Templates help you work more efficiently as you don't have to build a completely new proposal from scratch every time you need to create an offer. When you have good templates, a proposal shouldn't take more than 2 minutes from start to finish ⏱
When considering what templates to create, it's good to think about:
What kind of proposals did you send before?
What key guest segments do I have?
Do different guest types need different information, welcome messages or products?
Do I want to be able to send proposals in different languages?
Do I want my templates to be organised in a certain way? They automatically organise themselves alphabetically so name them accordingly.
The answers to these questions will help you to realise how many different templates you will need to build.
Creating your first template
Click 'Proposals' in the left hand panel,
Click the blue 'Create proposal' button,
A brand new proposal will now open ready to be adapted.
🧑🏫Quick tip!
If you already have some templates, you will see something different after clicking 'Create Proposal'. You will see a blue bar with existing templates that were previously created. You should instead click 'Create a new template' on the left side and then follow the same steps below.
From here, you can start to create your template. Follow the list below to ensure you cover everything:
Change the title to reflect the purpose of the template:
To do this, just click on where you see 'unnamed proposal' and type what you like.
Many people will tell the team what to write her by stating it in the title, such as 'Meeting type' - 'Date'. When a colleague needs to send this as a proposal, they may then change this to 'Spring Conference' - March 2023'.
For dates, we have enabled variables/macros, meaning you can ensure the correct date format every time. It will also help us with insights in the future. Learn more about variables here.
Set the default validity period
Click the blue text box that states the 'Valid from' date and decide what your preferred length of validity should be. This can be 7 days, 14 days or 30 days.
Add an introduction or welcome text:
Again, you just need to click the text in the 'Introduction' text and write whatever you want. This can be a welcome to the guest, it can talk about your hotel and services, or the area and activities around you. You can also use it to provide crucial details, such as arrival or departure dates and any special details you want to ensure every guest is aware of, such as latest cancellation dates.
You can format this text into Headers or Body and use our alignment icons to ensure it looks just right.
Add the products that are most often included in this kind of proposal
To do this, click 'Content' on the right hand panel to open up your content library. You then simply add whatever products you want by clicking the '+' icon on that product.
🧑🏫 Quick tip!
Add the products in the order you want them to appear to the guest. You can drag and drop them after they have been added but it's faster to just add it in the right order from the start
Add attachments
These can be very important as they should include your Terms & Conditions and other important policy documents. They can also include an array of other things, from menu cards to floor plans and technical equipment specifications.
To add the attachments, you first need to upload them to your account.
Click 'Attachments' in the right hand panel
Click 'Add Attachment'
Click 'Upload Attachment'
Select the file from your computer
When loaded, click the '+' icon next to the file and done!
It will now be added to the bottom of your proposal.
The next steps are more about default behaviour on your templates.
Set the template to exclude or include VAT
This helps you to dictate if all proposals should be sent including or excluding VAT in the total price. It can be overridden on an individual proposal in the future but if you always want it a certain way, setting it at template level is the best way to ensure that and also leave one less thing for your sales team to have to think about. To set it up:
Click 'Appearance' on the right hand panel
Click the toggle to change it between including VAT or excluding VAT
Decide if you want to request invoicing details automatically
Again, this should be set at template level to take one job off your sales team, and will also speed up the whole process by automating the admin job of obtaining the invoicing details. It is easy for you and a good guest experience too. To set this up on your template:
Click 'Invoicing' on the right hand panel
Toggle on or off the button on 'Ask for invoicing details'
When toggled on, the guest experience will look like this:
Decide if you want to use the 'Booking Status':
If you toggle on the 'Booking Status' then you will be able to update your proposal later with the reservation number. This can be done before or after the guest accepts the proposal.
Finally, when you're happy with the template, click 'Save as template', under the three dotted menu:
Next up, localize your templates. You will find a guide to that here.
If you need any help, get in touch with the Help Desk via your 'Help!' button
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