A tour operator booking software can help travel agents sell more bookings, gain more customers, and easily manage their day-to-day operations. Thus, tour operators should make sure to choose the best tour operator platform that meets their activity booking management needs.
Good news! You have a huge list of tour operator booking software to choose from. Bad news! It takes a toll on you to choose the right one.
So, how can you make sure to choose the best tour operator software?
We, at TicketingHub, specialize in activity and booking process management in the tourism industry. We have worked with over 200 tour operators worldwide of different fields in the vast travel industry.
In this post, we have listed the top seven must-have features that you, tour operators, should look for to deliver a unique booking experience- every time.
READ: How to Choose a Tour Booking Engine for Your Local Tour Business- Part 1
7 Must-Have Features: Online Tour Booking Software
Here are 7 features that you should look for in search of the right tour operator software.
1. Easy to use and highly customizable
Ease of use allows customers book tours with ease, without second thoughts, down to the payment processing. On one hand, it also allows tour operator staff to spend less time managing, and focus more on providing services.
Customizable features create a unique feel for every booking platform and let you step ahead of your competitors in the vast market.
Ask the following questions to assess ease of use and customizability:
Is the backend software easy to use for staff?
A tour operator business should find out if the web-based booking software offers an easy-to-use backend so that employees can quickly and easily do back-office processes- make reservations, manage bookings, view customer profiles, and track payments.
Staff training is also important, so be sure to ask about the training process and if there are any user manuals or tutorials available.
Is the software easy to use for customers?
A tour operator business should also find out if the online booking software offers an easy-to-use frontend so that customers can quickly and easily book and manage online bookings with an internet connection.
Does it make booking group tours easy?
Group tours can be difficult to manage, so it is important to find a booking engine that offers an easy-to-use interface and can handle large groups and trip planning, and that can offer tour packages and operate multiple tours and multi day tours and activities.
Is it mobile-friendly?
In today's world, it is important to find a booking engine that is mobile-friendly. Tourists are increasingly using mobile apps and devices to research and book tours, so it is important to have a booking engine that can be easily accessed on all devices. Activity operators should also consider if they need a mobile app for their tour business.
Does it offer easy calendar management?
Calendar management allows travel agents and operators to easily see which slots are booked and on schedule. Calendar management can also help with planning, scheduling, and organizing tours online.
Can you customize tour pricing?
Yes, tour and activity operators can customize consumer fees and tour pricing with most booking engines. Besides, you can set different prices for different events, and can also offer discounts for group bookings, direct bookings, and early bookings. Tour pricing can also be automated using a booking engine.
2. Automation Tools
Online booking engines use automated tools to automate a variety of tasks. Automation tools allow tour and activity operators to save time and money by automatically processing reservations and online payments.
The most common automation tool features are sending of automatic notifications and waiting lists, which can also help improve customer relationship management.
3. Reporting and Analytics
Tour and activity operators can use reporting and analytics to measure the revenue and success of their company and use data for future development.
Some tour operator software providers use Facebook Ads and Google AdWords, for instance, as their marketing tools.
Tour and activity operators can use reporting and analytics to identify:
- How many people have booked tours?
- How many tours have been booked thus far?
- Which tour has the most sales?
- How much money has been made?
- What can you do to get ahead of the competition?
Imagine how much growth these booking data can do to drive business growth! Well, these are merely a few of the benefits reports and analytics can offer to your business.
In case your business is looking to grow in a specific way, a great online booking system should be able to help you customize the online software solution.
4. Fast Integration
Fast integration ensures that the booking engine can be quickly and easily integrated into your existing website, helping you minimize business disruption.
Advantages of Fast integration:
- Save time by quickly and easily integrating the booking engine into their existing website.
- Minimize disruption to their business by quickly and easily integrating the booking engine into their existing website.
5. Scalability
A tour booking engine should be able to handle large volumes of direct bookings without any problems. One way to consider if the company has a large client base is to look at how many customers the company has served and to consider if the company shows signs of rapid growth.
Scalability allows:
- Grow their business without any problems.
- Easily handle large volumes of bookings.
Many firms that develop tour booking systems serve only a few dozen or so customers. As a result, they may not be able to handle large volumes of bookings and may lack the resources to expand quickly.
Lacking scalability may result to:
- Bad technical assistance
- Frequent system outages
- Inability to get help and quick customer support
That's why it's important to work with a well-funded company that has a larger client base and more resources so that you can count on them in any season. They will be able to handle your large volumes of bookings and provide you with the support you need when you need it.
6. Payment Gateways
A payment gateway is a secure system that allows companies to accept payments online. It handles the complex process of accepting payments from customers and transferring the money to the company's bank account.
Most popular payment gateways include:
It is important to choose a booking engine software provider for tours that supports various payment gateways. This will ensure that your customers can use the payment method of their choice when booking a tour with your company.
7. Centralized System
A centralized system is one in which all of the data is stored in a single location. This allows for easy access to the data and makes it easy to track and analyze.
A centralized online booking system allows:
- Easily access all of their data (payment details, customer information, and booked reservations) from a single location
- Track and analyze their data more easily
- Manage their business more effectively
- Assign and manage employees more effectively
Without a centralized system, effective business operations and booking management will be extra difficult. A centralized system allows easy access, saves time, and improves internal operations and communication; not to mention it helps activity companies see business overview in a single pane.
Tour Operators Are Loving the TicketingHub Difference
TicketingHub offers the most innovative online booking system for tour and activity operators in the vast tourism industry- food tours, hop-on-hop-off bus tours, museums, entertainment, and many more.
We charge only 3% of online credit card bookings, with no setup or monthly fee!
Our online booking and reservation system allows easy check-in features, inventory and sales management, channel management, dynamic pricing, upsell promotions and extras, secure payment processing, and simplified staff scheduling management. In addition, we integrate you with the most trusted payment gateways (PayPal, Spreedly, Stripe, WorldPay, Adyen, etc.)
- Lightweight booking widget for all sites
- Excellent customer service for every customer
- Automation tools
- Fast integration
Build better trips and experiences with TicketingHub! Contact us today for a free demo.
READ: How to Choose a Tour Booking Engine for Your Local Tour Business- Part 1
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