Overview

On Request classifies a "component not directly bookable. The supplier needs to be contacted first to check availability and get a confirmation. This usually takes 2 to 3 working days. If the component is available, it will immediately be a definite reservation."

An itinerary is considered On Request if it contains at least one On Request component. 

In this article, we focus on how on request Inventory components can be used in itineraries both in the planning phase and in Customer Care.

Discovery

In Discovery, templates that hold on request components can have an "On Request" label that indicates this. This use case is primarily relevant in a B2B context, where this information is appropriate for an agent, as it requires an offline follow-up with suppliers after the itinerary booking. Alternatively, in B2C this indication may negatively contribute to booking conversion, as end-users expect a "immediate confirmation" from the platform.

The following two images represent two vertical template cards with the "On Request" indication enabled (on the left) and disabled (on the right). The same logic applies to horizontal template cards.

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To change the "On Request" label visibility, perform the following steps:

• Go to Settings
• Click on Distribution Channels
• Click on your TripBuilder ID
• Click on the Discovery tab
• Scroll down until you reach the feature flag Display "On Request" label for templates on Discovery

Besides having the feature completely enabled / disabled independently on the TripBuilder user type, it is also possible to have it "Enabled" but "Display for travel agents only". In this scenario a B2C IBE user would not be able to see it, but an agent would have this information available.

Planner & Checkout

The flow, behaviour and presentation for adding a on request Inventory component to an itinerary are quite similar to any Inventory component, with the two differences highlighted next.

1. Itineraries on request are identified in the Planner sidebar with that label. Components that are on request are visible in the Planner as any other.

2. In Checkout and before entering the Payment step, on request components are highlighted on the Availability Re-Check step.

Customer Care

On Request, bookings require that on request components and non-refundable components be manually confirmed before having the itinerary also confirmed.

How to confirm On Request booking

1. Go to Customer Care.
2. Click on On Request under the By Status menu column to find all on request bookings that require manual processing.
   
3. Open the itinerary that you want to confirm.
4. Click on Services & Price List, where you can find all components present in the itinerary (including the ones that need to be manually confirmed).
   
5. Edit the intended component (pencil icon).
6. Change the Status to Booked when the supplier has manually confirmed the component.
7. Repeat the same steps for all on request components as required.

Alternatively, if you have multiple on request components present in the same itinerary and want to confirm all of them (and the itinerary itself) with a single action:

1. Select an itinerary in Customer Care.
2. Go to Actions. 
3. Click on the option Confirm On Request Components.