HOW TO TRADE SERVICES WITH ANOTHER MINISTER
A question came up at a recent Minister's Meeting about whether or not we could suggest a trade instead of simply requesting a substitution. Ministry Scheduler Pro does allow for trades, but they need to be proposed by the minister accepting the sub request. Here is a detailed explanation of how a trade is made.
Assume we have ministers Alpha and Beta. Both have services scheduled, but Alpha cannot fulfill his service and requests a swap. As usual, Alpha clicks on "Request sub", fills out the comment field, and clicks the "Request sub" button. In this case, I'm using a comment of "Sub or trade". All ministers who are qualified for Alpha's ministry and are available at his time get an email looking like this:
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Subject: New sub request from Minister Alpha Dear Beta, A sub has been requested by Alpha Alpha for the following position: Friday, Nov 25, 12:00 PM: Service - Ministry (volunteer now) To see your full list of scheduled times you may log into your web terminal at: http://www.rotundasoftware.com/ministry/StPatrickStoneham |
Let's assume that Beta wishes to trade with Alpha. Beta signs onto his web terminal and checks his schedule. He sees:
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You are scheduled to serve at the following times. Monday, Nov 28, 12:00 PM: Service - Ministry (request sub) If you can't serve at one of your scheduled times, it is very important that you find a substitute ahead of time to take your place. You can make a sub request by clicking on one of the (request sub) links above. Substitute requests have been made at the following times. To volunteer to fill a position, click on the (volunteer now) link. Friday, Nov 25, 12:00 PM: Service - Ministry (volunteer now) |
Beta now clicks on "volunteer now" and gets the "Accept substitute request" dialog box. Instead of simply filling in a comment and clicking on "Accept sub request", he clicks on the radio button "I would like to trade Alpha...". The dialog box is now "Propose trade". A list of his upcoming services is provided, and he selects one or more. The box will look something like this:
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After Beta clicks on the "Propose trade" button, an email will be sent to Alpha. It will look something like this:
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Subject: Trade proposed by Beta Beta Dear Alpha, Beta Beta would like to trade you for this position for which you've requested a sub: Friday, Nov 25, 12:00 PM: Service - Ministry Here are the time(s) that Beta Beta is able to trade with you: Monday, Nov 28, 12:00 PM: Service - Ministry (accept trade) To see your full list of scheduled times you may log into your web terminal at: http://www.rotundasoftware.com/ministry/StPatrickStoneham Thank you. |
Alpha now accepts the trade by clicking the "accept trade" link. The web terminal opens and the following dialog box pops up:
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Alpha completes the trade by clicking "Accept trade". Two emails will be sent. Alpha will get an email like:
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Subject: Your trade with Beta Beta has been processed Dear Alpha, Your trade with Beta Beta has been processed. You are no longer scheduled at this time: Friday, Nov 25, 12:00 PM: Service - Ministry Instead, you are now scheduled at this time: Monday, Nov 28, 12:00 PM: Service - Ministry To see your full list of scheduled times you may log into your web terminal at: http://www.rotundasoftware.com/ministry/StPatrickStoneham |
Beta will get the following email:
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Subject: Your trade with Alpha Alpha has been processed Dear Beta, Your trade with Alpha Alpha has been processed. You are no longer scheduled at this time: Monday, Nov 28, 12:00 PM: Service - Ministry Instead, you are now scheduled at this time: Friday, Nov 25, 12:00 PM: Service - Ministry To see your full list of scheduled times you may log into your web terminal at: http://www.rotundasoftware.com/ministry/StPatrickStoneham |