the Start button.
7) The wording at the top indicates it is "Starting" and then "Synching" from the Fore! Reservations‟ server.
8) Once the synchronization is complete, the status says Running.
9) Minimize the Fore! Internet program by clicking on the Exit button in the upper right corner of the Fore! Internet window. Fore! Internet runs in the background throughout the day, waiting for the real-time online bookings. The Fore! Internet stoplight displays the status of Fore! Internet on each computer‟s status bar. A green light denotes that Fore! Internet has synced in the past five minutes while a red light means Fore! Internet is stopped for some reason. Remember, if you are connected to the Internet via a dial up connection, the Autodial feature must be checked.
In the Evening
As previously stated, a direct connection to the Internet is important to accept 24-hour, online, real-time bookings. However, there is no way to ensure a constant Internet connection overnight when no one is in the golf shop. A power failure is a typical cause of a lost Internet connection. The Internet is Master feature allows real-time reservations without that connection. For the Internet is Master feature to be accurate and effective, it must only be turned on as the last procedure at night and the turned off as the first procedure in the morning. This last synchronization at night, with Internet Master checked, assumes that available tee times are not booked at the golf course until the synchronization is done in the morning. Because the replication of available tee times is on the Internet and it knows that no reservations are made at the course, the Internet does not check the golf course for available tee times. Thus, no connection is needed. The first synchronization in the morning books all reservations made overnight while the Internet Master was checked.
Perform the following evening procedure:
1) Complete maintenance for the night (i.e. local backup, compact and removable backup).
2) Confirm that you are connected to the Internet.
3) Select File | Setup | Internet or click the stoplight.
4) In the Fore! Internet screen, click the Shutdown button which sets Internet Master, shuts down Fore! Reservations and logs off of Windows on this machine.
If the Fore! Internet machine is left on and the above procedure is not performed, Fore! Internet automatically changes to Internet is Master mode. It sets this mode on the next synchronization after the Internet Master start time. Even though the Internet is Master procedure is set automatically, it is not as foolproof as the above procedure. For one, the Internet connection could drop before reaching the Internet Master start time. The machine must be left on overnight which wastes energy and risks damage from an overnight lightning storm. Therefore, it is recommended that you run the above procedure rather than letting it run on its own.
Fore! Internet After Hours
While using Fore! Internet for real-time direct reservations 24 hours per day is the recommended method, it requires a real-time Internet connection while the golf shop is in operation. For various reasons, some facilities are not able to supply a constant Internet connection and thus 24 hour booking is not possible. For those with limited Internet access, run the Fore! Internet as an After Hours booking tool to make reservations when the golf shop is closed.
In the evening, perform a nightly synchronization procedure. This process replicates the available tee times on the Internet showing potential customers what is available as of closing time. During the night, customers can make reservations on for the available times, and receive an e-mail from the Internet server confirming their reservation. In the morning, the morning synchronization brings the local database up to date. During this process, all reservations made overnight are copied to the database at the golf course and custom e-mail confirmations are sent.
In the Evening
1) Confirm that you are connected to the Internet.
2) Log into Fore! Reservations.
3) File | Setup | Internet or click the stoplight.
4) The Fore! Internet window appears.
5) Confirm that there is a check in the checkbox in the After Hours section of the screen.
6) Verify that the times are set with the Start Time being in the evening after the golf shop closes and the Finish Time being a time in the morning before the golf shop opens. All times are Eastern Standard Time. The evening synchronization must be performed prior to the Start Time.
7) Click the Shutdown button which shuts down Fore! Reservations and logs off this machine.
It is very important that you perform this task as the last process of the day. After performing this procedure, available tee times become available on the Internet after the Start time. If you book a reservation at the golf course and do not do another synchronization, that tee time is still left as available on the Internet, resulting in the possibility of a double-booking. Performing another synchronization can easily rectify this potential problem. You can perform as many synchronizations as necessary; just ensure that one is performed after all bookings are completed at the golf course. Remember, double bookings cannot occur if you synchronize as the last procedure in the evening.
In the Morning
1) Confirm that you are connected to the Internet.
2) Log into Fore! Reservations.
3) File | Setup | Internet or click the stoplight.
4) The Fore! Internet window appears.
5) Confirm that there is a check in the checkbox in the After Hours section of the screen.
6) Verify that the times are set with the Start Time being after the golf shop closes and the Finish Time in the morning before the golf shop opens. All times are Eastern Standard Time. The morning synchronization must be performed after the Finish Time. If you are consistently opening the golf shop prior to the Finish Time, change the Finish Time to an earlier time.
7) Click the Start button.
8) The wording above the button indicates it is "Starting" and then "Synching" from the Fore! Reservations server.
9) Once the synchronization is complete, the status indicates "Running".
10) Your synchronization is complete and you can click the Stop button.
11) After waiting for about three seconds, you can then close Fore! Internet by clicking the Exit button in the upper right corner of the window.
12) All e-mail confirmations are sent with the successful synchronization in Step 8. Make sure that you read your e-mail and handle any issues that customers request. Customers are informed that cancellations are not to be made via e-mail, but occasionally they are submitted anyway. You need to be proactive on these and other issues.
13) Log off of your ISP.
This process must be done first thing in the morning. Like the night synchronization, this updates the course database with the reservations made overnight. If you do not perform the synchronization before taking reservations at the course, you run the risk of double-booking a tee time. Remember, double bookings cannot occur if you synchronize as the last procedure in the evening and the first procedure in the morning.
Consider performing the morning synchronization periodically throughout the day. Even though customers cannot make reservations online, the sync updates the available times and gives customers browsing your website a better idea of what is available. They may be encouraged to call the golf shop to make a reservation for a tee time they viewed online.
