There are seven product types that can be added to Operate:
Desk - Used when renting out a desk within an office.
Meeting Room - Meeting Rooms are rented out on an hourly basis and on a short term.
Office - Offices are dedicated spaces, rented out to customers on a long term basis. Office rentals are subject to a Licence.
Product - This type is used when adding any other type of product (e.g.: food, beverages, etc.)
Service - This type is used when adding a service to Operate (e.g.: printing, secretarial, etc.)
Time Based - This product type is used when a certain product is being provided on an hourly basis (e.g.: renting mobile or IT devices per hour).
Virtual Service - This product type is used for virtual customers (who do not require physical space from your organization and only need services such as a virtual address / mail forwarding or a virtual phone number / phone answering service.).
Switching Between Product Types
If you decide to change the Product Type after having created the record, you can do so on the Product's page, under Edit > Change Record Type.
Product Types and Licences
Some of these product types are mapped within the Licences module and may be attached to a Licence. These product types use recurring billing.
Offices may be added to a Licence from under Licence Offices.
Services may be added to Licences from under the Contract Services area of the Licence.
Time based products may be added to a Licence using either the Contract Services or virtual Services area.
Virtual Services may only be added from within the corresponding Licence area.
If you expect to use a specific product or service as part of a Licence, please ensure that it is placed under the appropriate product type during initial configuration.
If you are setting up a Licence and the product you expected to see does not seem to be available, it might not have been added under the appropriate type. To allow Operate to display the product on your Licence, you will need to change the product type. To do so, please search for your product record using the global search box at the top (next to the Operate logo), click your product name, click Actions then select Change Record Type. Here is where you can choose one of the types listed above, which will make your product usable on the Licence.
One situation when you might want to do this is when you want to include catering products into a licence. In such a case, these would need to be added as a service product type and will be available under the Contract Services licence section.
Product Types & License Table
Desk - Not available in licenses
Use this record type if your product matches the criteria below:
This product must be available to be reserved on a calendar
This product may require hourly, half-day, day rates and different prices for members and non-members
Only one member at a time can book this product
This product is a desk
Tip: If you have a lot of bookable desks, creating a separate product group for desks allows users to toggle between the desks and meeting room view on a calendar and makes it easier to manage.
Meeting Room - Not available in licenses
Use this record type if your product matches the criteria below:
This product must be available to be reserved on a calendar
This product may require hourly, half-day, day rates and different prices for members and non-members
Only one member at a time can book this product
This product is not a desk
Tip: When creating this product – remember to add a product group with reservations checkbox checked.
Office - Under the Offices Licence Section
Use this record type if your product matches the criteria below:
This product will be charged as a dedicated rental (only one company at a time can be charged for this product within a given timeframe)
This product will be billed on a recurring basis as part of a contracted license
This product will be available to add as an “office” on a license agreement
This product will be included in Operate’s monthly occupancy reports
Tip: If you sell dedicated desks – and want to include these units within monthly occupancy reports, use the Office record type, and customize the “office type” field to add desk as a type of office to differentiate between offices and desks. Remember to include office size and workstation count for accurate reporting
Product - Not available in licenses
Use this record type if your product matches the criteria below:
This product will be added to a member invoice as consumed through either POS, charge sheet or batch sheet
This product will not be billed for on a recurring contracted basis
This product maybe added to a license Agreement as a one time charge, but will not be part of the recurring contracted charges
This product does not need to be reserved on a calendar (although it might be an available as an add-on product when a calendar booking is made)
Product examples: photocopies, catering, set-up fees
Service - Under the Contracted Services Licence Section
Use this record type if your product matches the criteria below:
This product is one that can be charged to different members at the same time
This product will be billed on a recurring basis as part of a contracted license
This product will be added as a “service” on a license agreement
Service examples: handset rental, monthly internet charge, gym membership
Time Based - Under both the Virtual & Contracted Services Sections
Use this record type if your product matches the criteria below:
This product is one that can be charged to different members at the same time
This product sets a restriction of a specific number of hours per month access into your location(s) but doesn’t require any reservations of specific space
This product will be used with the Client Services module to monitor member access
This product will be billed on a recurring basis as part of a contracted license
This product will be added as a “service” on a license agreement
Time Based examples: Membership Plan (XX hours p/month access to common space)
Tip: This record type shouldn’t be used for memberships where a member is entitled to a specific number of hours to a space as a desk, meeting room or office
Virtual Service - Under the Virtual Services Licence Section
Use this record type if your product matches the criteria below:
This product is one that can be charged to different members at the same time
This product will be billed on a recurring basis as part of a contracted license
This product should be added as a “virtual service” on a license agreement
Virtual examples: Business Address Plan, Virtual Office Plan
Tip: You can create virtual service products under the service record type, however many operators prefer the option to separate the services out for reporting purposes.