NOTE: This feature is available in the Professional and Enterprise versions of myStratus Desktop. Spectra does not include this feature.

myStratus contains many features that can be utilized by photographers who specialize in large organizations. This tutorial shows how to utilize the online booking process specifically for your organizations. Please note that Online Booking must be enabled and the Online Booking Preferences must be set up before online booking for organizations can be used. See Setting up Online Booking for more information.

This tutorial covers the following steps for setting up online booking for organizations:

1. Setting up Organizations
2. Creating Time Slots
3. Emailing Clients

 After online booking is set up for an organization, you've created appropriate time slots, and set up an email with the correct link, clients within a specific organization can book their sessions/appointments online. Upon receiving your email and clicking the link, the client will be redirected to your online booking portal and automatically logged in. Here's an example of how the portal will appear for your clients after they click the email link:

HERE'S A FLASH FOR YOU! It's important to customize your online booking portal as much as possible. To customize the fonts/colors of your portal, go to Maintenance > Preferences > Online Booking Preferences > Customization tab. Also check out the Logo tab of the Online Booking Preferences for adding your studio's logo to online booking. See Setting up Online Booking for more information.

1. Setting up Organizations

The first step in setting up online booking for organizations is to make sure your organizations are set up correctly. Go to Maintenance > Client > Organizations. From that list, double click the organization that you are going to edit and go to the Online Booking tab. For information on setting up the other tabs in the Organization Maintenance, see Organizations.

• Check the respective boxes to enable Appointments and/or Sessions to be booked online by clients who are a part of this particular organization.

• Start/End Date (optional) - This section controls which date range of time slots should be visible online. By selecting a start/end date, all time slots created for this date range will be visible for this organization during online booking. This option is recommended, but not required, for clients who do not use the Limit Time Slots to this Organization only option but would still like to limit what dates a client can book. Leave this section blank if an organization can book at any time.

• Allowed Appointment/Session Types - Check which Appointment/Session types are able to be booked online for this particular organization. Please note that the Appointment/Session type must be enabled for online booking before it will be visible online.  See Setting up Online Booking for more information.

• Limit Time slots to this Organization only -  When this option is checked then any time slots assigned to this organization will only be available for this particular organization and will not show up as being available during regular Online Booking.  In addition, only clients booking through this organization will be able to view these time slots. 

2. Creating Time Slots

Once the Organizations are set up for online booking, the next step is to create time slots for each session type. For further instructions on setting up time slots, see Scheduling Time Slots.



When creating time slots, either individually or in bulk, you can also select which organization the time slot(s) will be assigned. This option is necessary for organizations which have Limit Time Slots to this Organization Only checked in the Organization maintenance. Time slots assigned to a specific organization will not be available during regular online booking.

3. Emailing Clients

Now that you're ready for clients to begin booking online, they need to be alerted that it's available for them to use. Using a special Merge Field in either an HTML email or Form Letter will allow your clients to click a link that will automatically redirect and log them in to your online booking portal. 

PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS... After creating the email to give your clients their information to utilize online booking, use the Communication Wizard to send your form letter or HTML email to the necessary clients. See Communication Wizard for more information. Your communication options can even be taken a step further by utilizing the optional StudioPlus Mail Service. This add-on allows you to track statistics such as which clients have actually opened their email and clicked through the link. Click here for more information and pricing.

1. Tools > Design Tools > Form Letter Builder.
2. Click the + icon in the ribbon to create a new form letter.
3. Click OK after entering the letter's properties. Make sure it is sent to a Client data type.
4. Go to Insert > Data Field > Online Booking in the ribbon to include a merge field in your email.

• New Appointment URL - Link that auto logs this client in to book a new, regular appointment.
• New Session URL - Link that auto logs this client in to book a new, regular session.
• New Organization Appointment URL - Link that auto logs this client in to book a new appointment for their Organization only.
• New Organization Session URL - Link that auto logs this client in to book a new session for their Organization only.

1. Tools > Design Tools > HTML Email Builder.
2. Click the + icon in the ribbon to create a new Email. Make sure it is set to a Client data type.
3. Change to the Source tab to insert the field.
4. Go to Insert Data Field > Online Booking in the ribbon to include a merge field in your email.

• New Appointment URL - Link that auto logs this client in to book a new, regular appointment.
• New Session URL - Link that auto logs this client in to book a new, regular session.
• New Organization Appointment URL - Link that auto logs this client in to book a new appointment for their Organization only.
• New Organization Session URL - Link that auto logs this client in to book a new session for their Organization only.