What do you get when you combine the power, security and reliability of TourTools reservations and operations software with the vast network of the Web? You get TourTools Online, an array of web-browser tools to connect to your clients, deliver buying opportunities and provide fulfillment services.

What can TourTools Online do?

For starters, online reservations, brochure requests, credit card payments, address validation, passport and medical form completion, e-newsletter distribution, management and distribution of automatically-generated documents and whatever custom features your business model might require.

OARS, a major adventure travel provider is using TourTools Online to provide clients with access to schedules, itineraries and a “live” booking engine that collects passenger and payment information. After checking inventory, it makes the booking in TourTools®. Clients can also log in after the original booking to check on tour details or make additional payments. OARS is also using TourTools Online as a report engine for their field managers. Wherever they are located, Peru, Fiji, Costa Rica, Arizona or even Montana, managers can log in to a secure site and pull updated passenger rosters and other reports. TourTools Online is managing the distribution of departure information emails that include current weather reports, and it generates thank-you emails with links to the follow-up trip survey forms.

Natural Habitat Adventures, another leader in the soft-adventure market, is using TourTools Online to support after-booking services like the collection of passenger medical and passport information. We have designed a series of secure web pages to permit guests to log in and update their information. Web access is convenient for the guest, and eases the paperwork load on NatHab staff members thereby playing an important part in making their business model more environment-friendly.

Badger Tours, a long-time NTA and ABA member, is using TourTools Online to provide a convenient tour reservation process for their scheduled tour division as well as their casino tour division clientele. We have designed their site to support two separate brands but in such a way as to not require two sets of web pages.

Micato Safari, one of the top African safari operators, uses TourTools Online to assist passengers with post-reservation forms and information management. Automatic address validation has been added to the web-based brochure request process to assure that the Micato Safari Brochure (more like a magnificent coffee-table book) is delivered to the correct address.

Other TourTools Online capabilities include the ability to assign a group tour code and group passcode to a preformed group or charter group so that only members of that group can access the itinerary information and make bookings. The group leader has tools to review all of their bookings or make new bookings if they want. They can even pull a rooming list or check to see who has made payments.

Web visitors can request brochures and create accounts which can be used for future bookings or marketing programs. They can manage their accounts to change address or phone numbers. They can review their reservations and make payments or request changes to bookings.

While there are other web solutions that claim to provide web reservations, in fact few are integrated to a full-featured reservation system. Other web sites require that the tour product information be re-entered in a separate database, dates, prices and so on. The web visitor usually fills in a web form to request a reservation and a staff member receives an email with the request. The staff member must enter the reservation request into their res system (if there is one), check availability and report back to the web visitor with information about their booking. This process can take hours, even days.

With TourTools Online, all the information and all of the procedures are integrated – web site with in-house reservation system. Tour product information can be entered and “published” to the web site in minutes – ready for booking. The web visitor can check availability for themselves and make a booking, not request one. They can enter their payment information for the deposit. The credit card deposit is processed and they receive an automatic confirmation and the staff member receives a note that the transaction has taken place. Reservations that are made by staff can be accessed on the web site by the client. No matter who enters the reservation, web user or staff member, the reservation information is instantly accessible by either.

Visit www.tourtools.com and click to the Demo section for a look at TourTools Online. Or, give us a call. We would be happy to discuss how an integrated in-house and web solution can secure your business position in the changing marketplace.