What is tour reservation software?

Even when they’re on the move, today’s adventurers are spending an increasingly significant amount of time online—whether they’re planning their next trip or managing their current one. That means it’s paramount that tour operators make a concerted effort to meet them where they are while making their offerings as visible, enticing, and accessible as possible. 

 

A dedicated tour reservation system can help meet these goals by widening your reach and unifying all digital efforts into a single, unified platform.

 

What is tour reservation software?

Offering features like real-time availability updates, secure payment options, and seamless integrations, tour reservation systems are an essential tool for modern tour operators seeking to enhance efficiency and improve the customer experience (CX).

Let’s break down some of the basics of tour reservation software:

Online booking software

An online booking system is a critical component within tour reservation solutions, seamlessly integrating to streamline the entire purchasing process. These platforms allow potential customers to browse available tours and complete bookings directly through a user-friendly interface, helping remove friction from the customer journey. 

Direct bookings

 

Though travel-based companies will need to partner with third-party distribution channels to extend their reach to new audiences, it’s always preferable for tourists to book with you directly when possible. By integrating a capable booking engine into your site, your company can showcase up-to-date availability, provide detailed tour information, and offer a more secure platform for reservations.

 

Key features of tour reservation software

 

You can think of tour reservation software as a technical utility knife, empowering both your company and potential customers to perform all different types of actions from a single, unified platform.

 

24/7 booking engine

 

Tour-based offerings often attract both domestic and international tourists who are seeking a unique experience to serve as the anchor to their upcoming adventure. Thus, a platform that’s able to accommodate requests around the clock is essential in ensuring continuous accessibility. When individuals are unable to make a purchase at their preferred time, they’ll usually opt for a competitor that’s immediately available, wasting a valuable opportunity for your company.

Automated confirmation emails

Automation often extends beyond the pre-booking process as well, sending confirmation follow-ups to reassure customers that their reservation has been logged. These messages typically include details like the date, time, location, and payment information too, making it easier for customers to refer back to this information in the future.

Mobile-friendly checkout

With the vast majority of today’s consumers preferring smartphones to complete a transaction, a checkout process that isn’t optimized for mobile devices can often result in abandonment just before conversion. To help avoid this, it’s essential to offer streamlined forms, larger buttons, and autofill options catered specifically to on-the-go users, as these features help reduce the effort required to finalize a purchase.

Enhancing customer and business outcomes

 

A competent reservation platform is designed with both tour operators and adventurers in mind, offering tools to simplify the booking process for customers and streamline internal operations for businesses. These solutions also support data-driven improvements, ensuring their functionality stays in line with customer expectations over time.

Customer experience

 

When your booking software is fast, reliable, and always up-to-date, it empowers you to deliver a seamless experience from the moment of inquiry all the way through post-booking engagement. 

 

A quick and intuitive system, for instance, allows potential customers to check availability and make bookings effortlessly, eliminating the frustration of slow-loading pages or cumbersome processes. Real-time responses to inquiries, such as availability checks or pricing queries, can further engage users, ensuring they can transition smoothly from interest to action without unnecessary delays.

Business operations streamlining

 

With so many disparate touchpoints now required to operate in today’s tourism sector, a major draw of reservation systems is their ability to consolidate all bookings, schedules, and availability into a single location. This unification facilitates a clear, real-time view of bookings across platforms, eliminating the need to cross-check multiple spreadsheets or communication channels.

Advanced features and considerations

 

Can a tour operator get by without a reservation system? Possibly. Can they stand out in an increasingly competitive market where tourists continue to prioritize convenience and accessibility? Eh, probably not. The collection of individual features included in these platforms—like natural language processing (NLP), automation, and resource planning—make up their effectiveness as a whole, providing a wide range of functionality that can serve various business purposes.

 

Natural language processing (NLP)

 

One of the most exciting new technology developments for travel-based companies has been natural language processing, which allows automated systems to engage with users in a more natural, human-like manner. Instead of relying on predefined commands, NLP-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can interpret user intent, allowing customers to ask questions or make requests in their own words.

Automation

 

Though chatbots may be the most common automation tool found in reservation systems, these abilities extend beyond them as well, such as enabling companies to designate time- or event-based rules specific to their unique protocols. In addition to saving valuable time, these capabilities help reduce human error by following predefined workflows to standardize tasks across customer interactions.

 

Automation is commonly used for tasks like sending booking confirmations, providing availability updates, delivering reminder emails, and other repetitive tasks.

Tech stack integration

 

Outside of the reservation software itself, you’ll also need to gauge how well it connects with your existing technical infrastructure. Sound integration eliminates the need for duplicate data entry, thereby reducing the risk of errors and saving valuable time. When a traveler makes a booking, for instance, the reservation system can automatically update the CRM with the customer’s information, allowing operators to maintain an up-to-date record of all interactions.

 

Practical considerations and strategic growth

 

The first step in implementing a new tour reservation system is conducting thorough research, both internally and externally, to determine which solution is best for your unique requirements. It’s vital that you include relevant staff in this process, as they can provide specific insights into what features and functionalities will be most beneficial to them.

Ease of use

When technical systems are intuitive and easy for staff to utilize, it typically results in a better customer experience too, as employees are able to deliver better service. This can be even more beneficial in environments with seasonal or temporary staff, where quick onboarding is essential. When evaluating potential solutions, look for features like guided tutorials, drag-and-drop functionality, and consistent design elements that will help team members feel confident from the outset.

Scalability

Given the dynamic nature of the travel industry and the potential for rapid, unexpected growth, it’s essential that you employ a solution that’s able to evolve alongside your business. As you expand your offerings, attract larger customer bases, and increase bookings, your operational demands will become more complex. A scalable software accommodates this growth by handling higher volumes of reservations and supporting more users without compromising performance. 

Find the platform that works for you

Modern tour operators are often tasked with juggling a plethora of different touchpoints when striving to reach a wider audience. Dedicated reservation software aims to alleviate this burden by unifying these channels and providing enhanced visibility into available resources to help you run your operation as smoothly as possible.

FareHarbor offers tour operators these features and then some, with additional tools such as dynamic pricing, mobile and desktop functionality, a dedicated booking POS, and much more. No matter the size or focus of your company, FareHarbor offers the flexibility and scalability required to accommodate both your current and future business needs.

While we could go on, we’d rather you experience the power of FareHarbor for yourself. Sign up for your commitment-free demo today!