Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Got questions? We’ve got answers!
Who is VIP Professional intended for?
VIP Professional has been specifically designed for:
- Promotions Managers
- Party / Function Planners
- Nightclub Operators
- Banquet Hall Operators
- Independent Promotors
- Hosts / Hostesses
For promotions managers and independent promoters, VIP Professional provides the ability to track nightly guest lists, guest requirements, etc. You can up-sell and pre-sell, coordinate among staff on implementation, track guest activity, and more. VIP Professional also automates much of the critical communications required on bookings, both for internal staff and for organizers / guests.
For party / function planners, banquet hall operators, and nightclubs / bars that are ‘booking out’ the venue (or rooms within the venue), VIP Professional provides powerful tools to maximizing booking revenue, tracking all the logistical details, ensuring staff are kept ‘in the loop’ on developments, and more.
VIP Professional is also ideal for restaurants to track private parties and when ‘booking out’ a banquet room. However, VIP Professional is not designed for normal ‘day-to-day’ restaurant activity (such as regular public bookings).
What’s so great about VIP Professional? Why should I bother trying it?
VIP Professional is a powerful yet easy-to-use system that allows you to pre-sell, up-sell, minimize service errors, improve logistics, streamline coordination among venue staff, systematically follow-up with guests / clients, and generate more repeat business.
VIP Professional is all about driving more business through the doors and maximizing profits.
For more info on what VIP Professional can do for your business, please see:
Is VIP Professional a web application or does it run on my computer? Where is my data stored?
VIP Professional is a Windows 32-bit application. It runs on your computer under Windows XP or Windows Vista. All data resides on your computer, under your control – that keeps your data safe and secure.
VIP Professional is not a web application – you don’t even need an Internet connection, though one is recommended if you want to use VIP Professional’s powerful notifications and confirmations / reminders systems.
What sort of learning curve is there?
VIP Professional is a large, powerful, incredibly flexible application – yet it has been carefully designed to be easy-to-use and quick to learn.
With VIP Professional, you’ll be up-and-running entering reservations and guests within minutes. VIP Professional comes pre-configured with a wide range of realistic, sensible ‘real world’ defaults that make it easy to get started. When you are ready, you can then edit those defaults to suit your own requirements.
As you get more familiar with VIP Professional, you can start exploring the more powerful features. Those take a bit more time, but are still straightforward and easy-to-use. And we’re always here to assist if you need any help.
A core design philosophy for us when building VIP Professional was that the application should ‘grow with you’ – as your interests and requirements grow, VIP Professional is ready and able to accommodate. When you don’t need VIP Professional’s more advanced features, they stay out of your way!
How complicated is it to add reservations / bookings?
Adding new reservations is trivial! For most reservations, you can fully enter everything in under 10 seconds. For more complicated bookings, such as those involving a lot of F & B or operational requirements, it might take a few minutes.
One of the ways that VIP Professional speeds up your data entry is by using logical defaults and policies for most of the details. For example, you can set what the defaults should be in general, by day-of-week, or for specific dates. Thus, on a Wednesday, your default Cancellation Fee might be zero. On a Friday, on the other hand, it might be $250. On Tuesdays it might be possible to give a reservation perks such as no cover, queue jump, and a free coat check. On Saturdays, though, ‘no cover’ might be restricted. And so on.
When you create most nightclub-style reservations you’ll typically give the reservation a name, enter the organizer’s details, set the reservation date, and that’s it – everything else will come from the defaults for that reservation date. For private party-style bookings, a little more data entry will normally be needed, but it is still quick and easy.
Very, very little data is ‘required’ in VIP Professional. You get to set the requirements, not us!
What the Heck is a 'Release ID'???
Every time we generate a new version of VIP Professional (even if just for internal testing) we increment a tracking number - the 'release ID'. Since this number uniquely identifies that version of the program, it is an important reference number. For example, if you've encountered a bug, telling us the release ID number for your version significantly helps us figure out the problem. Likewise, if you are using VIP Professional on multiple computers, the release ID number is used internally to ensure that each installation has the same version of VIP Professional installed.
The higher the release ID number, the more recent that version is. We recommend you periodically check the Release Notes on our website to see if there is a newer version of VIP Professional - each time we release a new version, we note the release ID in the notes. As a subscriber, you are always entitled to free upgrades to the latest version of VIP Professional.
The release ID number can always be found on the 'About' dialog in VIP Professional (available from the Help menu). You'll also see it on the splash screen that is displayed while VIP Professional is loading. And, if you are using the log-in dialog, you'll see it there as well.
What sort of details are tracked for each reservation?
A lot! Luckily, almost all of it is optional and/or pre-set by intelligently applied defaults (which can be different by the day-of-week or for specific dates), so creating new reservations is incredibly fast and easy.
In addition to such basic info as the reservation name and date, VIP Professional can track such things as:
- Reference information such as the reservation type (such as “Private Party”, “Celebrity”, “General Public”, or “Girls Night Out”), the reservation source (such as “Website” or “Promoter”), who it is assigned to in your company, tracking codes, etc. The categories for all of these items are entirely user editable, though we’ve provided typical categories to get you started.
- The organizer and all the guests, including any special guest-specific requirements. Optionally, guest details can be permanently added to the Guest Directory.
- Pricing / billing info such as a package price, cancellation fee, no-show fee, per-person price and cost, rental fees, whether or not auto-gratuity should be applied, charges relating to an event planner, whether credit card details and a contract is on file, and so on.
- Admission / entrance perks, such as ‘no cover’, ‘queue jump’, and so on. The listing of these perks is fully user definable, though we’ve provided a list to get you started.
- Food & beverage requirements – you can enter a detailed menu into VIP Professional if you’d like and aggressively up-sell and pre-sell.
- Operational requirements such as ETA/ETD, table / room requirements, security, staffing, audio-visual, and so on. All categories are fully user definable, of course.
- Multiple service notes that are categorized, time-stamped and include the name of the user that made them – a great way for everyone to communicate on developments.
Thus, you can track as much or as little information as you wish, or as the situation requires.
What sort of details are tracked for each guest?
You can track a wide range of details for each guest, though most information is optional. Within VIP Professional you can track each guest's name, contact details (with unlimited contacts per guest), mailing address, demographic info (guest type and source, for example), preferences for that guest (such as whether or not you can contact them by various methods), and guest notes (which are categorized, time stamped, and include the name of the user entering them).
Tracking guest details is entirely optional – if desired, you can configure VIP Professional so that you don’t have to enter any information about guests at all!
Can bookings include tables / rooms?
Yes! You can assign a specific table / booth (or even an entire room) to a reservation. Tables and rooms can be exclusive (only a single reservation can be assigned to it) or non-exclusive (multiple reservations can be assigned to it - as you might do for a 'VIP Zone'). Tables and rooms can have capacities assigned to them as well.
Availability can easily be tracked – you can see at a glance which tables / rooms are available for a given date, how many guests have been assigned to it, and more.
How customizable is VIP Professional?
Extremely! VIP Professional has a wealth of configuration options that can dramatically affect the way it works for you. However, the default settings are suitable for most users – simply explore and tweak the settings as desired until you find your ideal configuration.
Do I have to sign a term contract? Am I locked-in?
No.
There are no term contracts or any other form of ‘lock-in. You can cancel any time, without hassle. And your data can always be accessed or exported, even if your subscription has expired.
We only want satisfied, happy customers!
Is VIP Professional available only by subscription? What if I want to buy a one-time license?
VIP Professional is currently only available by subscription. There are no plans at this time to add non-subscription licenses, though of course that depends on how much demand there is for them!
We are providing VIP Professional by subscription in order to keep it affordable. Specialized applications of this type often cost thousands of dollars per user and/or require expensive maintenance agreements and/or require custom hardware. That simply isn’t affordable for the average business in the nightlife / hospitality industry.
Our approach is to keep VIP Professional affordable and non-restrictive. That is why there is no sign-up fee, no upgrade fees, no big up-front investment, no term contract, and no hassles canceling your subscription.
And, of course, since you can cancel any time without hassle you can be sure we’ll stay motivated to ensure VIP Professional meets and continues to meet your needs.
What happens to my data when my subscription runs out (if I don’t renew)?
If your subscription runs out and you’ve chosen not to renew, VIP Professional continues to function in what we call ‘archive mode’. This mode allows you full access to all of your existing data. You can still view the data, print reports, and export the data. However, without a subscription you will not be able to enter new data, edit existing information, receive notifications, or generate confirmations / reminders.
Thus, your data remains safe and available to you. Note: your data resides entirely on your computer (not on some web server), so it always remains under your own control.
I haven’t received my license file yet. What’s up with that?
After submitting your subscription request, it can take up to 24 hours for the subscription to be processed – though normally you’ll have it within an hour or two. If it has been 24 hours since you subscribed, please follow up with an email to support@stratogistics.com and we’ll investigate right away.
Why doesn’t my license file work?
A license file only works with the installation that generated the 'installation passport’ used when you subscribed or renewed. When we receive your subscription order, we use your installation passport to generate the license file. You should import that file into the Licenses Manager of VIP Professional.
If it doesn’t accept the license file, please contact us at support@stratogistics.com. Please provide as much detail as you can on the problem.
How do I install my license file?
When you receive the license file from us, it comes within the email in two forms: embedded directly in the email message and attached as a file. You can use either form.
To use the embedded text:
- Highlight the license text as indicted in the email message.
- Copy it (ctrl-c).
- Open the Licenses Manager from within VIP Professional (it’s available from the Tools menu and from within the User Accounts Manager).
- Click on the Paste button (which automatically pastes it from the Windows Clipboard.
To use the attached file:
- Save the attached file to your hard disk. Note the directory to which it was saved.
- Open the Licenses Manager from within VIP Professional (it’s available from the Tools menu and from within the User Accounts Manager).
- Click the Add button. This will open a standard File Manager dialog allowing you to locate the license file.
- Select the license file and click “Open”.
After inserting your license via either method, the Licenses Manager will update all of your license information. The new license will be displayed in the grid and the other details updated accordingly. Please verify that the details are correct (ie, correct # of users and supported venues, and correct expiry date).
If you have any problems, don’t hesitate to contact us at support@stratogistics.com – please provide as much detail of the problem as possible.
Can I share my license file with someone else?
You can share your license, but not your license file.
VIP Professional is a multi-user application, meaning that you can set up user accounts for additional users. However, all of these users are using the same installation – ie, the same database. Each license in your subscription includes support for one active users and up to three active venues. You can add more licenses if you need more users or venues than this. Thus, you are able to share your license up to your limit of users and venues.
What you cannot do, though, is share your license file. In other words, one license file cannot be used on two different installations of VIP Professional (two different databases) -- even if the total number of users / venues on both databases is less than your limit. License files are linked to the specific installation associated with the subscription. If you try to use a license file on a different installation, it won’t work.
What additional costs do I have on top of my monthly subscription?
There are no additional costs payable to us. There are no sign-up fees, no maintenance fees, no upgrade fees, etc. Everything is included within your monthly subscription amount.
How many users does VIP Professional support?
VIP Professional supports an unlimited number of users. The underlying database technology allows for heavy multi-user usage without significant performance problems - it can grow as you grow.
Your subscription license includes support for one active user and up to 3 active venues. Additional licenses can be added to your subscription, each supporting one more active user and three more active venues.
I’m already a subscriber. Can I add additional licenses so that I can have more users?
Yes. If you need more users or venues, simply add additional licenses to your subscription. Each license adds one more active user and 3 more active venues.
Can I log in from different computers?
Yes. VIP Professional is a multi-user, LAN-enabled application. You can even connect from over the Internet (though performance may suffer unless you have a very fast connection).
When you install VIP Professional on additional computers, only install the Client -- you'll then 'point' the Client to where the Server is located.
Can I log in from two different computers at the same time?
The same user cannot log in from two different computers at the same time. However, different users can log in from different computers at the same time.
Can multiple users share the same computer?
Yes. Just select the appropriate user ID from the log-in dialog.
Can I access VIP Professional over the Internet as well as over our LAN?
Yes. VIP Professional can be accessed via the Internet. Just use the IP address of the machine upon which you've installed VIP Professional's Server component. Note that you'll need to adjust the firewall on the Server computer to allow incoming connections to the server (specifically, to fb_inet_server.exe, which by default is installed to \Program Files\Stratogistics\Firebird\bin).
IMPORTANT: Performance of VIP Professional over Internet connections can be very slow if you don't have a high-speed connection. Even then, some tasks (such as working in the Guest Directory when there are large numbers of guests) can result in poor responsiveness. This does not generally apply to LAN connections - those should always be responsive.
Do I need to ‘sign-up’ or otherwise provide credit card details in order to use the trial version?
Nope. Just download, install, and start using VIP Professional. You don’t need to identify yourself to us in any way (we don’t even ask for your email address).
The trial version includes a special pre-installed license for up to 30 days of usage.
How long does the trial version work for?
One month. You get full functionality for one active user and one active venue.
After the trial period, VIP Professional will still work but only in 'archive mode' -- you'll still be able to run the program, view your data, print reports, and export the data, but you won't be able to add new information, edit existing information, or generate notifications or confirmations / reminders.
What limitations are there in the trial version?
The trial version is fully functional. Effectively, you are simply a free subscriber for the first month. In fact, when you do subscribe, any unused time during your trial period is added to your initial subscription expiry date. The only disadvantage you'll have during the trial period is that the trial license only supports a single active venue (the regular license supports up to three active venues).
Am I able to convert my trial version into a subscription version without losing my data / settings?
Yes. Other than installing your license file, you don’t need to do anything to change from ‘trial’ to ‘subscriber’. And if you have any unused time left in your trial period, it will be added to your initial license.
How do I transfer my data to a different computer?
To back up or transfer your data:
- Close VIP Professional.
- Use the Backup / Restore tool from the Start program group.
- Select ‘Backup’ and note the location where the backup is stored.
- Install VIP Professional on the new computer (do a full 'New Installation' install).
- Copy the backed up file to a directory on the new computer. Note the location.
- On the new computer, run the Backup / Restore tool.
- Select ‘Restore’ and choose the backup file that you copied to the new computer.
- Run VIP Professional and verify that your original data is there.
Is VIP Professional available for the Macintosh? How about Linux? How about MS-DOS 6.2? How about my Xbox 360?
Sorry, VIP Professional is currently only available for Windows XP and Windows Vista.
We are, however, hard at work on the Xbox 360 version. (okay, not really…)
Note, we've been told by some users that VIP Professional runs just fine on the Mac under a Windows emulator. We haven't tested this ourselves, though, and cannot provide any support for it. If you try it, though, let us know how it goes!
How was VIP Professional developed? Inquiring minds want to know!
VIP Professional is the end-result of two years of intensive design and development, starting in early 2005. The designers are industry professionals who have worked in every aspect of the nightlife industry, from passing out flyers on street corners on cold January nights (we don’t miss that part) to owning / operating major venues around the world. That hands-on experience and hard-earned knowledge has influenced every aspect of VIP Professional.
VIP Professional is still under active development. We're adding new functionality and streamlining / simplifying existing features all the time. If you have feedback (good or bad!) we would love to hear from you.
Is That It? No more Q & A???
You mean you're still reading? Wow... hardly anyone makes it this far in the FAQ! Tell you what - send us some questions and we'll expand the FAQ even more...
