A public page for hiring your facilities
Facilities you open to the public are listed on a page anyone can read, with each day's free and taken times. Hirers create an account, give their phone, ID proof and address, and book with your approval.
PLANSFrom Growth
The problem it solves
- People call the office to ask if the hall is free on a date, and someone checks a register.
- Outsiders book with only a name, and nobody can reach them when something goes wrong.
- The society's party hall is promised to two families for the same evening.
How it works
- Open the facility's Public Hire tab, tick Open to the Public and write the Public Description.
- The facility appears on your page at /facilities. Visitors search by name, place or amenity, and see each day's free and taken times, with no booking details.
- To book, a visitor signs in, or creates an account where free sign-up is on in your system.
- On the booking page the hirer fills in their phone, ID proof type and number, and address, and accepts the terms.
- With Approve Public Bookings on, the booking waits for your approvers. Then come the agreement and the payment if the facility asks for them.
Everything it does
The public page
- Lists every facility that is open to the public and can be booked
- Cards with photo, place, capacity and amenities; search by name, place or amenity
- A facility's page: description, capacity, amenities and each day's free and taken times, day by day
- Sign in to book, and Create an account where free sign-up is on
- Staff open it from the facility (Open the Public Page) or Facilities > Operations > Public Hire Page
Hirer details
- Phone: required
- ID proof (Aadhaar, PAN, Passport, Driving licence, Voter ID, Other) and number: required when Ask for an ID Proof is on
- Address: optional
- Shown to staff on the booking's Hirer tab; the ID number only to the front desk and managers
Rules
- Hirers book under the facility's usual rule set: slots, notice, limits, terms
- Approve Public Bookings: on to start with; public hires go to the approval chain's public hire route
Who uses it
VisitorLooks at free times without an account.
Outside hirerCreates an account, gives their details and books.
ApproverApproves or rejects public hires.
Facility managerOpens facilities to the public and writes their descriptions.
Where you use it
- Web, public: /facilities and each facility's page, without signing in
- Booking portal: the hirer's booking, payment, agreement and cancellation
- Web, staff: the facility's Public Hire tab, the Hirer tab on a booking, and Facilities > Operations > Public Hire Page to open the public page
What you control
Settings
- Open to the Public: off, per facility
- Approve Public Bookings: on
- Ask for an ID Proof: on
- Free sign-up: a setting of your system; without it, staff create hirers' logins
Approvals
- Facility booking: public hires of a facility with Approve Public Bookings go to its approvers before payment
Notifications
- Facility Booking Waiting for Approval, Rejected, Payment Due and Confirmed: to the hirer as the booking moves on
- Facility Booking to Approve: to the approvers of a public hire
- Each goes out at once, in the app and by email. A person can switch off email, never the event; in-app notices always arrive
- WhatsApp and SMS are set up for these messages but not offered for bookings yet. App push comes once the apps are in the stores
Questions
Can anyone see who booked the hall?
No. The public page shows only free and taken times, never names or purposes.Do hirers need an account?
Yes, to book. Looking needs none. Create an account appears only where free sign-up is on in your system.Do we store Aadhaar numbers?
Only the last 4 digits. The number is checked when typed, then cut to 4 digits.Can we approve each outside booking?
Yes. Approve Public Bookings is on to start with. The booking waits for your approvers before payment.Is the public page in Starter?
No. Public hire comes with Growth, together with charges and the signed agreement.Related features
PUBLIC HIREHire agreement signed onlineA hirer reads your hire agreement on the booking page and signs it with a finger or the mouse before the booking goes on. The signature, name and time are kept, and the agreement prints with the signature.CHARGES AND PAYMENTOnline payment, with the slot held until the deadlineAn outside hirer of a paid facility pays online before the booking is confirmed. The time is held for them until the deadline; if they do not pay, the invoice is cancelled and the time is freed.CHARGES AND PAYMENTSecurity deposits and refundsOutside hirers leave a security deposit with their payment. After use it is returned less the damage charged. A cancelled booking is refunded by your rules on how many hours before the start it was cancelled.PORTAL, OFFICE SCREENS AND APPThe booking portal for staff, members and hirersPeople without a back-office login book from a web page: parents, students, members, residents and outside hirers. They browse what they may book, pick a free time on a facility's day and book. Then they follow their bookings: check in, accept a waitlist offer, pay, sign or cancel.APPROVALBooking approval, with escalation when nobody answersBookings that need a yes, such as the auditorium, wait for the facility's approvers while the time is held. If nobody answers in time, the facility managers are asked. If they do not answer either, the request is turned down, so a forgotten request never locks the time.CHARGES AND PAYMENTFree or paid facilities, rates, peak hours and taxesKeep a facility free, charge everyone, or charge only some bookers: outside hirers, other Entities or your own staff. Rates by the hour, half day, day or booking, with evening and weekend rates, minimum charges and taxes.
See it with your own rooms.
Tell us what you run: rooms, halls, courts, desks. We will show you a booking from request to check-out with your rules.