Explorazone

Quote Desk: how this works

Back to the desk
The short version. The desk never sends anything unless you tick the box and press a button that names the school and what will happen. Before that button, the "What will go out" panel shows every email and text, exactly as the school will see it, and everything the system will then do by itself.

1. Where enquiries come from

Schools ask in two ways. The website form is quoted automatically within a minute. A phone call or an email is quoted by you, from the "New enquiry" tab. Either way, one enquiry makes one card on the School Bookings board.

Website form  ──>  quotation emailed by itself  ──>  card in Quotation Sent
Phone / email ──>  you: New enquiry, check, send  ──>  card in Quotation Sent

2. What a quotation sets in motion

Sending a quotation emails the school with the PDF, from explorazone@stemex.uk, signed Team Explorazone. The card moves to Quotation Sent. Then the reminders start by themselves: a text the next weekday if the contact is new, then an email every Tuesday and a text every Wednesday at 11:00, up to six rounds. The quotation is valid for 30 days. Each booking's page shows every one of these with its date.

Day 0      quotation email + PDF
Next day   text: "we emailed your quotation" (new contacts)
Every Tue  reminder email     Every Wed  reminder text
Day 30     quotation runs out: "expired" email, reminders stop

3. What stops the reminders

The reminders stop by themselves when the card moves to Invoice Sent or a Paid column, when the school replies STOP to a text, or when the quotation runs out (the school gets an "expired" email and the card moves to Expired / No Response). Nothing is ever sent at weekends.

Invoice Sent or Paid  ──>  reminders stop
School replies STOP   ──>  texts stop
30 days, no booking   ──>  "expired" email, then stop

4. What the Confirmed Date does

The Confirmed Date is the agreed visit day. If the card is in Invoice Sent with no invoice yet, the invoice goes to the school within 15 minutes (8am to 7:45pm). If the card is in Invoice Sent or a Paid column, the day appears on the available-dates page (explorazone.co.uk/AD) and in Kayana within 15 minutes, and Bilal gets a text 7 days and 48 hours before the visit. Clearing the date takes it off the dates page, but never off Kayana: tell James or Eman if a Kayana day must go.

Confirmed Date set  ──>  invoice (if waiting)
                    ──>  dates page + Kayana (15 minutes)
                    ──>  texts to Bilal (7 days, 48 hours)

5. Invoices

Moving a card to Invoice Sent is not just tidying the board: it sends the invoice, with the PDF, within 15 minutes (8am to 7:45pm), copied to explorazone@stemex.uk. Moving it to a Paid column sends the school a thank-you. If an invoice could not be emailed, fix the contact details, then press "Send the invoice again": it keeps the same reference.

Card to Invoice Sent  ──>  invoice email (needs a Confirmed Date)
Card to a Paid column ──>  thank-you email
Send again            ──>  same invoice, same reference

6. What the desk never does

The desk never changes prices, free adults, the £500 minimum or VAT: those are Jawad's rules. It never emails the team. It never sends anything in practice mode. It never sends anything unless you tick the box and press a button that names the school and what will happen.

7. When to stop and ask

Stop and tell Eman when you see a red box, the words "tell Eman", or a message in the timeline or the Upcoming list that you did not expect. If a school asks for a discount, ask Jawad or Eman; for a home education group, use the HE-DISCOUNT reply and never offer free adults.

Practice mode

While Eman has not switched sending on, the desk is in practice mode: an orange bar on every screen, PRACTICE on every panel, and orange buttons that say nothing is emailed. ZZ-TEST cards (purple PRACTICE label) are for practising, in any mode: the automations ignore them.

Who can do what

Front desk (Excel): look at everything, send quotations, new enquiries, set or clear the Confirmed Date, fix contact details, send an invoice again, pause reminders for up to 14 days. Lead (James) and owner (Eman): all of that, plus a new invoice reference and longer pauses. Nobody can change prices in the desk. Switching sending on is Eman's decision, made through Main.

Every button, explained

Practice mode
What this does
Eman has not switched sending on yet, so the desk is in practice mode. The orange bar at the top says so on every screen.
What goes out
Nothing, to anyone. Every panel shows what WOULD go out, stamped PRACTICE.
What happens afterwards
You can practise on ZZ-TEST cards, which change the way a real card would. Real cards only show you what would happen.
Signing in
What this does
Signs you in with your own name, so everything you do is recorded as you.
What goes out
Nothing.
What happens afterwards
You stay signed in for up to 12 hours, until you close the tab, or until Eman switches your sign-in off. Five wrong passwords lock you out for 15 minutes.
School bookings
What this does
Lists every card on the School Bookings board, with its column, visit date, invoice and the next message the system will send by itself.
What goes out
Nothing. Looking never sends anything.
What happens afterwards
Click a row to open the booking: what has happened, what happens next, and the buttons to change it.
Needs a person
What this does
Lists the bookings the system cannot finish by itself: an invoice that could not be emailed, an invoice waiting for a Confirmed Date, or a quotation held for a person.
What goes out
Nothing. The link opens the booking at the right place.
What happens afterwards
Once you fix it, the line goes away the next time the list is read.
Next automatic message
What this does
Shows the next email or text the system will send by itself for that booking, and when.
What goes out
Nothing from this column. The automations send at the times shown.
What happens afterwards
If the school pays or the card moves, the plan changes by itself.
What has happened, and what happens next
What this does
Shows everything that has happened on this booking (green dots) and everything the system will do by itself, with dates (orange dots).
What goes out
Nothing from this panel. Press "see the email" or "see the text" to read a message exactly as the school sees it.
What happens afterwards
The orange items go out by themselves at the times shown, unless something stops them.
The reminders
What this does
After a quotation, the system reminds the school by itself: a text the next weekday if the contact is new, then an email every Tuesday and a text every Wednesday at 11:00, up to six rounds.
What goes out
Reminder emails from explorazone@stemex.uk and short texts from Explorazone.
What happens afterwards
They stop when the card moves to Invoice Sent or a Paid column, when the school replies STOP, or when the quotation runs out (an "expired" email, then the card moves to Expired / No Response).
Change this quotation and send a new one
What this does
Lets you change what the school asked for (numbers, dates, group type, names, email) and make a new quotation.
What goes out
Nothing until you have seen the "What will go out" panel, ticked the box and pressed the button that names the school.
What happens afterwards
The new quotation gets a new reference and replaces the old one, which stays in the history. The reminders start again from the beginning.
Work out the price and show me the email
What this does
Works out the price with Jawad's price rules and makes the PDF and the email, so you can check them.
What goes out
Nothing. This button never sends.
What happens afterwards
You see the "What will go out" panel. If you change the form after this, the Send button switches off until you make a new preview.
What will go out
What this does
Shows, before you press anything, every email or text that goes now, what goes later by itself, and what changes on our side (the card, the record, the website, Kayana).
What goes out
Only what section 1 shows, and only when you tick the box and press the button that names the outcome.
What happens afterwards
Section 2 lists what the system sends later, with dates. A preview is good for a few hours; after that, make a new one.
Send a quotation
What this does
Emails the quotation to the contact and updates the card.
What goes out
One email from explorazone@stemex.uk with the PDF. It cannot be recalled once sent.
What happens afterwards
A text the next weekday if the contact is new and has a UK mobile, then a reminder email every Tuesday and a text every Wednesday at 11:00, up to six rounds, until the school pays, the card moves to Invoice Sent, or the quotation runs out.
New enquiry (phone or email)
What this does
Makes a quotation for a school that phoned or emailed. One enquiry makes one card on the School Bookings board.
What goes out
Nothing until you have checked the "What will go out" panel and pressed the button that names the school.
What happens afterwards
When sent: the contact is added to the CRM, one new card goes in Quotation Sent, and the reminders start by themselves. Website enquiries are quoted automatically, so they do not need this.
Try it
What this does
Fills in a made-up ZZ-TEST enquiry so you can practise the whole flow without typing.
What goes out
Nothing. ZZ-TEST cards never get emails or texts, and the automations ignore them.
What happens afterwards
Practice cards never reach a school, and they are cleared away after practice.
Already in the CRM
What this does
Tells you when the email address already belongs to someone with a card on the board.
What goes out
Nothing.
What happens afterwards
If it is the same enquiry, open that card and change it there. If it is a separate enquiry, carry on: you will be asked to tick a box before sending.
Confirmed Date
What this does
Records the agreed visit day and the number of pupils on the card. The invoice, the available-dates page and Kayana all use them.
What goes out
Usually nothing now. If the card is in Invoice Sent with no invoice yet, the invoice goes to the school within 15 minutes (8am to 7:45pm).
What happens afterwards
If the card is in Invoice Sent or a Paid column, the day appears on the available-dates page and in Kayana within 15 minutes, and Bilal gets a text 7 days and 48 hours before the visit.
Clear the confirmed date
What this does
Removes the Confirmed Date from the card.
What goes out
Nothing is emailed.
What happens afterwards
The day comes off the available-dates page within 15 minutes. It is NOT taken off Kayana: dates are never removed from Kayana by themselves. Tell James or Eman if the Kayana day must go.
Invoice
What this does
Shows whether the invoice was sent, could not be emailed (and why), or is waiting (and for what).
What goes out
Nothing from this panel by itself. The invoice is sent by the system when the card is in Invoice Sent and has a Confirmed Date.
What happens afterwards
Once an invoice is sent, the reminders about the quotation stop.
Send the invoice again
What this does
Asks the system to email the same invoice again, with the same reference. Use it after fixing an email address or the numbers.
What goes out
The invoice email with the PDF to the school, and a copy to explorazone@stemex.uk, within 15 minutes (8am to 7:45pm). It cannot be recalled.
What happens afterwards
The card does not move. The resend shows in the booking's history.
A new invoice reference
What this does
For a card that was invoiced by hand, or not at all, the system would issue a NEW invoice with a NEW reference.
What goes out
A new invoice email to the school, with a copy to explorazone@stemex.uk.
What happens afterwards
Front desk cannot do this: ask James or Eman.
Fix the contact details
What this does
Saves a corrected name, email or mobile on the school's record.
What goes out
Nothing. Saving emails nobody.
What happens afterwards
Future emails, texts and invoices use the new details. To send a failed invoice to the new address, use "Send the invoice again" afterwards.
Pause reminders
What this does
Stops the reminder emails and texts for one booking until the day you choose.
What goes out
Nothing. The school is not told about the pause.
What happens afterwards
Reminders start again the next weekday after the pause. The quotation still runs out on its own date: pausing does not extend it. Front desk can pause for up to 14 days.
Upcoming automatic messages
What this does
Lists everything the system plans to send by itself in the next 7 days, and why.
What goes out
Nothing from this page. The automations send at the times shown.
What happens afterwards
If a school pays or replies, its reminders stop by themselves and the list changes at the next refresh.
Full history
What this does
Every quotation, invoice, email, text, note and desk action on this booking, newest first.
What goes out
Nothing.
What happens afterwards
Use it to answer "did we send that?" before you send anything again.
Who can do what
What this does
Front desk can look at everything, send quotations, set dates, fix contact details and send an invoice again. James and Eman can also issue a new invoice reference and pause for longer.
What goes out
Nobody can change prices here: those are Jawad's rules. Switching sending on is done only by Eman.
What happens afterwards
Everything anyone does is recorded with their name.
New quotes and replies
What this does
Lists every new quotation and every reply from a school, newest first, with unanswered replies kept at the top.
What goes out
Nothing until you write a reply or change a quotation, check the "What will go out" panel and press the button that names the school.
What happens afterwards
A reply goes from explorazone@stemex.uk. Turning a reply into an amended quotation works like "Change this quotation".
Kayana days
What this does
Shows every school day on Kayana: the schools and people confirmed, places left (200 a day), what has sold, and the most one booking can buy.
What goes out
No emails. Adding or removing a day changes what customers can book on Kayana, so you see a preview first.
What happens afterwards
Kayana also updates by itself every 15 minutes from confirmed bookings. Days are never removed from Kayana by themselves.
Dates page
What this does
Shows exactly what the public available-dates page (explorazone.co.uk/AD) shows, and why. You can hide a day, add a note, or refresh it now.
What goes out
No emails. Hiding a day or adding a note changes the public page, so you see a preview first.
What happens afterwards
The page also refreshes by itself every 15 minutes from confirmed bookings.
Staff day view on the public page
What this does
On the public dates page, a staff member taps a date and enters the staff password to see who is booked that day: group, numbers, times and status.
What goes out
Nothing. Contact names, emails and phone numbers are never shown.
What happens afterwards
Five wrong tries lock it for 15 minutes, every view is recorded, and it closes after 10 minutes.

For trainers: the 15-minute practice session

Open the script

Run by Eman or James at the counter, in practice mode or on ZZ-TEST cards, with the new person at the keyboard.

  1. Minute 0 to 2, what it is: "This is where school quotes live. Every card on the School Bookings board is here. The desk never sends anything unless you tick the box and press a button that has the school's name on it." Sign in and read the sentence under the sign-in box aloud.
  2. Minute 2 to 5, find and read: press "Try it" on the New enquiry tab, or search ZZ-TEST and open the practice card. Read the timeline out loud: what has happened, what happens next. Press "see the email" on next Tuesday's reminder. Who sends it, when, and what stops it?
  3. Minute 5 to 9, change and send: "The school rang: 62 pupils, not 58." Open "Change this quotation", change the number, press "Work out the new price". Read the "What will go out" panel top to bottom: now, later, our side. Tick the box, press the button, read the "Done / Next" message.
  4. Minute 9 to 11, confirmed date: type a Friday, press "Show me what setting this date will do", read the table. Where will this date now appear? (The dates page, Kayana, Bilal's phone.)
  5. Minute 11 to 13, invoices and contact details: open the Invoice section. What would "Send the invoice again" send, and to whom? Fix a practice email address and read what saving does (it emails nobody).
  6. Minute 13 to 15, when to stop: a red box, the words "tell Eman", or a message you did not expect. Print the cheat sheet. Press an (i). Sign out.

Check: At the end, the new person explains in their own words what Send does and what the Confirmed Date does. If either answer misses "reminders" or "the dates page and Kayana", repeat that minute.

Explorazone Quote Desk. Help last updated 14 October 2026. Something not right here? Tell Eman.