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12.3. Creating Trip Tasks
Now we are going to look at the Trip Tasks functionality of the Tasks Feature. This is where you can create tasks that need to be completed every time a particular Trip Type occurs. This could be things like checking or obtaining permits, contacting the guests with last minute reminders, double checking gear, notifying a lodge of the number of guests that are traveling on the trip, or post-trip reporting etc. Any tasks that are specifically related to a Trip Type and need to be completed each and every time you take this trip can be entered this way and will be proliferated into every trip on your Calendar. By automating this process, Arctic can save you a lot of time in tasks management.
To create a trip specific task, go to the "Trips" menu and choose "Types". This will take you to the "Browse Trip Types" page as shown here:
From here you can choose the Trip Type you wish to add tasks to by clicking the "Edit" button next to the trip type name as shown here:
This will bring you to the "Edit Trip Type" page where you will choose the "Tasks" tab as shown here:
On the "Tasks" tab, click the green "+Add Task" button as shown here:
The drop down menu, displayed above, will allow you to choose the time period that the task needs to be done in, i.e. days, weeks or months, a specific day of the week, or a specific day of the month. Once you choose the time period, Arctic will display the rest of the Add Task Form as shown here:
The Add Task Form is made up of the following fields:
Timing: The "Timing" field is where you will tell Arctic whether this task needs to be done before or after the trip, or after the first reservation, or after any new reservation.
Number: The next field is where you will enter the number of days, weeks or months before or after the trip, or the specific day of the week or month that the task needs to be completed by (depending on what option you selected when adding the task).
Description: The "Task Description" is where you will enter what exactly needs to be done.
Assignment: The last field is the "Assign To" field. You can choose to assign the task to "No One" or to assign it to one of your employees specifically. Remember, tasks that are assigned to "No One" appear in every user's "Inquiries & Tasks" column on the "Dashboard".
Once the task has been added, you can choose to add any additional tasks that are specifically relevant to this Trip Type and need to be completed for each and every trip for this Trip Type by clicking the green "+Add Task" button and repeating the process again. You can add as many tasks as you feel are necessary to help you and your staff stay on top of the small details that can easily be overlooked in a busy tour season.
When you are done creating tasks for the trip type you can click "Submit" at the bottom of the screen to save your changes. If you have existing Trips on your Calendar for this Trip Type, Arctic will ask you if you wish to update the existing trip. To update the existing Trip on the calendar for this trip type, click the "Submit" on the "Update Existing Trips" page. Once you click "Submit" on the "Update Existing Trips" page, Arctic will add the tasks you created for the trip type type to every trip that you have on your calendar.
You can also add tasks when you are initially creating a new trip type by following the same basic steps but instead of choosing a trip type that is already created you will click "Create a New Trip Type" on the "Browse Trip Types" page. As you are completing the information for the new trip type you can add the necessary tasks for the trip type under the "Tasks" tab. When you are finished setting up the details for the new Trip Type you will click "Submit" at the bottom of the screen. Arctic will add your new trip type to the "Browse Trip Types" page and you will be able to add it to your Calendar.
Each of the tasks you have created for the new Trip Type will appear in the "Inquiries & Tasks" column of the "Dashboard" two weeks prior to the tasks "Due Date". If the tasks were left assigned to "No One", they will show in everyone's "Inquiries & Tasks" column. This ensures that the tasks do not get overlooked. If the tasks were assigned to a specific person, they will only show in the employee's "Inquiries & Tasks" column that was assigned to the task. Anyone can see all of the "Inquiries & Tasks" that are incomplete by going to the "Browse Tasks" page.
If you only need to add an individual task to a specific Trip that is not normally required, you would do this by going to the "Browse Tasks" page and clicking the green "+Create Task" button. On the "Create a New Task" page, you would select the trip you need to associate the task with during the task creation process as explained previously.
In the next section will take a look at the "Browse Tasks" page.