Onboarding Municipality Customers with Bookup

Municipality customer projects tend to be more complex and time consuming for a variety of reasons. This guide should help remove some of the friction by defining more specific steps and guidelines to run a successful project.  

The following is a generalized overview of the various project steps and information required to set up a Municipality location with Bookup.  These aren’t “steps” to be followed in any particular order, but rather all the information needed to have a successful project.

Here is a simple checklist to help you Municipality Project Checklist

1. Project Scope and Overview
2. Clarify the User Journey
3. Map All Project Locations and Bookable Objects 
4. Network Considerations, Server Access, Access Group Configuration and Locks
5. Use of Consistent Naming
6. SMS / URL Notification Setup

1. Project Scope and Overview

Successful project execution requires clarity on scope and responsibilities. The Project Manager (whether from Bookup, the Municipality, or Inlet) coordinates contacts, gathers and shares required information for access control, network setup, and user journeys. They must also confirm physical locations, server/infrastructure details, and manage customer communications (SMS/Email). By outlining these elements and sharing all relevant setup guides, the project team can align on requirements and maintain momentum.

• Project Roles:
  • Who is the Project Manager? Bookup, Someone at the Municipality or Inlet
  • The Project Manager provides and coordinates: 
    • The Access Control System contact - Usually a locksmith, can also be a technician at the Customer 
    • The Network Access contact - Usually an internal department or external IT Company.
    • The User Journeys required
    • Map of the Bookable Objects and their Physical Locations (See #3 below)
    • Server/Infrastructure Information:
      • Is there a single access control system and server for all locations, or multiple?
      • Have all relevant setup guides been shared?
    • Customer Communication SMS/Email
    • What happens when there's a problem: The Importance of Backup Solutions

2. Clarify the User Journey

Before implementing any access solution, we must establish a clear, end-to-end user journey. This begins by confirming whether all bookable objects are already created in Bookup, or at the least  an idea of how these will be setup, then identifying how many doors each bookable object requires access to (e.g., a single main door or multiple doors such as meeting room, toilet, and kitchen). We must also determine the door-opening method: whether guests will receive a code or a URL (pulse) or other forms of access to open doors their content, and timing. We also need to assess how the doors will be managed throughout the booking period—whether they remain unlocked for the duration or require repeated code/URL usage. Finally, verifying that the access control system supports these needs is essential to deliver a seamless user experience.

1. Bookup Setup:
   • Confirm whether the bookable objects are already created in Bookup.
2. Door Access Requirements:
   • How many doors are associated with each bookable object? For example, you book the meeting room, you also get access to a toilet, and kitchen. 
   • Expected flow for the previous point: Does one main door grant further access to additional doors, or do guests receive separate access to multiple doors?
3. Door-Opening Method:
   • Will guests receive a code or a URL (pulse) or other forms of access to open doors?
   • This choice affects the SMS message (content, timing, format).
4. SMS Details:
   • What is the SMS text?
   • Timing: When should it be sent? (e.g., right after booking, on the day of the event, etc.)
   • Does the system allow the doors to remain unlocked for the duration of the booking, or do guests use their code/URL each time they need to open a door?
5. System Compatibility:
   • Verify the access system can support the desired user journey

3. Map All Project Locations and Bookable Objects 

• Are these bookable objects in one physical location or multiple locations?
• If multiple locations, are there separate servers or access control systems? 
• Map each bookup object to its physical location if there are more than one.
  • Example from below screenshots:
    • Bookup Object: “Folkets Hus”
    • Physical Location: Rådhusgaten 5

Do This for each bookable object in the project. 

• • In the Map view, these Bookable Objects are spread out over at least 3 physical locations. 

4. Network Considerations, Server Access, Access Group Configuration and Locks

1. Network Considerations and Server Access 
   Begin by determining whether the access control system is hosted on one central server or multiple servers across different locations. Clarify who manages network access and share Inlet’s connectivity requirements to ensure the system is properly reachable. Once all server details and network information are verified, notify and share this information with Inlet at Support@Inlet.tech to test server access and confirm successful integration.
2. Access Groups and Locks
   Each Bookup object typically corresponds to an Access Group in Inlet, containing all the locks that guests need for their booking (e.g., main entrance, Hall, meeting room, restroom). Verify that each Access Group has all required locks and, if a system does not support Access Groups or Zones, compile a complete list of locks instead. For example, the bookable object “Bueskytterhal Meeting Room” in Bookup might map to "YD B0.01c Møterum" in the access system, and include locks for the main entrance, meeting room, and toilet, all of which also have their own cryptic names in the access system, and and are required as part of the booking for the guest. 
3. Confirm Access Groups in the Server
   Once the Access Groups (or equivalent lock groupings) have been confirmed, ensure they are correctly set up in the Access Control System. Because lock names in the access system often don’t reflect the actual door or room (e.g., “B0.04 VF foaje”= Hall), it’s essential to provide Inlet with a clear mapping of these access system-based names to the corresponding bookable object and all associated doors. This clarity enables accurate and speedy configuration. Lastly, verify that Inlet can retrieve both the Access Groups (if applicable) and the individual locks needed to grant proper access

5. Use of Consistent Naming

Because Bookup’s bookable objects and the access control system often use different naming conventions, consistency is essential. By mapping each Bookup object to its corresponding locks in the access system—along with any additional doors guests need—Inlet can rename locks to match the Bookup objects. This ensures that SMS and email messages contain clear, accurate information for guests and simplifies support by aligning references across all systems.

Map Bookup Names to Inlet:
Inlet should use the same names for locations and doors that appear in Bookup. This ensures:

• Clarity for Guests: The SMS/email references the same names guests see in their booking.

• Easier Support: Consistent naming across systems prevents confusion during troubleshooting.

6. SMS / Email Notification Setup

• Content: Finalize the text of the SMS/URL message.
• Timing: Decide exactly when the SMS/URL should be sent to the guest (e.g., immediately upon booking, 30 minutes before, etc.).
• Duration / Validity: Set rules for when the code/URL is active and if it unlocks the doors for the entire booking duration.