Its true...the next step in automating our trip booking process is ready to go...and will be released next week.
The Overall Plan:
1. You are ready to sign up for a trip and you click on a button to sign up!
2. You are taken to an overview page which spells out the step by step process for booking the trip including telling us which trip, what you want, your airline details, insurance details and of course your forms.
3. Each step in the aforementioned process will give you a continue button/link which will take you to the form you need to fill out to say give us your airline details or your insurance information.
4. There will even be a link to the SD forms we need you to fill out and SOON you'll be able to fill them out ONLINE!
5. When its time to pay for the trip deposit, nitrox or even the trip in full, every transaction will have a unique reference ID which will be recorded automatically in our payment system/gateway along with other information about you such as your name, screen name etc. This unique reference number will be sent in an email to our accountant and our trip coordinators so they will know what you are paying for, and what you are ordering up for the trip such as single or double occupancy, nitrox, or extra days. (You will still fill out the order template for the trip but that too will be automated eventually!) There will even be an open field where you can just tell us what you want so if we need to create any special pricing for you we can! Or you can give us special instructions and they will be all in one place so we can more easily accomplish them for you.
6. You will be able to add a price next to standard trip payment items such as deposit, or nitrox or add your own invoice items such as Rent-A-Buddy or extra days along with the price from the trip details and the new payment interface will add these items up and even add the 3% for you if wish to pay via credit card. Then it will pass that dollar amount to the payment system/gateway along with your name, etc. automatically. (If you need to add more money or change something you can try hitting the back button several times to return you to the payment transaction summary form OR simply just cancel the payment when you get to SD's Payment System/Gateway and start over again.) Until you enter your credit card or checking account info NO financial transaction will have occurred. And since EVERY transaction has a unique transaction number there will be less confusion over payments, what you are paying for etc.
7. Over time we'll eventually link each process in the trip booking process flow so they are even more automated but as we complete the automation of one step we'll roll it out to you until the entire process is automated.
8. Down the road we'll add the ability to add a discount code and have the system calculate early payment discounts etc.
What Have We Accomplished So Far? (See Below in Red):
1. You are ready to sign up for a trip and you click on a button to sign up!
2. You are taken to an overview page which spells out the step by step process for booking the trip including telling us which trip, what you want, your airline details, insurance details and of course your forms.
3. Each step in the aforementioned process will give you a continue button/link which will take you to the form you need to fill out to say give us your airline details or your insurance information.
4. There will even be a link to the SD forms we need you to fill out and SOON you'll be able to fill them out ONLINE!
5. When its time to pay for the trip deposit, nitrox or even the trip in full, every transaction will have a unique reference ID which will be recorded automatically in our payment system/gateway along with other information about you such as your name, screen name etc. This unique reference number will be sent in an email to our accountant and our trip coordinators so they will know what you are paying for, and what you are ordering up for the trip such as single or double occupancy, nitrox, or extra days. (You will still fill out the order template for the trip but that too will be automated eventually!) There will even be an open field where you can just tell us what you want so if we need to create any special pricing for you we can! Or you can give us special instructions and they will be all in one place so we can more easily accomplish them for you.
6. You will be able to add a price next to standard trip payment items such as deposit, or nitrox or add your own invoice items such as Rent-A-Buddy or extra days along with the price from the trip details and the new payment interface will add these items up and even add the 3% for you if wish to pay via credit card. Then it will pass that dollar amount to the payment system/gateway along with your name, etc. automatically. (If you need to add more money or change something you can try hitting the back button several times to return you to the payment transaction summary form OR simply just cancel the payment when you get to SD's Payment System/Gateway and start over again.) Until you enter your credit card or checking account info NO financial transaction will have occurred. And since EVERY transaction has a unique transaction number there will be less confusion over payments, what you are paying for etc.
7. Over time we'll eventually link each process in the trip booking process flow so they are even more automated but as we complete the automation of one step we'll roll it out to you until the entire process is automated.
8. Down the road we'll add the ability to add a discount code and have the system calculate early payment discounts etc.
TimeLine:
1. Automated payment interface aka our Payment Gateway - Implemented early 2010
2. Enhanced payment summary interface and unique transaction ID generator - Set to release by 9-25-10
