Prevent Peak Season Panic By Preparing Your Booking System In 5 Easy Steps
How-to • Tools + Software • December 21, 2017 • Rebecca
The peak season is a whirlwind of chaos with excited tourist ready to book tours and new experiences of all kinds.
A TripAdvisor “Best Time to Book” Holiday report shows that November-December is the best time to book holidays in Asia, South Pacific, Europe, US, Caribbean, Central America, South America, Middle East and Africa.
Make the most of the travel frenzy by preparing your booking engine well in advance. We recommend running a comprehensive check on both your tour booking system and your website to ensure that when the traffic does come pouring in, your system is ready to handle it.
5 Checks To Be Peak Season Ready
1. Update details of tours on offer
Nothing will be a greater sinkhole than relaying dated information on your website. Ensure that all details pertaining to operational tours and activities are correct and factual. Double check things like –
- Tour descriptions and itineraries
- Pricing details (for example, discount prices)
- Book/enquire now activation
- Tour specific terms and conditions
Also, make sure you deactivate or unlist those tours that are no longer provided by you. In case they have altered your tours in any way, make sure you update your listings.
2. Test the booking payment process
You need to ensure that the checkout process works seamlessly. Test the following on your system –
- Cost calculation of your tours
- Seats available for booking
- Add-ons, if any (Also, recheck add-on prices)
READ: Using dynamic pricing to maintain profitability during seasonality
3. Test booking communications
Recheck automated emails. Rewrite text where needed. Mention the discounts applied on the tour booked. Test if final reservations are being sent at the scheduled time, via automated emails and text messages. This again can be done through your tour booking system. When you send out post tour emails for feedback, thank the customer for choosing your services.
Try to include a coupon code to another tour discount for the season. This way you can re-engage the customer. It can help you earn more during the peak season rush.
READ: Re-engaging Customers For More Bookings – A How-to Guide
4. Test your back-end
Ensure that all new bookings are recorded and any cancellations are also reflected. Make sure you sync inventory that’s shared between tours as well. That way you avoid overbooking. Test how the system handles the allocation of seats or rooms once done. Ensure you also check your integrations with marketplaces like Viator.
5. Test your website
Your website is your face for the traveller. You must ensure that all menu tabs and buttons are working perfectly. Test the –
- Page loading time
- Navigational links
- Site’s performance on different devices
- Discounts on display
- Prices are reflecting correctly
You can choose from a variety of standard travel website templates or consult with an expert and get a customised website designed.
READ: 5 hacks to boost your website’s performance
Vacation Labs brings you the option of customizable travel website templates. We craft systems tailored specifically for tour operators and travel agencies. Give us a call to discover how we can design and improve your look and help you gear up for the peak season.
