Strictly speaking a PMS integration is not required in order to use the Participant Fields. However, for Participant Fields to function efficiently and accurately during the booking process, the system must be able to identify and validate the customer, which is best achieved through a PMS integration.
When customer validation occurs, Participant Fields work as intended:
They link to the correct customer.
They prefill when information already exists.
They prevent duplicate co-traveller/participant profiles from being created.
Customer identification and validation typically occur through PMS integration or when the Itineraries feature is in use. Because of this, customer/guest validation is required when using Participant Fields through:
the widget (online customer/guest bookings), and
the BOOK NOW button in the dashboard (back-office bookings made by the Business).
More information on how Participant Fields work with PMS integration can be found here.
Using Participant Fields without PMS integration
If PMS integration is not available, Participant Fields can still work effectively in the following scenarios:
Through the dashboard BOOK NOW button
During the checkout stage, the user can search for and select an existing customer. Once the customer is selected, Participant Fields function normally - linking to the correct profile, pre-filling when information is available and avoiding duplicate records.
Through the BOOK FOR GUEST button
PMS integration is not required when using the BOOK FOR GUEST. In this workflow, the booking begins with a specific customer already selected, so the system already knows who the booking is for, and no separate validation step is needed.
Through the BOOK FOR ITINERARY button
If your account includes the Itineraries feature and itineraries are in use, the booking also starts with a pre-selected customer. As with the previous case, this means no customer validation is required, and Participant Fields will work as intended.
Through the online widget when the itineraries feature is used
PMS integration is not required on the widget when the Itineraries feature is used. In this scenario, the guest can pass the validation on the widget with their last name or email and the Reservation ID/Trip ID which is generated with the creation of the itinerary, provided the relevant feature is activated in Company Settings.
Click the following article to learn more about Participant Fields.