Managing vendors and products

  • Updated

In this guide, you’ll learn how to add, update, and manage vendors and their products within the FareHarbor Desk platform. Vendors represent service providers (e.g., tour companies, transportation services), and products refer to the services they offer, such as tours, activities, or other experiences.

Accessing the vendor management menu

After logging into the FareHarbor Desk platform, locate the Manage option in the top navigation bar.

In the Manage menu, select Vendors. This section allows you to view, add, and edit vendors and their associated products.

Adding a new vendor

To add a new vendor: 

  1. Click on the Add New Vendor button at the top right of the Vendors page.
  2. Fill in the vendor’s details:
    • Vendor Name: The official name of the service provider.
    • Vendor Type: Select the type of vendor (e.g., charter, activity provider).
    • Vendor Address: The physical address of the vendor.
    • Contact Information: Add the vendor’s phone number and email address for communication.
    • System ID: An additional identifier that can be used to match accounting softwares.
    • General Ledger ID: An additional identifier that can be used to match accounting softwares.
  3. Once all the details are entered, click Save to create the vendor.

Note: Ensure that all vendor details are accurately filled in to facilitate smooth communication between your team and the vendor. Inputting an accurate System ID and General Ledger ID ensures that sales in Desk are correctly matched with your accounting system and facilitate easy import and export.

Viewing and editing existing vendors

To view or edit an existing vendor:

  1. Return to the Vendors page under the Manage menu.
  2. You’ll see a list of all the vendors currently in the system. Use the search bar to quickly find a specific vendor by name or type.
  3. Once you have located the vendor you’d like to edit, click on the Vendor Name to open their details.
  4. Update the contact information, address, or any other details.
  5. Click Save after making changes to ensure the information is updated.

Adding and managing products for vendors

Each vendor can offer one or more products (e.g., different tours, activities, or services). To manage these from the vendor’s detail page, select Products. Here you'll see a list of all products currently associated with this vendor.

To add a new product:

  1. Click Add New Product.
  2. Fill in the product details:
    • Product Name: The name of the service (e.g., "Maui Zipline Adventure").
    • Transaction Type: Choose the type of transaction (e.g., booking, voucher).
    • Location: Specify the location of the product (e.g., city or region where the service is offered).
    • Product Description: A detailed description of the service. This should include key information such as what the service includes and any important terms.
    • Agent Notes: Internal notes that are only visible to your team. These notes can include specific instructions or reminders about the product.
    • Voucher Notes: Notes that will appear on the client’s printed voucher. This can include instructions for the client, such as check-in times or what to bring.
  3. You can set a default Check-in time for the product if the service operates on a fixed schedule.
    • If the service offers real-time availability (for example: tours connected to), the check-in time can be pulled automatically from the system.
  4. Click Save to finalize the product addition.

Adding product categories

Add categories to your products to be used when filtering results in your Product search. A product category can be added to new or existing products via the Product Categories dropdown menu in the Product settings.

To add a category to a product:

  1. Select Vendors from the Manage dropdown in your Desk Dashboard.
  2. Select a vendor from the dropdown.
  3. On the Vendor page, click the View Products button.
  4. If you would like to create a new product, click the + Add new product button. Alternatively, select an existing product from the dropdown.
  5. On the Product page, select categories from the Product Categories dropdown by checking the desired category box.
  6. Click Save.

Product categories are predefined and custom product categories cannot be added. You may select up to five product categories to associate with a product.

Under Products in your FareHarbor Desk Dashboard, you may filter your products by Product Categories. Select the categories you’d like to filter by in the Filters menu on the left side of your screen. 

Editing existing products

To update an existing product:

  1. Go to the Products section under the specific vendor’s page.
  2. Click on the Product Name to open the product details.
    • You can update the description, transaction type, check-in times, and notes.
  3. Click Save to ensure your changes are reflected.

Adding service-only products and vouchers 

Service-only vouchers are used to represent non-monetized services or activities. These vouchers are informational only and not associated with any rates, commissions, or collections. With service-only vouchers, you can enhance the guest experience without impacting financial reporting or invoicing. Service-only vouchers can be used for things like restaurant reservations, babysitting services, or complimentary offerings. 

To create a service-only voucher, you must first create a service-only product. When the service-only attribute is applied to a product:

  • No rates are applied to the product.
  • The product is non-commissionable.
  • There is zero collection on the product.
  • The product can be included in vouchers and itineraries. 

 

To create a service-only product:

  1. Click the Manage dropdown in the Desk Dashboard navigation.
  2. Select Vendors from the Manage dropdown.
  3. Under the Vendors dropdown, select the vendor for whom you’d like to create the service-only product.
  4. In the Vendor details, click the View Products button.
  5. Click the + Add new product button.
  6. Check the Service-only product box.
  7. Click View Customer Types to select from existing customer types or to create a new customer type for your service-only product.
  8. Fill in the relevant fields in your Product form.
  9. Click Create.

 

When filling out your service-only product details in the Product view, payment-related fields are hidden from view. Additionally, customer types with an associated rate cannot be added to a service-only product.
 

Once you’ve created a service-only product, you may use this product to create service-only vouchers.

Service-only products can be added to vouchers using the Product dropdown in the Voucher details. Service-only products are identified in the product list by a (Service-Only) prefix. 
 

To create a service-only voucher:

  1. Select a client from the client table in your Desk Dashboard.
  2. Click the + Create voucher button.
  3. In the Voucher details, select the vendor for which you’ve created your service-only product in the Vendor dropdown.
  4. Select your service-only product from the Product dropdown.
  5. Fill in the relevant fields in the Vendor details.
  6. Click Save voucher.

Once saved, service-only vouchers will receive an Issued status and can be identified by a blue asterisk in the Vouchers table: 

Once issued, service-only vouchers will appear in your Desk reports, just as with other vouchers, but will have rate, commission, and tax values of 0 associated with them.
 

Organizing products by vendor

Vendors can offer multiple products, and it’s important to keep them organized.

Use clear and descriptive product names to differentiate between similar services (e.g., “Morning Snorkeling Adventure” vs. “Afternoon Snorkeling Adventure”).

Regularly review the products associated with each vendor to ensure accuracy, especially if the vendor updates or removes services.

If a product is no longer offered, you can reach out to the FareHarbor Desk Support team to remove the product.

 

You’ve now learned how to manage vendors and their products within the FareHarbor Desk platform. Adding accurate vendor information and keeping product details up-to-date ensures a smooth booking experience for your team and clients.

If you need to edit vendor or product details in the future, simply navigate to the Manage menu and make the necessary changes.

Desk restrictions

When creating or managing a product, you may restrict which desks that product is available on. This gives your company more control over product distribution and prevents booking errors by ensuring that vouchers cannot be created for products that are not available on certain desks.


To add a desk restriction:

  1. Create a new product or edit an existing product.
  2. Click the Product settings tab.
  3. Select desks from the Desk restriction dropdown or choose Select all.
  4. Save your product settings.

Once desk restrictions have been saved, restricted products will not appear in product or vendor search results when they are not available for that desk, reducing confusion for agents.

Blackout dates

Set specific date ranges for which a product is not bookable with the Blackout dates feature. This is particularly useful for managing seasonal closures, maintenance periods, or other operational restrictions where availability must be paused.

To create a blackout date for a product:

  1. Click Manage in your Desk navigation.
  2. Select Products from the dropdown. 
  3. Edit an existing product by clicking … or create a new product by clicking the Add new product button. 
  4. Click the Product settings tab.
  5. Under the Blackout dates section of your Product Settings, click + Add new date.
  6. In the modal overlay, define the date range and the Reason for the blackout date.
  7. Click Save.

When a blackout date has been defined for a product, vouchers cannot be created for that product during the defined blackout period. A warning identifying these dates as unavailable will appear in the Date section of the voucher when attempting to book a blackout period: 

Frequently asked questions

Can I remove a vendor or product?

You can remove a vendor or product by archiving it. To do this, edit the product or vendor, then click Archive Product or Archive Vendor at the bottom of the settings view.

How do I update a product’s check-in time?

You can edit the check-in time by navigating to the Products section under the vendor’s page. Select the product and modify the default check-in time as needed.

Where do voucher notes appear?

Voucher notes are printed on the client’s voucher and typically include important details such as check-in instructions or special requirements.