Management

Placing an Order on Behalf of a Contract Client

Overview

The Place Order on Behalf functionality allows Reservations staff to create bookings for customers, Trade Partners, contracted organisations, or named representatives directly within the Reservations Portal.

This supports operational workflows where the booking is not being completed directly by the end customer.

The process mirrors the standard Create New Order flow, with an additional identification stage at the beginning to specify:

• who the booking is being made for
• which organisation or partner the booking belongs to
• which representative should receive communications and fulfilment

Once the customer or partner representative has been identified, the booking follows the standard guided flow:

What → Who → When → Add to Cart → Add-ons → Contact → Payment → Confirmation

The framework supports:

• Trade Partner bookings
• B2B and contracted accounts
• assisted customer bookings
• education groups
• corporate customers
• travel partner operations
• group organiser workflows
• invoice-based payment handling
• partner-linked reporting and reconciliation

The functionality integrates with:

• Reservations
• Trade Partner Management
• Contracted Pricing
• Entitlements
• Finance & Reporting
• Customer Records
• Allocation Management
• Payment Rules
• Audit & Reconciliation

Why It Matters

Many organisations need to support bookings that are:

• made by a partner organisation
• managed by internal staff
• completed on behalf of a customer
• linked to contracted pricing or allocations
• tied to a named representative

Without structured “Order on Behalf” handling, organisations risk:

• incorrect partner attribution
• inaccurate contracted pricing
• reconciliation issues
• reporting inconsistencies
• communication errors
• entitlement mismatches

The Place Order on Behalf workflow ensures:

• bookings are correctly attributed
• partner rates and allocations apply correctly
• communications are sent to the right representative
• reporting remains accurate
• financial reconciliation remains clean
• audit history is maintained

This is particularly important for organisations working with:

• Trade Partners
• schools
• tour operators
• travel companies
• corporate clients
• group organisers
• customer-service-assisted sales teams

Expian supports:

structured partner-linked booking workflows

where:

• the booking organisation is identified at the start
• the booking is linked to the correct representative
• partner permissions and products are respected
• payment rules align to contractual agreements
• reporting and reconciliation remain accurate

This enables:

• scalable B2B operations
• cleaner partner servicing
• accurate invoicing and reconciliation
• operationally governed assisted sales

When to Use This Process

Typical Operational Scenarios

Use Place Order on Behalf when:

• a Trade Partner requests a booking
• a school or group organiser requires staff assistance
• a corporate customer needs a booking processed manually
• a customer cannot complete the booking themselves
• partner-specific pricing or allocations must apply
• a booking must be attributed to a company account
• the booking must link to a named representative

Common examples include:

• travel agent ferry bookings
• school admissions
• group reservations
• corporate event bookings
• trade allocation usage
• assisted accessibility bookings
• VIP or hosted customer servicing

System Behaviour

Booking Attribution & Partner Linking

When Place Order on Behalf is enabled:

• the booking links to the selected organisation or customer
• partner-specific products may become available
• contracted pricing may apply automatically
• invoice options may appear based on contract rules
• representative details prefill Contact Details
• reporting links the booking to the partner account

The workflow preserves:

• finance traceability
• operational audit history
• customer communication accuracy
• partner-level reconciliation

Starting a New Order on Behalf

Accessing the Workflow

From the Reservations Dashboard:

1. Select New Order
2. Toggle Place Order On Behalf to ON

[IMAGE: Order on Behalf Toggle — placeholder]

Once enabled, an additional header section appears containing:

• Type
• Partner
• Person

This identifies who the booking is being made for.

Step-by-Step Workflow

1. Enable Place Order On Behalf

Activating Assisted Booking Mode

Toggle:

Place Order On Behalf → ON

[IMAGE: Order on Behalf Header — placeholder]

The following fields appear:

• Type
• Partner
• Person

This activates the partner/customer identification stage.

2. Select the Type

Customer vs Trade Partner

Choose who the booking is being created for:

• Trade Partner
• Customer

[IMAGE: Type Selection Dropdown — placeholder]

This controls:

• which lookup fields appear
• partner-specific pricing availability
• invoice eligibility
• available products and permissions
• reporting attribution

3. Select the Partner

Trade Partner Selection

If Trade Partner is selected:

• the Partner dropdown becomes available
• staff can search for the organisation
• the selected partner account becomes linked to the booking

[IMAGE: Select Partner — placeholder]

Partner records may include:

• tour operators
• travel companies
• schools
• contracted organisations
• reseller accounts
• corporate customers

Selecting the correct partner ensures:

• contracted products apply correctly
• partner allocations are respected
• reporting remains accurate
• invoice permissions behave correctly

4. Select the Person

Named Representative Selection

Once the partner is selected:

• choose the named representative or user account

[IMAGE: Select Person — placeholder]

This ensures:

• confirmations go to the correct contact
• customer communications are accurate
• audit history identifies the representative
• fulfilment and payment links route correctly

The selected person’s details may prefill:

• name
• email
• phone
• address information

Release-note improvements to customer-linked ownership and customer visibility support clearer entitlement and booking association behaviour.

5. Select What You Are Booking

Product Selection

Choose the appropriate product category.

Supported product types may include:

• Admissions
• Events
• Passes
• Journeys
• Entitlements

[IMAGE: Product Type Selection — placeholder]

Product availability may depend on:

• partner permissions
• contracted products
• client configuration
• operational rules

This supports:

• partner-specific catalogues
• controlled commercial agreements
• operational consistency

6. Choose Who

Visitor, Passenger & Entitlement Selection

Depending on product type, select:

Attractions

• visitor ticket types
• adult/child quantities
• concessions

Travel

• passengers
• vehicles
• cabins
• route extras

Entitlements

• memberships
• vouchers
• patronages
• entitlement variants

[IMAGE: Who Selection — placeholder]

The workflow mirrors the standard Create New Order process.

7. Choose When

Date, Session & Sailing Selection

Select the required:

• visit date
• time slot
• event session
• sailing
• route timing

[IMAGE: When Selector — placeholder]

Availability reflects:

• operational capacity
• product rules
• partner permissions
• configured allocations

This ensures:

• overbooking prevention
• allocation control
• operational availability accuracy

8. Available Options (Travel Only)

Sailing & Route Selection

Travel bookings require:

• outbound sailing selection
• optional return sailing selection

Use:

• Previous Date
• Next Date
• Calendar Selection
• Return Toggle

[IMAGE: Travel Available Options — placeholder]

Travel routing controls:

• vehicle deck capacity
• passenger limits
• sailing allocation
• route-based availability

9. Add to Cart

Basket Creation

Once mandatory fields are complete:

• select Add to Cart

The Cart displays:

• product details
• date/time or sailing
• quantities
• add-ons
• subtotal
• edit and clear options

[IMAGE: Cart Summary — placeholder]

The basket remains visible throughout the workflow.

10. Add-ons

Optional & Fixed Add-ons

Depending on configuration, add-ons may include:

Fixed Add-ons

• booking fees
• amendment fees
• mandatory charges

Optional Add-ons

• meals
• lounges
• audio guides
• parking
• priority boarding

[IMAGE: Add-ons Modal — placeholder]

This supports:

• operational extras
• upsell opportunities
• route-based services
• ancillary revenue

11. Contact Details

Representative Information & Booking Contact

Contact Details automatically prefill using the selected Person.

Editable fields may include:

• notes
• address
• country
• marketing preferences
• additional information
• Terms & Conditions acknowledgement

[IMAGE: Contact Details — placeholder]

This ensures:

• communications go to the correct representative
• reporting remains linked correctly
• fulfilment remains accurate

Release-note enhancements to customer visibility and linked-customer behaviour support improved operational servicing and cleaner ownership handling.

12. Payment

Partner & Contract Payment Handling

Payment methods depend on:

• organisational configuration
• partner permissions
• contracted payment rules
• product type
• operational policies

Common options may include:

• Via Invoice
• Via Card
• Via Email
• Via SMS
• External Payment

[IMAGE: Payment Methods — placeholder]

Trade Partner bookings frequently use:

• invoice workflows
• agreed account payment methods
• external reconciliation processes

Only approved methods appear.

Invoice-Based Partner Workflows

Contracted Billing Behaviour

Trade Partner and B2B workflows often support:

• invoicing
• purchase orders
• deferred payment
• reconciliation against partner account

This enables organisations to:

• honour contractual terms
• maintain partner relationships
• simplify finance operations
• manage allocation-based billing

Invoice behaviour may vary depending on:

• client setup
• contract rules
• organisational finance process

13. Order Complete

Booking Confirmation

After successful payment or invoice creation:

• the confirmation page displays
• booking summary appears
• partner/customer details display
• payment summary is shown

Available actions may include:

• View Order
• Edit Order
• Start New Order

[IMAGE: Order Complete — placeholder]

This completes the assisted booking workflow.

Reporting & Reconciliation

Partner-Linked Reporting

Bookings created on behalf of a contract client flow into reporting with partner attribution.

This supports:

• B2B sales reporting
• partner reconciliation
• invoice tracing
• allocation analysis
• contracted usage reporting
• finance auditing

Reports may include:

• partner name
• representative name
• booking value
• payment method
• route or admission usage
• allocation usage

Recent reporting enhancements improved visibility across transaction records, payment references and booking-level operational reporting.

Audit & Operational Governance

Booking Traceability

Order on Behalf workflows maintain:

• customer attribution
• partner linkage
• representative ownership
• payment history
• communication history
• operational servicing records

This supports:

• audit compliance
• financial governance
• partner dispute handling
• operational accountability

Troubleshooting

Issue: Partner Not Appearing

Check:

• partner is active
• partner is configured for Reservations
• partner permissions are enabled
• search term is correct
• organisational access rules

Issue: No Person Available

Check:

• the partner has assigned users
• representative records exist
• the user account is active

Recommended action:

• ask an administrator to add or activate representative accounts

Issue: Products Not Showing

Check:

• partner product permissions
• contracted product access
• allocation setup
• channel restrictions
• active product status

Issue: Invoice Option Missing

Check:

• client payment configuration
• partner payment permissions
• contract rules
• user permissions

Invoice availability may be intentionally restricted.

Issue: Wrong Contact Details Prefilled

Check:

• selected representative
• partner-linked contact records
• cached customer information

Update Contact Details before completing the order if required.

Best Practice

Confirm Partner & Representative Before Proceeding

Always verify:

• correct partner selected
• correct representative selected
• correct customer account
• correct contact details

This prevents:

• reporting errors
• reconciliation issues
• incorrect communications
• partner disputes

Use Invoice Only Where Contractually Permitted

Invoice workflows should only be used where:

• agreed contract terms exist
• finance approval has been granted
• partner invoicing is enabled

Avoid bypassing payment policy.

Use Booking Notes Carefully

Use notes for:

• operational context
• important servicing details
• accessibility requirements
• contractual references

Avoid unnecessary operational clutter.

Validate Product Type Carefully

Ensure the correct operational workflow is selected:

• Attractions
• Travel
• Entitlements

This ensures:

• correct pricing
• correct capacity handling
• correct fulfilment behaviour

Travel: Always Select Available Options

For Travel workflows:

• select outbound sailing
• select return sailing where needed
• verify route timing before checkout

This ensures:

• accurate manifest generation
• route capacity accuracy
• operational fulfilment integrity

How to Configure

1. Configure Trade Partners

Navigate to:

Admin → Trade Partners

Configure:

• partner account
• contracted products
• pricing
• allocations
• payment permissions
• invoice eligibility
• active status

Recommended setup:

• separate partner types clearly
• document contractual rules
• validate product permissions regularly

2. Configure Representative Users

Navigate to:

Trade Partner → Users / Representatives

Configure:

• named contacts
• email addresses
• phone numbers
• active/inactive status

Recommended setup:

• maintain current contact records
• remove inactive users
• validate communication details regularly

3. Configure Product Permissions

Navigate to:

Admin → Products → Trade Permissions

Configure:

• admissions access
• journey access
• entitlement availability
• pricing visibility
• allocation rules

Recommended setup:

• restrict products appropriately
• align permissions to contracts
• test visibility before go-live

4. Configure Payment Rules

Navigate to:

Admin → Payment Settings

Configure:

• invoice permissions
• partner payment methods
• deferred payment options
• external payment methods

Recommended setup:

• align to contractual agreements
• restrict invoice access carefully
• audit payment permissions regularly

5. Configure Reporting & Reconciliation

Navigate to:

Admin → Reports

Configure reporting around:

• partner sales
• invoice bookings
• representative activity
• allocations
• payment methods
• booking status

Recommended setup:

• reconcile partner bookings regularly
• review invoice exposure
• validate allocation usage reporting

Quick Flow Summary

• Toggle Place Order On Behalf ON
• Select Type (Customer or Trade Partner)
• Select Partner (if applicable)
• Select Person
• Choose What
• Choose Who
• Choose When
• Select Available Options (Travel only)
• Add to Cart
• Review Add-ons
• Confirm Contact Details
• Take Payment
• Review Order Complete screen

Feature Highlights Appendix

Category Feature Description Benefit Identification Order on Behalf Enables Ensures correct Toggle partner/customer-linked reporting and bookings invoicing Partner Partner & Links order to Supports Trade Handling Person Selection organisation and named Partner operations representative Product Multi-Product Supports Admissions, Consistent Flexibility Support Events, Passes, Journeys operational and Entitlements workflow Payment Contract-Approp Supports Invoice, Card, Maintains financial riate Payment Email, SMS and External governance Methods

Workflow	Standard Guided Flow	Mirrors Create New Order structure	Reduces training and operational errors
Reporting	Partner Attribution	Links bookings to Trade Partner records	Supports reconciliation and finance reporting
Contact Management	Prefilled Contact Details	Uses selected representative details	Improves communication accuracy
Travel Operations	Sailing & Route Handling	Supports outbound and return selection	Maintains manifest and capacity accuracy
Add-ons	Optional & Fixed Add-ons	Supports operational extras and ancillary sales	Increases flexibility and revenue
Governance	Audit & Traceability	Maintains partner-linked operational history	Supports compliance and dispute handling

Operational Benefits

The Place Order on Behalf workflow delivers:

• structured partner-linked booking handling
• cleaner B2B servicing
• accurate contract attribution
• improved invoice governance
• partner-specific operational control
• scalable assisted booking workflows
• improved reconciliation accuracy
• stronger audit visibility

The framework enables organisations to operate:

• Trade Partner programmes
• contracted allocation workflows
• corporate and school booking processes
• assisted customer servicing
• partner-linked travel operations
• governed B2B payment and reconciliation journeys