What is the difference between reservations and bookings?

ONARKEN Smart Lockers provide two distinct features to ensure efficient management of assets: Reservations and Bookings. While both functionalities allow users or administrators to secure assets in advance, they cater to different scenarios and offer unique workflows. Understanding these differences can help organisations optimise asset usage and tailor locker management to their specific needs.

Reservations

Reservations are designed for flexibility and short-term needs. They are typically used when a user needs to secure an asset for immediate or near-term collection without the constraints of a specific future date or time.

1. Use Case:
   Reservations are ideal for ensuring asset availability upon arrival at the locker, particularly when the exact pick-up time might vary.
   
   

2. Initiators:

   • Administrators: Can reserve assets on behalf of users, overriding standard Loan Rules if needed.
     
     
   • Users: Can reserve assets themselves through the My ONARKEN web application.
     
     

3. Duration:
   The reservation period is governed by system rules but can be customised for each reservation. Unclaimed reservations are automatically cancelled after a predefined time.
   
   

4. Prerequisites:

   • The Reservations feature must be enabled.
   • Users require the reservations.make permission and must belong to an access group with assigned Smart Lockers and Asset Types.
     
     

5. Workflow:

   • A user reserves an asset.
   • Upon arrival, the asset is collected using a one-time code or ID badge.

Bookings

Bookings are designed for scheduled and often longer-term needs. They allow users or administrators to pre-book assets for a specific date and time, making them suitable for organised activities.

Key Features:

1. Use Case:
   Bookings are ideal for scenarios where assets are required at a specific future date and time, such as a lecturer needing equipment for a scheduled class.
   
   

2. Initiators:

   • Users: Can pre-book assets for themselves using the My ONARKEN web application.
   • Staff/Administrators: Can create bulk bookings for groups, ensuring adequate resources for multiple users.
     
     

3. Duration:
   Bookings are tied to specific dates and times. Assets are only released at the scheduled time.
   
   

4. Prerequisites:

   • The Bookings feature must be enabled.
   • Users require the bookings.make permission and must belong to an access group with assigned Smart Lockers and Asset Types.
     
     

5. Workflow:

   • A user schedules a booking for a specific time and date.
   • At the booking time, the asset becomes available, and users collect it using their ID badge.

When to Use Reservations vs Bookings

• Use Reservations when flexibility is key, such as when a user is unsure of the exact collection time but wants to ensure the asset is available.
  
  
• Use Bookings for planned events or when multiple assets need to be pre-allocated for a specific date and time.