Overview
There is a known limitation in the current integration between EnCloud and GRATIS when managing enquiry responses, particularly when working with venues in the Lime Venue Portfolio. This document outlines the scenario, the system’s current behaviour, and the reasons behind this limitation, as well as the status of any planned improvements.
Scenario
- An enquiry is created and sent to a venue in the Lime Venue Portfolio that uses EnCloud.
- The venue responds to the enquiry.
- The agent may tidy up the response by editing or removing irrelevant text or charges.
- The enquiry may be converted to a booking and sent to the client.
- Sometimes, the agent needs to unconvert the enquiry and add more venues to be contacted.
- When a new EnCloud venue is added and responds, the system updates the enquiry responses for all venues.
- Any manual edits made to previous responses are overwritten and reverted to the original venue responses.
Current System Behaviour
- Once an enquiry is sent to a venue (the "target"), any changes or updates should be made by the venue itself.
- The source agent (e.g., GRATIS user) is not intended to modify the enquiry after it has been sent out.
- When the "Submit Encloud Response" button is used, the system updates the enquiry notes from the target back to the source for all venues at once.
- There is no option to send or update responses for individual venues separately.
- If manual edits are made to a venue’s response, these changes can be lost if another venue is added and a new response is received, as the system will resend and overwrite all responses.
Why This Happens
- The EnCloud system was designed so that the target venue is responsible for managing and updating the enquiry after it is sent.
- The "Submit Encloud Response" button synchronises all responses at once, not individually.
- There is no mechanism to determine which version of the enquiry (source or target) should be considered the "true" version if changes are made in both places.
- Allowing edits in both the source and target would create synchronisation challenges and potential inconsistencies.
Impact
- Manual changes made by agents to venue responses may be lost if additional venues are added and new responses are received.
- This can result in extra work for agents, who may need to repeat their edits.
Status and Future Plans
- This is a known limitation and is under discussion for future improvements in Gratis v3 and EnCloud v2.
- There is currently no fix or workaround available in the existing system.
- The development team is aware of the impact and is considering solutions for future releases.
Key Points for Staff
- Advise users that edits to venue responses may be lost if new venues are added and responses are updated.
- Encourage users to make any necessary changes at the venue (target) level, not in the source enquiry.
- Communicate that this is a system limitation and that improvements are being considered for future versions.
Reference