AlleyTrak Version 5.165.0 Introduces Lane/Bay Characteristics
Lane/Bay Characteristics
We're excited to introduce Lane/Bay Characteristics, a powerful new feature that gives customers more control over their booking experience while helping facilities maximize resource utilization.
Lane/Bay Characteristics allow you to define attributes for specific lanes, bays, or other bookable resources. During the booking process, customers can indicate their preferences, and AlleyTrak will automatically search for availability that matches their selection.
Examples
Bowling CentersIf only certain lanes are equipped with bumpers, you can create a "Bumpers Required" characteristic. Customers can indicate whether they need bumper-equipped lanes, and AlleyTrak will only display availability that meets their needs.
Driving Ranges with Multiple LevelsIf your driving range offers both ground-floor and second-floor bays, customers can choose their preferred level during booking, and AlleyTrak will show available bays that match their selection.
Left-Handed BaysIf certain bays are designed specifically for left-handed golfers, customers can request a left-handed bay during the booking process, ensuring they are assigned to an appropriate location.
Configuration
Lane/Bay Characteristics can be configured from the AlleyTrak Admin Panel by navigating to:
Locations > Manage Locations
Each location can have multiple characteristics. For example, a driving range may offer both:
Left-Handed vs. Right-Handed Bays
Ground Floor vs. Second Floor Bays
For each characteristic, you can define:
A title for internal reference
A question that will be presented to customers during the booking process
One or more characteristic options that customers can select from
Characteristic options are displayed as a dropdown selection during booking. Each option includes:
A customer-facing answer or selection
The specific lanes, bays, or resources that the option applies to
When a customer makes a selection, AlleyTrak automatically searches for availability among the resources assigned to that characteristic option, ensuring customers are matched with the most appropriate lane or bay for their needs.
Recommendations
We recommend creating your first characteristic option for each characteristic to be an option like “No Preference”, and to have the option configured for all bookable lanes. Then you can create other characteristic options that reduce availability accordingly. If a customer didn't select a characteristic before checking for availability, the system would then have the largest pool of available lanes for the customer to select from. This method helps ensure higher availability rates and increases the number of confirmed bookings.
Examples:
Do you need a left-handed Bay?
Options:
No preference
Yes
No
Do you want to play on the ground floor or 2nd floor?
Options:
No preference (all bays)
Ground Floor (bays 100-120)
2nd Floor (bays 200 - 220)
Do you need a lane with bumpers?
Options:
No preference
Yes
No
Considerations
When attempting to book multiple lanes or bays in a single reservation, AlleyTrak will broaden the search to include additional lanes or bays that may not meet the characteristics defined. The system will ensure that at least one of the lanes/bays booked meets the requested characteristic.
Example: Your facility only has bumpers on lanes 1, 5, 9, and 10. A customer needing two lanes would not be able to book two bumper equipped lanes. AlleyTrak would scan for availability on any of the following lane combinations:
Lanes 1 & 2
Lanes 4 & 5
Lanes 5 & 6
Lanes 8 & 9
Lanes 9 & 10