Getting Started: Basic Software Concepts
Learn the difference between customer-facing pages and the account back end, along with how leads and customer records work. These concepts will help you choose and configure the workflow that fits your business.
Prerequisites
- An active InflatableOffice or EventOffice account.
- Access to the account back end.
- Access to Settings and the Document Center if you need to edit customer-facing pages or templates.
Understand the Two Parts of the Software
-
Customer-facing pages
These are the pages customers use to request quotes, review information, and begin the online booking process. -
Account back end
This is the software you access after logging in. Use it to manage leads, customers, inventory, settings, and other business information.
You can use the back-end tools without connecting customer-facing pages to your website. Online quoting and booking can be added or changed later.
Customize Customer-Facing Pages
- Go to Settings.
- Open Document Center.
- Select Pages to manage customer-facing pages.
- Select Templates to manage the templates used by those pages.
- Edit the customer-facing wording as needed, then save your changes.
Example: You can change “Cell Phone” to “Mobile Phone” on the Customer Quote Request page. This changes the customer-facing label, but the back-end field will still be labeled “Cell Phone.”
Understand Leads and Customers
- Lead: Stores the quote or event details, such as the date, venue, inventory, and booking status.
- Customer record: Stores information about the person or organization associated with one or more leads.
- Quote Request: When a customer submits the customer-facing quote form, the software creates a lead.
- Manual entry: You can also create or edit a lead from the Leads page in the back end.
- Customer matching: The software attempts to match new lead information to an existing customer instead of creating a duplicate customer record.
Typical Lead Workflow
- A customer submits a quote request, or an office user creates a lead manually.
- The lead starts in the Quote status by default.
- The lead progresses through your booking workflow.
- When booking requirements are completed, the lead can progress to Confirmed.
- The lead appears under the corresponding customer record on the Customer tab.
Feature Options & Parameters
| Option or Concept | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Customer-facing pages | Allow customers to request quotes and begin the online booking process. |
| Back end | Provides internal tools for managing leads, customers, inventory, and settings. |
| Pages and Templates | Control the wording and presentation customers see. |
| Quote status | The default starting status for a new, unconfirmed lead. |
| Confirmed status | Identifies a lead that has progressed to a confirmed booking. |
| Customer matching | Attempts to associate a new lead with an existing customer record. |
Use Cases
- Online workflow: Connect customer-facing pages to your website so customers can request quotes and begin booking online.
- Office-managed workflow: Use only the back end to create leads and manage customers without offering online quoting.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Q: Do I have to connect the software to my website?
A: No. You can use the back-end tools without customer-facing pages and add online quoting or booking later.
Q: I changed a field label, but the back-end label did not change.
A: Customer-facing templates and back-end fields are separate. Changing a label such as “Cell Phone” on a customer page does not rename the back-end field.
Q: What creates a lead?
A: A lead is created when a customer submits a Quote Request form. You can also create one manually from the Leads page.
Q: What is the difference between a lead and a customer?
A: A lead contains quote and event details. The customer record contains information about the person or organization associated with the event.
Q: Why was a duplicate customer created?
A: The software attempts to match existing customers, but differences in the submitted information may prevent a match. Use the customer merge utility to combine duplicate records.
Q: Where can I find a customer's leads?
A: Open the customer record and review its Customer tab. You can also locate and manage the lead from the main Leads page.