Index
Overview
Priority registration can be an important method for encouraging a return to your organization in following years. Setting up priority registration within your Uplifter system can be done in a few different ways. The options you have at your disposal may depend on how long you've used Uplifter.
What Are The Options?
Depending on the data that already exists within your system you will have different options to accomplish priority registration. Please be sure to select a method that is found in your current status.
First Season With Uplifter
Your first season with Uplifter is rather limited for priority options. This is mainly because you do not have historical data within the system to play off of. As such, the following setup options are available for priority registration:
Subsequent Seasons With Uplifter
Subsequent seasons with your Uplifter system will offer further and, often, more reliable options for priority registration. The options you have are:
Registration Code
The registration code feature is quick and easy to set up. However, there are really no actual restrictions in place to stop members from sharing this code. As such, there may be users that register for courses with a registration code, even if they fall outside of the intended group. Still, this method can be very straight forward to limit registration to specific members.
Setup
- On the program edit page, enter a password into the registration code field and save your changes to update the program.
- Share the registration code with the appropriate members to complete the registration process.
Result
The results of this setup are that any classes with a registration code set in the program setup page will now require that same code during checkout to complete registration. Programs that require a registration code can be identified by a key icon on the registration page.
Hidden Page
The hidden page method is fast and easy to set up. However, there are really no actual restrictions in place in this setup. As such, there is nothing genuinely stopping users from accessing the registration page, even if they fall outside of the priority group. Still, this method can be very useful, especially for first-season organizations.
Please note, it is highly advised you create a new page each season. Reusing the same page means reusing the same URL. This can lead to users having the priority URL without having it explicitly granted to them.
Setup
- Create a new page on your public site in your desired location
- Uncheck the Visible To Members option from the Show In parameter in the Page Details
- Set your new page to a registration page and ensure it is filtered correctly
- Update all other registration pages you may have to ensure they are filtered correctly
To begin, you will need to create a new page on your public site. This can be done by clicking the New Page option from the main menu bar, or from one of the sub menus of an existing page. Next, add a slug (the end of the URL for that page) and click OK. Your slug can be anything you want. On the new page, click Edit Page details and ensure that, in the Show In section, the Visible To Members option has been unchecked (deselected). You may wish to review the other Show In options to suit your preferences. Next, update the Page Template to a Registration Full Page template. Finally, click Save Page.
On your new registration page click on the Edit icon next to the Calendar View button. In the pop-up, use the filters to ensure that only your new, priority season (or program series) is listed. Then click Update and Save Page.
Finally, be sure to navigate to each other registration page you have and ensure that they are also filtered as noted above. However, in these instances you will want to ensure they are filtered to only show every other season/program series so as to not include the priority list. Don't forget to click Save Page after each desired change.
Please see our article Public Website Management for more information on creating pages.
Result
The results of this setup are that your priority registration page is not visible on your public site. Because of this lack of visibility it is quite difficult for your average user to find the page. However, those who have been sent the URL of the page can still access it. Thus, you would send out an email or other communication to your priority registrants with the URL in question so that they can access the page and register first.
As noted previously, there is nothing truly restricting registration. As such, you may find that some users share the link with others who are not part of the priority group, allowing them to access registration before they should be able to.
Product Links
The product link method is very fast and easy. However, like the hidden pages option, there is no real restriction in place. The entirety of the method revolves removing general access to the program(s) but they can still be accessed with the right URL.
Setup
- Filter each registration page you have to remove the current program(s)
- Obtain the Program Registration URL for each program involved
- Email your desired contacts with the URL(s)
To begin, you will want to filter your registration pages to remove the newest series of programs. This can be done by navigating to each registration page you have, clicking the Edit icon above the Calendar View, and updating the filters applied to the page. Be sure to click Save Page to keep the changes.
Once you have filtered your pages correctly you can then navigate to Products & Programs > Programs and select to Edit each program involved. For each, copy the Program Registration URL found at the top left in the Program Information section. This URL can then be shared via email and users can follow the address to a landing page specific to the program they have opted for.
Results
The results of this setup are that your new programs are not accessible through standard browsing. Instead, a specific URL will need to be known for a user to navigate to the program-specific registration page. For clubs that anticipate users registering for a variety of programs this may not be the best method, as it requires them to move to each program page individually. Likely the Hidden Page method is more appropriate in that case.
Tokens/Past Purchase
The Tokens/Past Purchase method relies on past purchases having been made within your system. As such, it is not a viable option for first-season organizations. However, for those who can use this to their advantage, this can be a powerful and quick method to introduce priority.
Setup
- Navigate to Settings > Categories
- Add a Participant Product requirement to each category level
- Remove the requirement when desired
To begin, you will need to identify a common item that was sold. This can often be your organization's insurance fee, but if this is not something that you sell or is not something that applies in the fashion you want you can also create a "token". Tokens are $0 mandatory subscription that can be set to apply in broader circumstances than a proper fee. They need to be created and added in advance (or added retroactively through the Batch Invoicing feature) and can then be an indicator of past participants who should now receive priority.
Once you have selected your item you can then add the requirements to your category levels via Settings > Categories. Requirements on your category levels will then trickle down to your programs to affect them all. To add a requirement follow these steps:
- Click Tools
next to the category level
- Select Add Requirement Group
- Click Tools
next to the requirement group
- Select Add Requirement
- Set the Type to Participant Product
- Set the value to the product you have selected
- Click Add Requirement
- Click Tools
next to the requirement group
- Select Edit Requirement Group
- Set the strictness to Prevent Add To Cart
- Set the count to All
- Click Update Group
Please see our article Categories for more information on introducing requirements and restrictions into your system.
Note that if you have requirements in your category levels already you will need to consider how these should stack and work with each other. If you are uncertain please feel free to contact us at support@uplifterinc.com. Once you have your first category level set up with its requirements you can click Tools next to the category level and select Copy Requirement Group. You can then move to your next category level, click the Tools
icon next to the category level name, and select Paste Requirement Group.
Once you have completed this process you will be ready to open your registrations at your discretion. When you are ready to remove these restrictions you will need to manually remove them from the category levels by returning to Settings > Categories and clicking on the Tools icon next to each group. By then selecting Remove Requirement Group you will allow for all registration types to occur.
Results
The result of this setup is a very strong and strict barrier between those who can and cannot register. When users who have previously purchased the required item attempt to register they will complete the registration without incident. However, those who did not purchase the selected item previously will encounter a warning from the system letting them know they cannot add this item to their cart.
Manual Waitlisting
Manual waitlisting is the most labor-intensive option. However, the benefit is that you have full control over who is registering and for what program. This method is not generally viable for larger clubs, but for new organizations with focused class sizes, this can be a fantastic option.
Note that this option does require the participant profiles to exist within your system. For new clubs you can either add these profiles into the system yourself, or invite your users to come and create accounts in your new system. Please see our article Members for more information on creating and/or importing members/participants into your system.
Setup
- For each program in your system that you would like to control the registrations on:
- Set the program to Beta status
- Enter the program view page
- Add each participant you wish to give priority to the waitlist for the program
- Set the program to Public status when desired
For this setup you will want to ensure that your participant profiles are available within the system. Once you have confirmed you can then navigate to Products & Programs > Programs to view your program listings. For each program that has priority registrants you will want to click to View the program. On the program view page you can then use the Add Participant option to add your desired participants to the waitlist.
Once you have completed the list of waitlisters for your programs you can then set them to Public status. Once public, when they reach their Registration Start Dates they will begin to be offer to the public. However, before regular users can access them the system will prioritize waitlisters.
You will need to ensure that your waitlist notifications are enabled for this. These can be enabled via Settings > Global Settings > Notifications & Messages > Waitlists.
Please see our article Programs for more information on working with programs and class lists.
Result
Season Copy
The season copy process is one of the fastest solutions. However, it does require that you have a past season in the system. As such, it is not available for first-season organizations. Additionally, this process will place your participants in the same program as last season. This may not be the desired effect for all organization.
Setup
- Navigate to Products & Programs > Seasons
- Select the season you wish to duplicate
- Click Copy
- Update your settings as desired
- Check (enable) Enable Priority Registration
- Set your desired priority expiration date
- Proceed with copying your season
To begin this process you will need to navigate to Products & Programs > Seasons. Here you can select your desired season to copy from the drop down list. Once selected, click the Copy icon. In the copy season pop up select your desired copy method and settings. During this process, be sure to check off (select) the Enable Priority Registration parameter. Proceed with your season copying as desired.
Please see our article Seasons for more information on season copying.
Result
Once your season is copied you will find that your programs already have many (or all) of their spots taken. This is not an official Registered status though. This is a priority status only obtained through this process. This priority status functions much like the waitlist status. It takes up a spot and must either be accepted or rejected. If rejected then the spot opens for standard registration. Each participant who has been granted this status will have until the date which you specified during the season copy process.
Manually Adjust Priority Waitlists
If you have opted for the Season Copy or Manual Waitlisting options you can manually adjust the priority waitlists.
Change Priority Expiry Time
- Navigate to Products & Programs > Programs
- Click View
- Click Edit on the Priority Registration Time field
- Update the date as desired
- Click Accept
To update the priority expiry time for a single program you will want to navigate to Products & Programs > Programs and select to View the program in question. Therein, use the Edit icon next to the Priority Registration Time field and select your new desired time. Click Accept to save the change. This change will affect all priority registrants within the single program.
Add Participant To Priority Waitlist
- Navigate to Products & Programs > Programs
- Click View
- Click Add Participant
- Find and select your participant
- Select the status of Waitlisted
- Click Accept
- Select the Waitlist tab
- Toggle the waitlister's priority status
To add a new participant to the priority registration list of a program you will want to navigate to Products & Programs > Programs and select to View the program in question. Therein, use the Add Participant option to find and add the desired participant. Select Waitlist as the status and click Accept. Move to the Waitlist tab and toggle the participant's Priority Registration status.
Toggle Priority Registration Status
- Navigate to Products & Programs > Programs
- Click View
- Select the Waitlist tab
- Toggle the waitlister's priority status
To toggle a participant's priority waitlist status you will want to navigate to Products & Programs > Programs and select to View the program in question. Therein, move to the Waitlist tab and toggle the participant's Priority Registration status as desired.