Do I Really Need an Online Reservation System for my Tour Business?

Taking your business online with an online reservation system is something many tour businesses may not take into consideration. The usual method of running a tour business is to have staff waiting by the phones or at a physical location in order to book customers and alert them of any changes in the program.

This method is effective for the most part, but not without its shortcomings. You need to keep enough staff on hand to handle the phone calls, and you may need to keep conversations short if the lines are busy. If weather or other issues force a cancellation, staff must work diligently to make sure all customers have been notified and rescheduled. That’s a lot of work if it is a big tour, and not everyone can be reached right away by phone. So you’re left hoping that everyone received your voicemail if one was left.

Why an Online Reservation System is Essential

Having an online reservation system is not only sensible, but as the world becomes more technology friendly, it is becoming an essential part of the business. Most customers would rather not sit on hold for twenty minutes, patiently waiting for their turn to be scheduled. If there is a similar tour that allows them to quickly and easily schedule themselves online, most of them will take that option. It would have to be a pretty spectacular tour to make it worth the hassle of reaching someone by phone if lines are busy.

An online booking system also allows customers to choose when they can book. If you’re not available in the evenings or on the weekends, you may be missing many opportunities from hard working people who can’t step away from their jobs in order to book their tour.

Right now over 20% of all tours being booked are done online, and that number is expected to grow. With 30% of tour businesses not planning on getting an online reservation system, that leaves a huge opportunity for those who do. Staying competitive can be difficult in today’s market, and an online reservation system may be the ticket to get ahead of the game and ahead of the competition.

As one other final benefit, having an online reservation system makes it easier for you to handle walk-in customers. There’s nothing that makes people feel more anxious and annoyed, than waiting around to get help in person while staff handles phone calls. It may not stop customers from booking the tour, but they may hesitate to recommend you if they remember waiting for several minutes to be helped.

Online Reservation Systems offer Tour Companies more flexibility, and frees staff up to spend time with the people who do call or visit in person. Quality care is one of the best ways to help gain good reviews, and make yourself more available to clients outside of office hours.

Adding an online reservation system is extremely beneficial to tour companies, especially if they are smaller mom-and-pop shops that need the extra boost in income. Make yourself more available to the largest number of customers possible by getting an online reservation system for your tour company today.

For more information on how the TourTools custom software can take your tour business to the next level, visit https://www.tourtools.com or call (800) 783-3346.