Scanning Modes Settings

This article will outline how to create efficient Scanning Modes within the Product Settings of the flaik site. These Scanning Modes will sync with the flaik scanning application utilized through the handheld scanners to scan classes on the hill into Class Management.

The following will review flaik suggested best practices for setting up these Scanning Modes, including the organization of the scanning modes for the most efficient order of operations, action types available, and task association.

Once setup, these settings can be synced to the handheld scanners at the resorts to capture instructors and guest information into classes that will appear in Class Management and be utilized for crucial operations such as guest management, GPS tracking (if applicable), timekeeping, etc.

Locating Scanning Modes Settings-

Navigate to Admin Settings-->Product Settings and scroll all the way to the bottom of the screen to locate "Scanning Modes" under the Scanners section.

Basics-

Once in Edit mode:

• Scanning Modes can be toggled on/off at any time by utilizing the blue toggle next to each mode.

• Scanning Mode buttons can be set in a specific order by utilizing the up and down arrows. Recommended best practice is to order from top to bottom, most used to least used modes. This translates to the most used modes appearing at the top of the list when scanning in classes.

• Scanning Mode buttons can be deleted by utilizing the trashcan icon.

• Always remember to save your work periodically.

Overview-

There are three tiers to scanning modes and it's best to think about the whole setup as a filtering system. The initial scanning modes themselves should be the largest categories of what will be scanned and then under each of those categories, there is an opportunity to filter down further to get more and more specific until you reach an individual task that the user will want to scan and associate with an instructor and guests to make up a class.

The ultimate goal of the Scanning Modes setup is to make the class scan flow as simple and quick as possible for those users who are scanning classes in.

Initial Questions to Ask Yourself Before Setup-

• What categories of tasks do I want to scan in? Ex. Groups, privates, non teaching instructor tasks, programs, etc.

• What types of tasks are going to be the most used on the scanner? Ex. typically children's group lessons are most frequently scanned in tasks so I want easy quick access to those scan flows.

• If my resort uses GPS tags, how will they be utilized with each type of class scanned in? Ex. tags on instructors and guests for children's group lessons vs. tags on only the instructor for adult group lessons.

• Does my resort want to utilize locations for any of our scans? Ex. I want the ability to assign a specific lunch location to each one of our children's lesson groups at the time of scanning.

• Does my resort want to utilize ability levels for any of our tasks scanned in? Ex. I want the ability to assign an ability level to all adult group lessons at the time of scanning.

(1) Create Scanning Mode Categories-

The individual modes themselves will be the first buttons to appear on the scanners when initiating a class scan. It's recommended to keep them to the broadest categories of class scanning while also keeping in mind how many different tasks will be utilized for class scans and spreading those tasks out fairly evenly between modes. There are a few different ways to break these categories down and it is ultimately up to the individual resort to decide the best organization.

However, there are a few common top-level category suggestions to consider which are outlined below:

flaik Recommended Approach to Scanning Mode Selection:

Take a hybrid approach to the lists above and include what is needed from the Group by Type section, as well as choosing categories from either the Group by Age or Discipline for group lessons.

The flaik recommended approach would look something like the following examples:

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

(2) Add Scanning Mode Buttons-

After creating your initial Scanning Mode categories, it's time to create scanning mode buttons within each one of those categories. This is the secondary filter on the scan flow with the ultimate goal of scanning one individual task per submitted scan.

Utilizing Example 1 from the flaik recommended approach above, here's a dive into creating these scanning mode buttons.

For Kids and Adults, buttons are created within each of these categories. For Kids there are four categories because we want the ability to scan kids and toddler snowboard group lessons and kids and toddler ski group lessons. For Adults there are two categories because we want the ability to scan adult ski group lessons and adult snowboard group lessons.

See the described layout below:

Continue with button creation within each one of the Scanning Mode categories. Keep in mind the rule of six when creating these buttons since this will be the second screen of the scan flow on the scanners and each screen can only accommodate six buttons before bumping to a second page, which can cause delays in the scan flow.

(3) Attach Each Button to Scanning Type/Action Type-

After the creation of buttons within each Scanning Mode category, it's time to assign a scanning type and action type to each button to create the proper functionality. These sections are found highlighted in the following screenshot:

Select the correct Scanning Type and the correct associated Action Type based on the following outline:

Teaching with Tags*

Teaching with No Tags

Non Teaching

*[GPS tag resorts ONLY]

Action Type

Use Case

Pass to Tag Associtation

Create a master class of just associating a pass media to a GPS tag. Used as a "check-in" type feature prior to forming classes but assigning tags to guests.

Add Class (Tag and Pass)

Add a class with this button and the scanner will prompt for pass media and a flaik tag to be scanned for the instructor and each guest.

Add Class (Instructor Tag and Pass / Student Tag Only)

Add a class with this button and the scanner will prompt for pass media and a flaik tag to be scanned for the instructor but a flaik tag only for all guests.

Add Class (Instructor Tag and Pass / Student Pass Only)

Add a class with this button and the scanner will prompt for pass media and a flaik tag to be scanned for the instructor but a pass media only for all guests.

Class Split (Pass or Tag)

Typically good to include this within the AUX scanning mode. This action type is used to split an already formed/submitted class into two classes. The scanner will prompt for either pass media or the flaik tag to be scanned of all instructor(s) and guest(s) being split off into a second class. This function only works if all people are already within a formed class in Class Management.

Action Type

Use Case

Add Class (Pass Only)

Add a class with this button and the scanner will prompt for pass media to be scanned for the instructor and each guest.

Add Class (Instructor Pass Only / No students)

Add a class with this button and the scanner will prompt for pass media to be scanned for only the instructor.

Add Students (Pass Only)

Typically good to include this within the AUX scanning mode. This action type is used to add students to an already existing class within Class Management. The scanner will prompt for the instructor's pass media to be scanned of the class the user wants to scan the guest into, followed by the guest pass media.

Action Type

Use Case

Add Non Teaching Task to Instructors

This action type is used when scanning in non teaching tasks for instructors. The scanner will prompt simply for the instructor's pass media to be scanned.

Scanning Non Teaching Tasks: The scanning functionality around non teaching tasks is slightly different than scanning teaching tasks. Instead of populating Class Management with these non teaching task scans, those tasks will scan in and land instead in Scheduling Tasks directly on the instructor's schedule.

(4) Assign Tasks

During the process of adding Action Types to each scanning mode button, it's also required to begin assigning tasks to each button. A screen to select these tasks will be the third layer the scanner user will see after selecting the scanning mode category and button. Each task associated with each button will function according to the chosen Action Type for that parent button. So again a reminder to keep six tasks or less per button to prevent a clunky user experience.

The "Default task" is required and is simply the first task you want to be associated with the specific scanning mode button. If only selecting one task for the specific scanning mode button, it should be selected within this field.

The "Additional tasks (optional)" field is where you can select additional tasks to be associated with that same scanning mode button. If additional tasks are selected, all tasks will appear as buttons on the screen, where the user must select one prior to scanning the class in.

(5) Assign Locations (optional)

Locations can be assigned to scanning mode buttons utilizing the "Locations" dropdown. The intention behind using locations would be to assign where individual classes are located throughout the day. For example, if the resort has two different lunch locations that are available for children's group lessons and the user wants to be able to assign a specific lunch location at the time of scanning the class in, "lunch" could be selected from the Locations dropdown and the scanner user will be prompted to pick the location at the time of scanning.

(6) Ability Levels & How to Assign Them to Scanned Classes (optional)

Ability levels are associated at the task level and therefore have to be configured within the Product Settings-->Global Product Settings section.

First, customize the ability level naming convention and how many ability levels are necessary for each discipline from the Global Products Settings-->Disciplines and Ability Levels section. For scanning purposes, it's recommended to turn off all unnecessary levels and have a max of six levels enabled. Ability levels will appear as a page within the scan flow when enabled on a specified task.

Second, navigate to Global Product Settings-->Tasks and turn Ability Levels on for desired tasks. Once checked, anytime a scanner user selects to scan that specified task, an ability levels page will appear prior to scanning the class in:

Review-

Tasks are the heart of the scanning mode and are what will be attached to the class in Class Management. The scanning mode categories and buttons are simply the filter or roadmap to allow the scanner user to find those tasks quickly so they can perform the job of scanning the class into Class Management. Action types determine what information is required at the time of scanning and allow that information to flow into Class Management (GPS tag data, guest information, etc.). Locations and Ability Levels add another layer of information to the scanned in class and are both optional features for scanning classes.

Related: Navigating the flaik Scanner Application