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 a few areas that have been improved and also some updates and announcements related to Matrix Booking these are:
New Features
Booking categories - you now have full access!
We have now made a change in the Administration screens to allow you to fully edit and manage your booking categories.
What does this mean? Well at its simplest level it gives you a new menu option where you can ADD a new additional booking category (e.g. desks, parking spaces, Rooms etc) but more importantly it also allows you to fully edit them.
This editing means you can change the name of the category (so desks might be renamed to Hot Desks or Rooms renamed to Collaboration spaces) and in addition to renaming you can change the way they behave - are they booked in hours or half days or days, is the category restricted to a certain group of people (security group) or are there limits to how many of these categories staff can book in a fixed period of time. We will gradually be turning this on for everyone over the next few weeks however if you wish to have this enabled for your organisation sooner then please raise a support ticket by clicking here >> . There are details in the Administrators guide on how to edit the booking categories so this should give you what you need to know and what you can control and edit. If you have not read or downloaded it for a while it may be worth downloading the latest version from the support portal here .
Obviously if you do decide to add the category of car parking spaces and then in your resource hierarchy you create 500 car parking spaces then our account management team will no doubt be in touch to ensure that your subscription matches your needs - but this is a great way to try out new categories to see if they are of benefit to your organisation. Equally if you would still rather have a demonstration of the categories to see if an additional category might help your business then please contact your account manager and they will be in touch to arrange a demonstration.
Booking quota's - limiting the number of bookings
As well as giving you access to see the details of the booking categories we are also introducing some new features around booking quota's. So it is now possible to restrict the number of bookings a staff member can make - either by time (no more than xx desk bookings in one week / month) or even by building. Details of these options are shown in the screenshot below and also covered in more detail in the Administrators Guide.
If you wish to review or amend any of these booking quota settings immediately, then as outlined above please raise a support ticket by clicking here >> to have the Booking Categories made visible to you and we will ensure you have immediate access to make these changes.
Synchronise staff 'access card' numbers
If you have Azure Active Directory and your staff use access cards, then it is now possible for us to synchronise any access card numbers that you hold in your directory with Matrix Booking. This will allow you to enable access to kiosks and signage devices simply by touching your card to a reader. If you would like to find out more about using this option (either synchronising the card numbers or using card readers) then please contact your account manager .
Flow app - QR code reader update
The Matrix Booking Flow app which allows reception and security staff to check in your staff and visitors 'contactlessly' (using QR codes) has now been updated to provide full support for both front and back camera's giving your front of house staff even more flexibility when scanning staff and visitors in just using a tablet or a phone rather than expensive scanning equipment. This latest release is available from the Apple and Google app stores, so if you already use this app to manage your staff and visitors then please ensure you download the latest version. If you do not use this app yet and would like us to perhaps walk you through the basic customer journeys to see if Flow can assist your staff and visitors attending the office then please contact your account manager .
Fixes in this release
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The Month and Year calendar picker layout was not working consistently, this has now been fixed.
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Floorplan images can now only be uploaded for non bookable resources (e.g. Buildings, Floors etc) - previously you could upload them to actual resources directly (eg a desk) which of course makes no sense.
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The setting for on-the-day-only bookings was not displaying correctly, this has now been fixed.
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Multiple presentation issues with the all bookings search bar have now been fixed.
Reminder of all current module/product software versions
Should you wish to check if your version of software is up to date then please see the list below of the current versions available to customers:
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Matrix Flow (download directly from the app store)
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Digital Room and Desk Signage: v 1.12
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Floorplan Kiosk: v 2.1
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Visitor Kiosk: v 2.0.2
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Visitor Guestbook: (download directly from the app store)
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Arrivals screen: v 1.3.0
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Mobile app (download directly from the app store)
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M365 Add in (Room finder): v 1.0
If you would like to inquire about upgrading your current versions then please contact your account manager .
Withdrawing support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 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.
Ongoing improvements in security
At Matrix Booking we are continually looking to improve both our product and the security surrounding it. Therefore over the next few weeks we will be introducing a new web 'firewall' (WAF - Web Application Firewall). This is all happening in the background and so you do not need to do anything, however, some customers do have more complex methods of accessing external systems than others, so if at any time over the next few weeks any of your staff encounter an 'Error 403' type message when trying to use our service, then please do just raise a support ticket immediately so we can look at the issue and resolve it for you. Of course we do not expect you to encounter an issue and expect you to be fully able to book desks, rooms, car parking, pool cars etc as usual - but just so you are aware we are making this change.
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!
Regards,
Ian Jones
Director of Operations