2011 Procedure 29 E-Mail Confirmations

Fore! Reservations can automatically generate e-mail confirmations for all reservations and reservation modifications. An Internet connection and POP3 e-mail account must be set up for this feature. For the process to work seamlessly, the e-mail account should be set up on every machine that is used to
make reservations. This account must be the same account on every machine. This e-mail address should bring identity to your website, such as This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Regardless of your choice, you want your customer to identify and easily recognize your web presence. It is recommended that you use Outlook Express for this purpose. Outlook Express must be set up as the default mail client for each computer. Set up this account so that it sends from every machine but only receives on one machine. One person on your staff will be in charge of checking this e-mail frequently, as some customers reply to the e-mail confirmation looking for additional information or making special requests.

For e-mail on a more personal business note, not just the general golf shop account, create e-mail addresses for your management team like This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it etc. To separate your management e-mail account from the general golf shop account, set it up in Outlook. In addition, Outlook has more tools for your manager to use.

Set Option
1) Log into Fore! Reservations.

2) Select the File | Setup | Options menu.

3) Select the E-Tools tab,

4) Check the Send E-mail Confirmations checkbox.

5) Check the Cancel Message, Modify Quantity Message and Move Message checkboxes if you want confirmations sent when canceling, modifying or moving reservations (unchecked = no e-mail is sent, filled = a dialog box prompting you whether or not to send an e-mail will come up for each confirmation, checked = e-mail sent automatically).

6) Enter the text you want included in each message text box for the corresponding type of reservation change. Note that booking confirmations uses the text in the course notes. To include reservation notes in the confirmation, check the Include Reservation Notes checkbox.

7) Click the OK button.

8) Close Fore! Reservations by File | Exit and then restart Fore! Reservations.

Configuring Message
There are four parts to an e-mail confirmation message. The first is the reservations details, such as the date, time, quantity and confirmation number. Fore! Reservations automatically generates this. If Include Reservation Notes checkbox is selected in the E-tools Option screen, then the reservation notes are included. The second part of the e-mail confirmation is a personalized message from you. For new reservations, this part is taken directly from the course notes of the course in which the reservation was made. This enables a facility to put in a variety of information from policies and procedures to marketing news. And this information can be specific to the course. To set up your confirmation message:

1) Log into Fore! Reservations.

2) Select the File | Setup | Course menu.

3) Click the Course pull-down menu and select the course to configure.

4) Click in the Notes field at the bottom and type in your message, remember to include not only your confirmation message but also your name and website for easy reference.

5) Repeat this procedure for each course. Remember that each course can have a different message. If the messages are all going to be similar, block copy and paste the message to all courses.

6) Click the OK button on the bottom to save your changes and exit the screen.

For reservation modifications (modifying, moving or canceling), use the text as indicated in File | Setup | Options | E-tools, discussed earlier in this procedure.

Fore! Reservations generates the third part to the e-mail confirmation. This contains course details such as the course name, address and phone numbers. To ensure proper information, fill out those fields completely when you are at the Course Setup screen creating the e-mail confirmation message.

The fourth part is a standard removal tag, also generated by Fore! Reservations.

Sending Confirmation
Upon making a reservation for a customer with an e-mail address, the system automatically places the message in the outbox. If Outlook Express/Outlook is configured to send immediately, then the message is sent immediately. Otherwise, click the Send/Receive button to send the message.