It doesn't matter if you're running a small business on your own or managing a growing team: making use of an online booking system is a crucial aspect of running your business in this day and age. From streamlining the booking process to facilitating administrative tasks, here are nine ways an online booking platform will help you gain hours back in your day.
1. Your customers can book on their own, 24/7
Revenue generated from online travel bookings has risen more
than 73 percent over the previous five years, with 57 percent of
all travel-related reservations taking place online, according
to research group Statistic Brain. That number is only expected
to continue growing — worldwide. Today's consumers are looking
for a quick, no-hassle way to book their trips, tours, and
experiences. So if your customers aren't able to easily book
your experiences online, you are likely losing business to your
competitors.
By using an online booking system, you allow customers to check
your availability, select their preferred dates and times, add
their details, and make the payment — all from your own website.
Added bonus: you'll capture customers who want to book on their
own time, outside of your business hours and while you sleep!
2. You don't have to be on the phone all day
Tour and activity operators receive ceaseless array of phone
calls throughout the day, it seems the only way to handle them
is hiring additional staff members. It's a fact of the trade —
there just aren't enough hours in a day to handle each and every
phone reservation coming through.But with an online booking
system you can have a calendar. Having a booking calendar on
your webpage is just like having a call center handling
reservations 24/7. With more customers booking online, you'll
reduce the number of phone reservations. And, for the phone
reservations that you do take, just click to add new bookings
that sync to your calendar and dashboard.
3. You'll give customers your real-time availability -
without having to tell them
Many of your customers call or email you to ask that one
question: “Do you have availability on this date?" An online
booking system, which shows customers your availability in real
time (and keeps that information accurate and updated), cuts
through that confusion. Making it that much easier for potential
customers to find the information they need will lead to a boost
in bookings. A study by Corporate Executive Board found that
businesses who made the purchasing-decision search easier were
86 percent more likely to make a sale. So that little bit of
clarity goes a long way.
4. You don't need to confirm or remind
Your customers may forget what day they booked or other details
about their reservation. You may also spend hours sending
reminders, information on where to meet and what to bring, and
directions to customers. With an online booking system, you can
customize emails that will automatically confirm the reservation
and send your customers the details about their reservation. In
addition, you can create and set an automated reminder email a
few days before arrival to ensure they know what day they are
coming and where to go when they get there. This is a simple
process that is essential to your productivity and gives
customers a professional first impression of your business.
5. You'll have booking and revenue reports at your
fingertips
Online booking platforms like RibbonsXP Pro allow you to view
all pertinent information you'll need for current and future
reservations. As soon as a customer books with your company, the
reservation details including customer information and payment
history is recorded in the system. With just the click of a
mouse, you can extract your customer database, review revenue
for the previous year, or check statistics such as how many
people booked a specific product during the last two months.
This will allow you to fine-tune your offerings to increase your
revenue.
6. You can find a reservation in record time
You've been there before: A customer calls or emails to modify
their booking. Even if you keep detailed records on your
computer, you'll spend a decent amount of time searching for the
reservation and customer's details. An online booking system
eliminates that hassle. With a booking system, quickly look up
your customers by name or reservation number. This not only
saves you time, but it greatly improves customer service. And
since a study by ZenDesk found that 55 percent of people
switched companies for a product of service due to a poor
customer service experience, this image of professionalism is
all-too important.
7. You always have all the required information
An online reservation system not only streamlines the booking
process for consumers, but also requires customers to enter all
the information you need to complete a booking. That means
customers' information (name, email, telephone number, etc) is
at your fingertips — and searchable— should you need it. You can
even include custom questions in the checkout process for
miscellaneous information that you want to gather, such as food
allergies, expertise level for the activity, or T-shirt size.
8. You solve the issue of no-shows
It's a scenario no business enjoys, but one all too common in
the tourism industry: no-shows. A customer booked with you,
doesn't show up, and doesn't inform you. For the business, that
means a loss of both time and money. Not only that, but it also
means you missed an opportunity to give that spot to another
customer. A booking system will give you the option to ask for a
deposit, and get paid immediately using PayPal or a credit card.
It's easy for both you and your customer, and at the same time
it ensures you don't lose money when there's a no-show.
9. You'll attract quality customers while spending less time
on marketing
You may be spending too much time and money with social media
marketing and online ads without seeing significant conversions.
RibbonsXP's online booking platform offers a unique way to
guarantee large amounts of bookings. Called RibbonsXP Pro, it's
the only merchant marketing program for activity providers that
guarantees large amounts of bookings to ensure that your empty
spots are filled throughout the year. You can check it out to
learn more about how you can be a part of this program
