Hello,
We have just released a new version of the Matrix Booking web application with further features and improvements. You do not need to do anything to benefit from this as it will be the version you see when you next access Matrix Booking .
Below are the details of some new features in this release along with a few areas that have been improved and also some general updates and announcements related to Matrix Booking.
Contents
New 'non-bookable' resources
A new setting has been added to allow you to make a resource non bookable or available on demand. As the name suggests these resources can sit on the system and be shown on your floorplan but there is no ability to book them, they are completely non-bookable. The setting can be found at the top of the settings section for each resource or level (eg zone, floor or building) as shown below:
When the ‘Available on-demand only, without booking’ option is selected, all other sections on the Settings screen are hidden except for the Visitors section as they are no longer required.
The floor plan legend and markers have been updated to include the new ‘Available on demand’ status as well as a ‘Already Booked or Occupied’ status (Occupied will only be applicable when a resource has a Matrix Booking sensor installed and the desk is occupied, otherwise it will simply say ‘Already Booked’ for booked by someone else). The floorplan image below shows how these new states will be shown:
You can use this new setting immediately - it is most often used in conjunction with Matrix Booking Sensor installations however you can use it without sensors to track 'turn up an use' or touchdown points etc. If you would like to see if they are of benefit to your organisation or need some further information on them, then please contact your account manager and they will be in touch to arrange a demonstration.
Booking categories - enabled for all customers!
In the last release we gave everyone the ability to edit their own booking categories if they wanted, simply by raising a support ticket. However due to popular demand we have enabled this feature for all customers - so you can now see this immediately by clicking on ADMIN when logged in and you will see the Booking Categories on the left. You can edit the names of your resources, amend the booking quotas and even add new category types!
Floorplan clustering - on or off?
If you have uploaded a floor plan to Matrix Booking and mapped some rooms or desks on to it, then depending on the size of your floor plan you may find that the system automatically groups available resources together with a number rather than showing individual resources, this is called 'clustering'... So, if you have 8 desks in a bank we may show just the number 8 and then when you click on that it opens up and shows each desk. Some customers have highlighted the fact that it does this when not needed on their floor plans and can introduce an extra click, so we have now created the ability to turn this 'clustering' off for your organisation. It can be on or off but only at an organisation level not for each floor plan. The animated image below shows a simple floor plan with clustering ON and then OFF.
It is always on by default, but if you would like this to be turned off then please raise a support ticket by clicking here >> .
You can now delete your rooms and desks!
Previously, you could delete resources (e.g, desks and rooms) but only if they had never been used / booked before. Once a resource had been used then you needed to contact support to have it deleted AND then we would remind you that this meant losing any booking history attached to that resource. Based on lots of suggestions and ideas raised we have now relaxed this process and given administrators the ability to delete up to 10 resources at once even if they have booking history! You will be presented with the screen below and will need to confirm the action by typing in the word DELETE.
We know it says so on the screen, but just as a reminder, this action cannot be undone. Once it is deleted it is deleted so please ensure you no longer need the resources.
Passcode emails - now the day before only
Before this release, passcodes (including QR codes) for single bookings and the first passcode for a repeat booking were all sent immediately regardless of the booking start date. However, this has now been updated so that passcodes are only sent the day before a visit and they will be sent at your regular booking reminder scheduled time, so if you have a repeat booking the passcodes will be sent individually the day before each of your bookings (no longer altogether).
Fixes in this release
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Small amendments to the layout of the search results top bar and All Bookings top bar.
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Updating a repeat booking sometimes causes passcodes for the entire series to be sent, this is now fixed.
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Problems turning off banner, this is now fixed.
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Changing the date or time in a floor plan search results does not update the results, this is now fixed.
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Navigation to Admin screen was running slower on IE11, this should now have been improved.
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Matrix Booking will now ignore notifications from bookings in the past from a Calendar Provider, previously these generated lots of noise.
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Performance improvements to the availability results for floor plan or list view.
Withdrawing support for Microsoft IE 11
Late last year Microsoft announced that it was no longer supporting Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) and that it would not create a new version - it would be replaced by Microsoft Edge. Since then it has produced a number timelines for all of its own applications to withdraw support for IE11 and also that anyone with existing legacy software that needs it can use the Internet Explorer mode within Edge. On that basis we are also announcing that later this year (August 2021) we will be also looking to no longer provide support for IE11. Much of our application will still continue to work on that browser, however from then onwards we will no longer be testing with that browser and will not be fixing any IE11 specific bugs or issues .
If you think this may cause you any issues then please do contact your account manager to discuss this as soon as possible.
Accessibility Improvements
As part of our ongoing commitment to making Matrix Booking as accessible as possible, we are also releasing the following updates specifically to assist with both assistive technologies and to ensure compliance with WCAG2.1 Level AA:
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Asterisks for mandatory fields on the Profile - User Information screen, Add Visitor pop up and booking pop up.
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Labels on the login/sign up/forgot password screens such as E-mail and Password and labels on the Add Visitor pop up for each field.
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Tooltips for each of the filters at the top of the availability results screen.
Supporting Information
See our
Finally, you are receiving this operational email because you are listed as an Administrator of Matrix Booking – if this is not the case or you do not wish to receive these updates, then please click the unsubscribe link below. Good luck with any return to work plans you have and remember, please fee free to contact us if you need any help or support with those plans!
Of course we also couldn't pass on the opportunity to congratulate the England football team on their historic win this evening and we wish them every success in representing the whole of Great Britain in the EUFA Euro 2020/1 competition.
Regards,
Ian Jones
Director of Operations