07-27-2021, 08:33 PM
Dears,
as we love to repeat, we can't stand still and we have come up with new publications on Zak.
In order not to destabilize the high season, we have decided to publish only non-invasive
improvements. We are working on bigger themes, but we will certainly postpone them to the
end of summer, beginning of autumn.
Here is a presentation of the improvements that will be issued tomorrow, Wednesday.
* Tabla Preferences *
They are now saved on Zak's servers. So, if you change computer, if you clear the cache,
they will be persistent. This was asked on the forum, I think by Dario among others,
whom I thank.
* Archive and Customer Management *
Here we have done a lot. The duplication detection mechanism has been greatly improved.
We have revisited the entire customer section, renewing it not only graphically, but
also in terms of functionality.
But let's go step by step.
The customer section now has a Welcome Page with a nice view: simple, but hopefully valuable.
You see the number of customers in the archive and their average age. The distribution of
nations and tags. From here, we have also introduced the possibility of manually inserting
a contact in the archive.
Customer tags have been completely redesigned. Each tag can be decorated with a customized
icon and with its own color. We have read all the tags you use on your customers (it was
funny, I cite a "politically correct" example: "ran away"). And from here we produced a set
of bespoke icons, with the hope that they will best represent your common needs.
Customer tags will be immediately visible, with their icons and colors. Both on the page
of reservation's detail, both on the Reception page. So you know who you have in front of
you at the time of checkin or checkout.
For those who wish it, it is also possible to configure Zak to comply with laws and yours
privacy policies. Specifically, you will be able to configure the system to delete
automatically the sensitive data of "old" customers (those, to be clear, who have stayed
more than N years ago). The system has three levels of "anonymization": soft, medium, hard.
It will be well explained in the section.
On the detail of each customer it's possible to ask Zak to check for duplicates and only
in case there is a duplicate, make a specific union immediately.
The duplicate detection mechanism was an important issue: we improved it dramatically.
On several fronts: both the automatic one, which proactively keeps you updated on
duplicates of your archive, both the one you usually use on YouBook. Here the detection
it should become more accurate.
Later we will describe things better, but customer tracking has also been introduced on
the Fast booking, the one accessible from the planner.
* Online Reception *
Zak's Online Reception widgets can be configured to work with multiple properties or to
segment the sale with Room Tags.
Let me describe one thing at a time.
Those who need to sell, from the same widget, rooms of different properties, can take
advantageof the Multi Property Widget. Once the dates have been selected, upon clicking,
the customer will be led to an intermediate choice page: "Which property do you prefer
to book?".
This page is designed with the texts (names and descriptions) and images that you can
manageon the Content page. It is important to communicate all the necessary information to
the customer so that this page can be a basis for his choice.
The same mechanism can be turned on using the Room Tags. If you want to segment sales, by
asking the customer which group of rooms he wants to book, you can enable this option on
the widget.
After the click, the customer will independently choose the preferred group of rooms.
And as for the case of multiple properties, even the Room Tags can be well described
using the content page (texts, images).
* Fast booking from the planner *
We have finally introduced two features that you have been asking us for for a long time.
It will be quick describe them.
First of all, it is possible to specify a custom amount.
Second, there is a duplicate detection mechanism here too, like on YouBook. If you have
read the first chapter, we have the hope of having improved it a lot and that duplicates
are detected with much more precision.
* Refresh Graphics *
We also mention a complete restyle of the overbooking detail page.
To complete the work of refreshing the entire reservation section, only the reservation
detail page is missing. Which is almost ready. But as we said at the beginning, we will
postpone things at least at the end of the summer, so as not to destabilize you in such
an important period.
AirBnb is also adapting to the times. And here too the refresh is complete. Expedia and
Despegar channels will follow as soon as possible, so the whole Channel Manager section
will be at the state of the art on the graphic front.
* Email Forwarding *
On the page Settings > Generic, it is possible to configure Zak so that, while sending
emails to customers, you can choose whether to receive a copy of the message.
This was an option present only on the Email Branding module (module that allows Zak
to send emails using your official addresses).
Rightly, someone also complained on the forum about receiving too many emails.
Here is the solution and sorry for the delay.
* Booking.com and encrypted messages *
It is well known the problem that booking.com introduces on the messages you send: they
come modified, sometimes in a qualitative way. Links break. In particular the one for
online checkin.
And we solved it. How?
To understand this, let's take a step back. The links to the Online Checkin are not so
long without a reason: it so long for safety reasons. Being public, unauthenticated,
they must be not easy to find, otherwise everyone could have access to personal details
of third parties.
But from now on there will be two different links to access the Online Checkin.
The usual one, which you already know. And the "short" one, that hopefully Booking.com
will not go to break.
This short address requires authentication from the customer. In the same way that
Zak's new Minisites do it, here's an example:
https://nombredetupropiedad.wbzak.net/en/
If you click on the Online Checkin you will immediately realize how authentication works.
It's important to note one thing: the impact of booking.com link's encryption must be
considered important. This is why the default link to Online Checkin becomes the one
with authentication.
With particular reference to the Zak Messaging System (Templating System), you will have
the possibility to choose, on each template, whether to use the "long" link or the short
one. But remember that if you don't touch anything, the links provided to customers will
be "short" ones, where authentication is required.
* Online Checkin *
When registering customers on Online Checkin, we have improved the messages which inform
them about the fields that they did not fill well with many details. Bringing them back
also at the top of the page to allow a better review of the data.
*High season*
To conclude, I am pleased to tell you that we have been working like crazy to support a
raise of important volumes. Both the high season and a particularly good season on a
commercial level they put Zak under much higher stress than normal.
Know that we have invested time and money in upgrading systems and improving the software
to cope with the volumes of this hot summer.
We thank you in particular for the trust you are placing in us.
With the hope that our work will be useful to you,
ciao a tutti!
as we love to repeat, we can't stand still and we have come up with new publications on Zak.
In order not to destabilize the high season, we have decided to publish only non-invasive
improvements. We are working on bigger themes, but we will certainly postpone them to the
end of summer, beginning of autumn.
Here is a presentation of the improvements that will be issued tomorrow, Wednesday.
* Tabla Preferences *
They are now saved on Zak's servers. So, if you change computer, if you clear the cache,
they will be persistent. This was asked on the forum, I think by Dario among others,
whom I thank.
* Archive and Customer Management *
Here we have done a lot. The duplication detection mechanism has been greatly improved.
We have revisited the entire customer section, renewing it not only graphically, but
also in terms of functionality.
But let's go step by step.
The customer section now has a Welcome Page with a nice view: simple, but hopefully valuable.
You see the number of customers in the archive and their average age. The distribution of
nations and tags. From here, we have also introduced the possibility of manually inserting
a contact in the archive.
Customer tags have been completely redesigned. Each tag can be decorated with a customized
icon and with its own color. We have read all the tags you use on your customers (it was
funny, I cite a "politically correct" example: "ran away"). And from here we produced a set
of bespoke icons, with the hope that they will best represent your common needs.
Customer tags will be immediately visible, with their icons and colors. Both on the page
of reservation's detail, both on the Reception page. So you know who you have in front of
you at the time of checkin or checkout.
For those who wish it, it is also possible to configure Zak to comply with laws and yours
privacy policies. Specifically, you will be able to configure the system to delete
automatically the sensitive data of "old" customers (those, to be clear, who have stayed
more than N years ago). The system has three levels of "anonymization": soft, medium, hard.
It will be well explained in the section.
On the detail of each customer it's possible to ask Zak to check for duplicates and only
in case there is a duplicate, make a specific union immediately.
The duplicate detection mechanism was an important issue: we improved it dramatically.
On several fronts: both the automatic one, which proactively keeps you updated on
duplicates of your archive, both the one you usually use on YouBook. Here the detection
it should become more accurate.
Later we will describe things better, but customer tracking has also been introduced on
the Fast booking, the one accessible from the planner.
* Online Reception *
Zak's Online Reception widgets can be configured to work with multiple properties or to
segment the sale with Room Tags.
Let me describe one thing at a time.
Those who need to sell, from the same widget, rooms of different properties, can take
advantageof the Multi Property Widget. Once the dates have been selected, upon clicking,
the customer will be led to an intermediate choice page: "Which property do you prefer
to book?".
This page is designed with the texts (names and descriptions) and images that you can
manageon the Content page. It is important to communicate all the necessary information to
the customer so that this page can be a basis for his choice.
The same mechanism can be turned on using the Room Tags. If you want to segment sales, by
asking the customer which group of rooms he wants to book, you can enable this option on
the widget.
After the click, the customer will independently choose the preferred group of rooms.
And as for the case of multiple properties, even the Room Tags can be well described
using the content page (texts, images).
* Fast booking from the planner *
We have finally introduced two features that you have been asking us for for a long time.
It will be quick describe them.
First of all, it is possible to specify a custom amount.
Second, there is a duplicate detection mechanism here too, like on YouBook. If you have
read the first chapter, we have the hope of having improved it a lot and that duplicates
are detected with much more precision.
* Refresh Graphics *
We also mention a complete restyle of the overbooking detail page.
To complete the work of refreshing the entire reservation section, only the reservation
detail page is missing. Which is almost ready. But as we said at the beginning, we will
postpone things at least at the end of the summer, so as not to destabilize you in such
an important period.
AirBnb is also adapting to the times. And here too the refresh is complete. Expedia and
Despegar channels will follow as soon as possible, so the whole Channel Manager section
will be at the state of the art on the graphic front.
* Email Forwarding *
On the page Settings > Generic, it is possible to configure Zak so that, while sending
emails to customers, you can choose whether to receive a copy of the message.
This was an option present only on the Email Branding module (module that allows Zak
to send emails using your official addresses).
Rightly, someone also complained on the forum about receiving too many emails.
Here is the solution and sorry for the delay.
* Booking.com and encrypted messages *
It is well known the problem that booking.com introduces on the messages you send: they
come modified, sometimes in a qualitative way. Links break. In particular the one for
online checkin.
And we solved it. How?
To understand this, let's take a step back. The links to the Online Checkin are not so
long without a reason: it so long for safety reasons. Being public, unauthenticated,
they must be not easy to find, otherwise everyone could have access to personal details
of third parties.
But from now on there will be two different links to access the Online Checkin.
The usual one, which you already know. And the "short" one, that hopefully Booking.com
will not go to break.
This short address requires authentication from the customer. In the same way that
Zak's new Minisites do it, here's an example:
https://nombredetupropiedad.wbzak.net/en/
If you click on the Online Checkin you will immediately realize how authentication works.
It's important to note one thing: the impact of booking.com link's encryption must be
considered important. This is why the default link to Online Checkin becomes the one
with authentication.
With particular reference to the Zak Messaging System (Templating System), you will have
the possibility to choose, on each template, whether to use the "long" link or the short
one. But remember that if you don't touch anything, the links provided to customers will
be "short" ones, where authentication is required.
* Online Checkin *
When registering customers on Online Checkin, we have improved the messages which inform
them about the fields that they did not fill well with many details. Bringing them back
also at the top of the page to allow a better review of the data.
*High season*
To conclude, I am pleased to tell you that we have been working like crazy to support a
raise of important volumes. Both the high season and a particularly good season on a
commercial level they put Zak under much higher stress than normal.
Know that we have invested time and money in upgrading systems and improving the software
to cope with the volumes of this hot summer.
We thank you in particular for the trust you are placing in us.
With the hope that our work will be useful to you,
ciao a tutti!