myStorMan -
Knowledgebase - Article #OLSORS01
| Article ID |
Article Title |
Last updated |
Article relates to |
Special contents |
| OLSORS01 |
Online Reservations |
20090211 (Andy) |
Models: Pro, MultiUser, MultiSite, MultiView
Brands: Marina, Self Storage, Appliances
Versions: 7.2.14 (and higher) |
Jump directly to:
PowerSession Video |
What is the Online Reservations System?
StorMan's Online Reservations System allows your customers to reserve units, berths, appliances or vaults at your business via your website, at any time of the day or night. The system is linked up with your local copy of StorMan, so that any reservations made online will automatically appear in your copy of StorMan.
What are the Online Reservations System requirements?
- Your company will need a website (if you don't have one, try StorMan Business Services)
- All sites participating on Online Reservations will need a static IP address
- All sites participating on Online Reservations will need a specific port-forward setup in the sites' router(s) / firewall(s)
- StorPay is required if you choose to accept online payments (via credit card) for the payment of the deposit (this is optional)
- Advam is required if you use StorPay (this depends on whether or not you choose to go with the above option)
- The computer running StorMan Standalone, or StorMan Server, need to be left switched on, with StorMan running 24/7
- You will need some knowledge of website customisation and HTML code if you wish to edit the templates yourself; alternatively, StorMan Business Services can customise the templates for you
Can I try a demo of the Online Reservation System?
Yes; just visit http://democompany.storman.com/ and selection the option to reserve a unit.
Can customers pay a deposit online?
This is an optional component that you can activate if you like, and you can specify this when you complete the Online Reservations application form. Please note that you will need StorPay for this to work, so if you don't yet use StorPay, you will also need to complete a StorPay application form if you want to use this feature.
Once enabled, the customer can choose to pay their deposit online at the end of the reservation process. Please note that this is an optional step for the customer - there is nothing stopping them from leaving your website once they have made a reservation... so if you have a customer that has reserved online but elected not to pay for their deposit at the same time, you may wish to email or telephone them to process the deposit-payment another way.
How much does Online Reservations cost?
Please contact your nearest StorMan sales office, or place a purchase request via the Store.
Is the 'link' between StorMan and the Online Reservation System real-time?
Yes - this is to ensure that unit (or berth, appliance, vault, etc) data is always up to date. Therefore, you will need a static IP address on your site's internet connection, and your IT technician will need to forward certain ports though your router and firewall to make this link work. You can read more about StorMan's network ports via knowledgebase article #HWSNPT01 - Network ports used by StorMan.
If the StorMan computer at site is turned off, will Online Reservations still work?
No, as the data comes from StorMan in real-time.
How does the validity of a facility's support plan effect Online Reservations?
Online Reservations are allowed for a facility, provided it is no more than 1 month past it’s support expiry date for that facility. If a facility is more than 1 month past it’s support expiry date, or if it is not licenced to use Online Reservations, then it will not appear in the list of facilities available to reserve units for.
If there are no facilities found that have a current support plan and are licenced to use Online Reservations, then "Error #1" will be displayed when you get to the first web page within the Online Reservations system.
How does the process work?
A flow-chart has been provided below...
How do I setup Online Reservations?
To setup Online Reservations, simply follow the instructions below.
You may also wish to view or download the Online Reservations technical implementation guide at the bottom of this page...
| Step 1 |
Complete an Online Reservations application formand submit it for proecessing. |
| Step 2 |
Once your application has been accepted, ask your IT technician to ensure that each of your facility internet connections (that wish to use Online Reservations) have static IP addresses and that the required ports have been opened & port-forwarded through your router (refer to article #HWSNPT01 - Network ports used by StorMan for more information).
Once you receive a set of template files from a StorMan staff member, you can install them onto the StorMan computer at the primary facility. Begin by performing steps 3 and 4 (below) on the StorMan Server or StorMan Standalone computer...
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| Step 3 |
Navigate to the StorMan installation folder. Create a new folder called “web” (all lowercase & without quotes). Inside that folder, create another folder called “reserve” (all lowercase & without quotes). |
| Step 4 |
Copy all template files (and associated folders) into this new folder. In other words, copy all provided template material into \<path to StorMan>\web\reserve\ |
| Step 5 |
You can now start the webserver module in StorMan by selecting File -> Start Webserver option in StorMan Standalone or StorMan Client. |
| Step 6 |
You can now enable Online Reservations in StorMan by selecting Maintenance -> System Setup, and then clicking on the Online Prefs tab. Enable the module and configure any options as required. Click 'OK' to save & close. You will need to repeat this particular step at any of the other facilities that you have (which run StorMan). |
| Step 7 |
The next step is to enable particular unit types for online reservations. To do this, select Maintenance -> Unit Types & Rates, and then double-click on the unit type that you wish to enable online reservations for. Use the tickbox provided to enable online reservations for that unit type. Click 'OK' to close the unit-type editing screen. Repeat this process for any other unit types that you wish to enable online reservations for. Remember, you'll also need to repeat this particular step at any of the other facilities that you have (which run StorMan). |
| Step 8 |
Click 'OK' to save & close the Unit Types screen. |
| Step 9 |
Restart StorMan, and test the online reservations internally system by browsing to http://localhost:19812/4DCGI/reserve/start on the machine running the Online Reservations System (i.e. the machine you performed Step 3 on). |
| Step 10 |
Finally, you can test the online reservations system externally, by asking someone outside of the facility’s network to test the system by browsing to http://the-sites-static-IP:19812/4DCGI/reserve/start using their external internet connection (where the-sites-static-IP is the static IP of the facility running the Online Reservations System). |
View the video:
On Wednesday February 11th, 2009 we held a free StorMan PowerSessionwebcast on the topic of Online Reservations, where the trainer shows you how to setup StorMan and then runs through the customer experience of reserving a unit & paying for the deposit. You can download / view the webcast recording below...
- Note: You will need a fairly recent version of Windows Media Player or VLC to play this file. To save the video file to your computer, right-click the video link above, and select "Save target as..." (or "Save link as...").
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