System Set Up and Configuration
How do I set up my system?
In most cases, our Account Management Team have set up your system for you, based on the information provided on the sign-up sheet. If not, you can use our simple wizard which guides you through the process. Go to themagellannetwork.com and click Login.
What if my restaurant is closed for a special occasion or a buy-out? How do I stop reservations from being made on that day?
It is easy to do yourself. You login into the system and go to the Setup menu and select Exception Dates. Click the button for New Exception and follow the instructions on the screen. Clicking yes will allow you to expand your meal period, clicking no will allow you to not receive reservations for that day. However, you always have the option of calling our Customer Support center who will make this update for you.
What if I don’t want to take same day reservations from the Internet?
Magellan Reservations has rules which are configurable by you. You can select how far in advance that you want to shut down reservations. As well, you can specify the maximum party size allowed for an Internet reservation. Go to Setup and select Online Rules. You can change the maximum party size and the time allowed to accept the reservation.
Can I customize the confirmation emails that go to my diners?
The Magellan Emails page is used to set the email message for a successful reservation. You can input an opening and closing message that you would like to include in all confirmation emails. As well, you can add your restaurant logo to confirmation emails using the options on this page. Go to setup and select the Customer Email option. This allows you to enter a more detailed message to the diner.
Alternative Notifications
Do I have to login to the Internet application to see reservations that guest make from my website or from a portal?
No, you do not. You don’t even have to have a computer in the restaurant. You can choose to receive reservation information via a simple voice notification (this means that the computer calls your hostess with the reservation information), or via fax. You can also choose to get reservations emailed to you (but of course this means that you need a computer).
What is voice notification?
If you want to have reservation information delivered via the telephone, you can! Voice notification eliminates the need for you to login into the internet to find out about your new reservations. This is recommended if you don’t have a computer at your hostess stand.
Voice Notification will provide updates on all new, modified, or cancelled reservations made via the Internet.
With Voice Notification, you will get one phone call before you open, at a time you indicate, and then a call for each new reservation made while you are open. While you are closed, reservations queue up and you will be called the next day with the information.
How do I set up voice notification?
You can turn Voice Notification on or off by either calling Magellan Support or by completing the steps below.
Select Restaurant Setup from the tool bar.
Select Notifications. You’ll see the Voice Notifications screen.
To turn voice notifications on, make sure you check the box beside, “Yes I want voice notification…” and indicate when you want your notification, and the phone number you want to be called at.
To turn voice notifications off, uncheck the box beside, “Yes I want voice notification…” by clicking it.
Can I change when voice notification calls me?
Voice notification will call you before your restaurant opens to update you with all reservations made overnight, and then it will call you with each new or changed reservation while you are open.
You can change when Voice Notification makes the initial call to you by completing the steps below.
Select Restaurant Setup from the tool bar.
Select Notifications. You’ll see the Voice Notifications screen.
In the field beside, “I want my daily report to be sent” indicate how far in advance of your opening you want your call. The time in this field must be stated in minutes.
For example, if you want your report one hour before you open, enter 120 in this field.
When the voice notification system calls the restaurant, what happens if the phone is busy?
The voice notification system will call back every 3 minutes until it is able to get through to a live hostess.
What if my hostess is really busy and puts the call on hold?
The voice notification system will treat a call put on hold the same as a busy signal or a hang-up and call back every 3 minutes until she has time to respond.
What if my hostess does not have a pen in time to write down the information or does not write fast enough?
The voice notification system asks the hostess to press the # key to start the transmittal of the information (this gives her time to get a pen). If she does not press #, the system will assume that she did not answer the call and call back in 3 minutes. Also, at the end of the call, she is given the option to repeat the entire call so she can either check her written information or fill in any blanks that she missed.
What about fax? Does it always get through? What if my fax machine is out of paper?
The fax system is driven by a computer so it will continue to try to send a fax until it gets through. After 20 attempts, it will notify our support staff who will contact your restaurant manually to see if there is a problem.
Reporting and Billing
How do I know how many reservations that I am getting and from where?
Magellan has a simple report called Reservation Source under the reporting menu. You can run this report from any computer to see the business Magellan is bringing you.
How does billing work?
Once your free trial period is over, you will receive a monthly bill from Magellan Network. If you have a credit card on file, your card will be automatically charged and you will be sent a receipt.
What about no-shows? Do I get charged for them?
Magellan assumes that reservations listed in your reservation book are confirmed. It is your responsibility to verify that this reservation book is up to date for the billing period in question. If you have a no-show, please login to the system and mark the reservation as a no-show. This will ensure that you are not charged for that reservation.
Magellan Reservations Tips
This is the user login screen. Enter the username and password that were emailed to you in your setup email.
Note: The restaurant short name is the same as the username.
This is the screen you see when you login. It shows your reservations for the day.
To see a month view, select the Month button.
This is the Month view. It shows your reservations for the entire month.
You can use the arrow tabs to move forward for the upcoming month or back for the previous month.
This is the Meal Periods page. You can edit the hours for your Meal Periods and the # of covers per Meal Period.
This is the Meal Period Exception Dates page. You can enter holidays or special events that have different meal periods.
Choosing yes allows you to expand the hours. Choosing no allows you to not accept reservations for that date.
