By
Jyoti Tejpal
All-in-one online scheduling Service-driven businesses. Full suite of tools Features to support business from setting up to scaling growth Industry-leading tools Manages & grows business online Create own professional website
Saves time Keeps customers moving Self-service reservation-booking magic Automatically sends customized email confirmations Deliver text reminders Process payments Runs day-to-day tasks smoothly
Cloud based property management and reservation system Full/limited/self service accommodation businesses Rich Easy-to-use system Increases revenue Streamlines operations
Reservations Software provides tools and functionalities to assist hospitality businesses in streamlining their booking processes . They help in managing reservation requests. It offers features such as tables, booking rooms,vehicles, etc., availability checking, payment processing, and calendar management. The software has bigger applicability in the real estate, hospitality, and rental industries.
Reservation software is related to hospitality property management, appointment scheduling, and registration software. Reservations leads to reserving of any type of room for a particular guest for a particular period of time. It provides the guest the first impression of the hotel. Reservations has activities which do not take place in front of the guests. The definition of a reservation is the act of withholding something. An example of reservation is someone calling a restaurant and asking the booking staff to hold a table for a specific time. An example of reservation is a pre-concern that holds a person back from doing something against it.
As a business manager of a reservations-based business, reservations software permits to set up a flawless, error free, user-friendly booking system. The key advantages of implementing reservation software are:
24/7 availability for bookings or reservations: The business can accept bookings 24 hours a day and seven days a week with a well-implemented reservation system in place. Customers can access the online portal or use partnered booking platforms to make reservations at any time from anywhere.
Avoid booking errors: One of the biggest advantages of reservations software is that it tries to avoid incorrect reservations or double-booking. Everyone will have the latest information regarding room availability or rentals with a centralized reservations system in place.
Automate booking processes: Reservations software automates the full booking cycle that is from booking requests thru payments. Property managers can streamline a wide variety of operations in the reservations process, like handling accepting payments, customer inquiries, and managing calendars. A rule-based system lets users set up automated workflows that are helpful in allowing things such as guests automatically receiving booking confirmation via text or email once payment is received.
Online booking: Accepting booking requests online and processing all based on availability.
Payment processing: Accepting and processing payments, and sharing receipts with customers.
Group reservations: Making arrangements for groups who are requested for reservations at the same time.
Booking notes: Capturing requests made by customers during the reservation process and sharing these notes with staff members.
Customer support: Providing support to customers via live chat, phone, or email.
Most products in the market are priced on a “per unit (room), per month” basis, and can be divided into three pricing tiers based on the starting price. A premium product is priced higher may have additional features like courier and package handling, housekeeping, and expense management.
Figure out what you require: Reservations software sellers provide a broad range of basic and premium features. A feature requirements will be unique based on the business type and size. Basic features like real-time booking with payment support are fairly standard, as premium features like built-in marketing automation, integration with existing applications may not be necessary and multi-currency payment gateways. Make a list of the “must-have” and “good-to-have” features before setting building the seller shortlist.
Integration with existing systems: Reservations software may not be the first or only tool you use, so it’s critical to integrate with existing technology tools. Confirm that the reservations software pick fully integrates with the POS, database, and compliance management software, to name a few.
Buy reservations software or build the own: The decision to go with third-party software or develop a system in-house depends on the complexities of the reservation and booking process for the desired customization level. In-house developed software can be settled and aligned to the existing interface and functionality needs, but demands significant time and money. Third-party reservations software especially cloud-deployed systems can be implemented within a few hours at a reasonable price on the other hand, but may provide lesser ability of customization.
Chatbots are transforming the booking procedure: Chatbots that are AI-backed conversational interfaces, help in transforming the way booking inquiries are entertained while receiving and answering. Chatbots can help in replacing or significantly reducing the requirement for staff to handle customer inquiries, and may address queries without human intervention. More than two-thirds of Americans would use chatbots to improve the online travel experience.
Predictive intelligence will help enhance the guest experience: Reservations software has tools that help in capturing a variety of customer details. Around half of the hotel and resort owners are looking for ways to convert guest data into business-relevant insights which can be utilized to enhance guests’ in-stay experience and provide improved customer loyalty. Most reservations software vendors have started or will start offering predictive analytics capabilities in future which will bundled with their respective solutions.
