Office Preferences

Modified on Wed, 8 Oct at 12:45 PM

The Office Preferences Module is a central hub within the GRATIS system designed for managing essential settings and configurations. It is a critical area that allows you to customise various features, manage business settings, and ensure smooth operation across your office/brand setup. This section includes several security and administrative features, so we recommend restricting access to this module to supervisors and managers only.

You can access the Office Preferences module by clicking on the link in the Setup bar located at the top right-hand side of the page. If you are operating multiple offices or brands, you can manage up to five different offices/brands with your GRATIS license. Make sure to select the appropriate office or brand from the picklist at the top of the page when accessing the module.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Banks Tab
2. Details Tab
3. Footers Tab
4. Preferred Venues Tab
5. Sites Tab
6. Logos Tab
7. Options Tab
8. Charge & Locations Tab
Conclusion

Key Features and Settings

1. Banks Tab

This tab is where you configure the banking information necessary to manage commission claims in different currencies (Sterling, Euro, and US Dollars). You’ll need to enter details even if you're using the same account for multiple currencies.

Steps to Enter Banking Information:

Fill in the required banking details for each currency.
Ensure you provide complete information, even if it’s for the same account to ensure smooth commission processing.
Important Note: Any errors or omissions in the banking details can delay the commission claims process, so double-check the details before saving.

2. Details Tab

In this section, you can manage company-specific details and customise your document preferences for commission claims and reminders.

Company Details:

Address, Website, IATA/TIDS Number (if applicable): Input your company’s physical address and website link. If your agency is registered with IATA or TIDS, ensure you include the relevant numbers, along with your VAT number if applicable.

Commission Claim Setup:

Bill Due Days After Conference: Specify the number of days after the conference event when commission claims should be sent.
Bill Due Days After Accommodation: This is similar to the conference setting but applies to accommodation bookings. Set how many days after the accommodation booking the commission claim should be sent.

Reminder Settings:

First Reminder No Days After Claim: Set how many days after the event you would like to send the first reminder for commission payment.
- Note: This will also set the deadline for venues to pay the commission before any credit charges are applied to the booking.
Second Reminder No Days After First: Set the number of days after the first reminder that the second reminder will be triggered.

Office Currency:

Select the default currency for your office. This ensures consistency across financial transactions and documentation.

Pinpoint Map Search:

The system will default all map searches to your office’s address. This feature ensures that all searches start from the correct location.

Enquiry Email Help Text:

Provide helpful text that will be included in online enquiry requests. This can guide your suppliers/venues to fill out necessary information as you require.

3. Footers Tab

This area allows you to personalise your document footers. GRATIS provides a set of standard footers that you can edit to better reflect your business identity.

Customisation:

Edit the footer text and adjust formatting to include your company’s contact details, legal disclaimers, or any other information that is required in the footer of your documents.

4. Preferred Venues Tab

In this section, you can rank your preferred venues and venue groups, influencing the results seen by your team when selecting venues for client enquiries.

Set Venue Preferences:

Group or Venue: Enter the name or part of the name of your preferred venue/group and select it from the drop-down.
Level: Assign a ranking to each venue/group (1-10), where 1 is the highest priority venue that will appear first in search results.
Type: Specify how the venue should be displayed based on enquiry or arrival date. Use the Do Not Use option to put venues at the bottom of the search results, which will also highlight the venues' names in red.
Expiry Date: Enter the termination date for the venue’s arrangement. After this date, the venue will no longer be considered a preferred venue.
Notes: Add any important notes or instructions for your consultants regarding the venue.

Save the Venue:

Once you’ve configured the preferred venue, click the ADD button to add the venue/group to your list of preferred venues.

5. Sites Tab

This tab manages branding and client portal settings. Here you can set default URLs, upload logos, and configure other branding settings.

Site Admin Settings:

Site Admin Email: Enter the email address where all site admin-related communications should be sent.
Alternative Admin Email: Provide an alternative email for admin notifications.
Enquiry Email: Set the email address for all enquiry-related communications.
Call Me Back Email: Specify the email address where all "Call Me Back" requests should be directed.
Displayed Telephone: Enter the telephone number you want to appear on your site.

Privacy Policy & Statement:

Privacy Policy: Input your privacy policy text here.
Privacy Statement: Enter your privacy statement for transparency and compliance.

Theme Customisation:

Upload logos, banners, and background images to personalise the client portal and document templates.
Select theme colours and font styles for a consistent brand appearance across the system. Make sure to avoid using light colours for better readability.
Use the Chrome extension Eye Dropper to extract colour codes for precise customisation.

6. Logos Tab

Here, you can upload and manage your document header logo and menu logo.

Logo Specifications:

Document Header Logo: Max width: 200px, Max height: 700px.
Menu Logo: Max dimensions: 150px x 150px.
These logos will appear on all your proposal documents and in the top-left corner of the GRATIS interface.

7. Options Tab

This tab provides access to system-wide settings for commissions, client invoicing, and various document display options.

System Settings:

Bypass Commission Claims: Enable this setting if you prefer to create invoices directly, rather than generating commission claims post-event.
Show Full Details on Commission Claims: Choose whether to display the charges table or just the total commission amount on the commission claim documents.
Commission Claim Credit Charge %: Set the percentage for late credit charges applied to commission claims if paid after the due date.
Display Zero Value Claims: Opt to display commission claims even if their value is zero.
Display Average Rates per Booking: The average rates will appear at the bottom of the charges table.
Default Enquiry History: The enquiries tab in the Clients, Contacts and Venues modules will display all the enquiries for the period selected as the default in this field.

Input Fields:

Reason for event (Display & Mandate): On the General tab, consultants must select a reason for the event. Documents can only be created after this field is filled in.
Exception reporting (Display & Mandate): Prompts the consultant to record a business reason when something is out of policy or needs an exception, so deviations are consistently tracked in enquiries/bookings.
Explanatory notes on releases (minimum 5 characters): When a venue is released from a booking, the consultant must add a short note explaining why.
Ambassador status for contacts (Display): In the Contacts module, consultants can tag client contacts as VIPs/advocates for internal visibility and targeted relationship management. Configure the available status values in Company Preferences > Dropdowns.
Estimated enquiry value (Display & Mandate): Requires consultants to enter the estimated value for the enquiry/booking across Enquiries, Accommodation, Events, and Supplier Bookings.
Default contract type: Appears on confirmed bookings to reflect where the contract sits in your process, helping teams quickly check contract progress. The Contract Report can be filtered by Arrival Date to view contract details for bookings arriving within the selected period.

Enquiries

Use VDC as Client in EnCloud Target: Routes enquiries sent via EnCloud to the specified target instance. It is used when the enquiries are handled centrally (e.g. Best Western venue).
Send Release Emails to Venues if an Option Gets Released: When you release a venue from a booking, GRATIS automatically sends the venue a release report/email so they are informed immediately.
Default Client SLA Deadline: Sets a standard time window for your team to act on new enquiries and contact clients. This default applies across all clients and helps teams meet agreed service levels.
Default Venue Response Deadline: Sets the standard time venues have to respond to enquiries. Use this to drive consistent response expectations across all venues you contact.
Disable Commission on RFP: Locks the commission value on the RFP so venues cannot change it when responding (for example, if you send 12%, venues won’t be able to lower it).

Documents

Show pick‑up & drop‑off information on proposals - Includes pick‑up and drop‑off information for each venue option, shown above the charges table.
Show on‑site & off‑site facilities on proposals - Includes On‑site and Off‑site facilities sections for each venue option.
Show default billing notes on proposals - Includes the client’s default billing notes on the proposal document. Confirmation documents always include billing notes; proposals follow this toggle.
Show notes for client and venue on - Choose where enquiry notes appear: the option document, the confirmation/amendment document, or both.
Show Corporate Responsibility on proposals - Adds the Corporate Responsibility section to the client proposal. Options: None, Our details, Venue details, Both.
Show all savings at option level - Displays a savings figure per option. Appears at the bottom of the charges table.
Maximum savings before warning displays - Sets the percentage threshold that triggers a visual warning when calculated savings exceed this value (minimum 20%).
Show “Summary of venues on hold” on proposals - Includes a consolidated “venues on hold” summary within the proposal.
Show room, delegate, and supplementary information on confirmations/amendments - Includes room details, delegate information, and supplementary information sections on confirmation and amendment documents.
Show confirmed venue as alias to declined venues - Controls how declined venues are referenced relative to the confirmed venue in generated documents.
Venue description on client proposals - Controls which venue description appears. Options:
• Default & Custom — shows both the venue’s profile description and the custom description set by GRATIS users in the Venues module.

• Default only — shows only the venue’s profile description.

• Custom only (falls back to Default if empty) — shows the custom description added by GRATIS users; if blank, shows the venue’s profile description.

Proposal option order - Sets the ordering for options on the proposal. Options: Location, Option value, Venue name (alphabetical).
Client logo - Shows the client’s logo on the first page only or on all pages.
Venue logo - Shows the venue’s logo in relevant document sections.
PDF creator - Selects the PDF generation method configured in Document Settings. Options: Auto PDF, Request PDF, No PDF.
Office documents - Configure the system to generate Summary or Full proposal documents by default across the organisation. Can be overridden at the client level, contact level, and booking level.
Include remittance advice - Adds remittance advice details to applicable financial documents sent to venues/suppliers.
Send claims in venue/supplier currency - Sends commission claims using the venue/supplier’s currency instead of the office’s base currency.

Room Allocation

Unallocated conference room title - Sets the label used for the unallocated room bucket within the Room Allocation context (the header shown when a room isn’t allocated).
Show all room details on proposals - Includes all captured room details (e.g., main and syndicate room details from the Room Allocation Manager) on the proposal.
Show Room Allocation Manager in enquiry/booking - Expands the Room Allocation Manager section by default on the venue page of an enquiry/booking.

Client Invoicing Settings:

Set the Client Invoice Method and specify the email addresses for invoicing and any other related communications.
Optionally, include Venue/Supplier Invoice as an attachment in client invoices.

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8. Charge & Locations Tab

This tab helps manage the charges grid items, as well as location settings that will appear on your client portal.

Charge Items:

Add or remove charge items as necessary by entering their descriptions into the blank field and clicking ADD.
To delete an item, click the DEL hyperlink next to the item.

Location Settings:

Set location-related settings, which will display on the client portal, allowing users to see available venues within a defined radius.

Conclusion

The Office Preferences Module is an essential area within GRATIS that helps you manage and personalise your agency's configuration and documents. By adjusting these settings, you ensure that the system operates according to your preferences, providing a smooth and tailored experience for both your team and clients.