LocalRecLocalRec vs phone, email and spreadsheets
LocalRec Facility OS is booking and operations software for indoor sports facilities in Canada. Customers see your open hours and book them on your booking page, so you stop trading calls and emails about what's free. Desk and web bookings share one calendar and can't overlap, and every booking shows whether it's paid.
You can keep answering the phone. Staff enter phone bookings on the same calendar.
What you stop doing
| Compared | LocalRec | Phone, email and spreadsheets |
|---|---|---|
| Back-and-forth about what's free | Customers pick a space, day, start time and length on your booking page, then confirm with a 6-digit code sent to their email. | They call or email, wait for a reply, and agree on a time. |
| Double bookings | Every booking is checked against the calendar, including the full field against each half. | A call and an email at the same moment, or two people in one sheet, can both take the same hour. |
| Chasing e-Transfers | Each e-Transfer is tied to its booking. Staff confirm it from one list, and a booking whose transfer never arrives is released. | Staff match each transfer in the inbox to a row in the sheet by hand. |
| Card payments at booking | Customers pay in full when they book, into your facility's own Stripe account, with Apple Pay and Google Pay. | Card numbers read over the phone, or payment taken when the group arrives. |
| How customers pay | You pick one: card at booking, Interac e-Transfer, or payment at the facility. | Whatever was agreed on the call, tracked by hand. |
| Paper waivers | Upload a PDF waiver or rental agreement and require it at a customer's first booking. They sign on the web or at the desk. | Paper forms at the desk, or PDFs sent by email and filed by hand. |
| Cancellations | Customers cancel from their confirmation email, under your cancellation policy, and the hour reopens. | Customers call or email, and someone updates the sheet. |
| Same time every week | Players ask for the same time every week in the LocalRec app, and you book every free date in one go. | A season of weekly slots agreed by email and copied into the sheet. |
| Quoting rates on the phone | Customers see the rate for their hour before they book, peak and seasonal rates included. | Staff look up the rate for that hour and quote it on the call. |
| Empty hours | Open hours show on your booking page and in the LocalRec app, where a player who books can turn the booking into a pickup game others join. | An open hour stays empty unless someone thinks to call. |
| Cost | Operate: $99 CAD / month + tax Grow: $299 CAD / month + tax | No software bill. The cost is staff time on calls, emails and follow-up. |
| Flexibility | Built for rentals: spaces, bookings, payments and notes on every customer, in one place. | Any column, note or layout you like, in tools everyone knows. |
What changes at the desk
The phone rings less
Customers see open times on your booking page and book them in a web browser or the LocalRec app. Staff take only the calls that need a person.
One calendar, no copies
Desk bookings, web bookings, closures and blocked time sit on one calendar. When someone books the full field, both halves come off the booking page at once, so a Tuesday league night can't be sold twice.
You know who has paid
Pick card at booking and the money lands in your facility's own Stripe account before the group shows up. Pick Interac e-Transfer and each transfer is tied to its booking, with an optional deposit. Staff also record cash and card-terminal payments at the desk and see the day's takings.
Regulars keep their routine
Regulars can still call or walk in, and staff book them on the same calendar with the same conflict check. The hour comes off the booking page straight away.
Moving from phone and email to LocalRec
You enter what you already know: your spaces, hours and rates. Email our support team at support@localrec.ca if you'd like help setting up your spaces.
Add the facility
Sign up with your work email, then add the facility, its location and its spaces in three steps.
Set your rules
Set opening hours, hourly rates, your cancellation policy and how customers pay.
Enter the bookings you've already taken
Add them on the desk calendar so those hours are taken before your booking page opens.
Share the link
After a quick verification by LocalRec, put your booking page link on your website, in your email signature and on your voicemail.
Questions owners ask
Can I still take bookings by phone?
Yes. Staff enter phone and walk-in bookings on the same calendar, with the same conflict check as web bookings.
Do customers need to download an app?
No. They book on your booking page in a web browser and confirm with a 6-digit code sent to their email. Players who use the LocalRec app can book there too.
Can customers pay by Interac e-Transfer?
Yes, if your facility picks e-Transfer. Customers send it after they book, and you can ask for a percentage deposit. Staff confirm each transfer when it arrives.
Does LocalRec handle weekly rentals?
Yes. Regulars ask for their weekly time in the LocalRec app, and you book every free date in one go.
What does LocalRec cost?
LocalRec is a monthly subscription per facility, with a free trial on each plan and no booking commission. Current prices are on the pricing page.
See your facility set up in LocalRec
Tell us how your spaces divide and we'll show you the booking page and calendar set up the same way.