Everyone these days uses (or at least has used) some sort of booking software. Whether it be to book a birthday party, create a schedule at a salon, or manage travel plans, online booking software options (such as Aluvii) easily outperform other options (such as over the phone booking).
It is no wonder that so many people use online booking software. It is incredibly convenient for customers, as it can be accessed at any time, in any place. 8:00-9:00 PM, as reported by workarea’s blog, is when online shopping hits its peak (after most businesses have closed). In addition to creating availability for customer shopping at any time, online booking softwares allow for bookings to be done anywhere. According to financesonline.com, 60% of online bookings are done via mobile devices, allowing people to book at their convenience. Not only does online booking software create convenience for the customer, but for the business as well, as it saves payroll for the person who was in charge of answering the phone and booking events.
Just because you use an online booking system, however, does not mean you are being empowered to do everything that should be available to you with such softwares. We have put together a list of 5 areas in which your booking software may be holding you back.
1: EASE OF USE
An event booking software should be simple and comprehensive, with a clean user interface and easily navigated pages. Furthermore, it should ease your efforts in booking events and avoiding conflicts. Aluvii, for example, is a software that eases the booking process. When one customer books two rooms for an event, this software checks to make sure the rooms are available and side by side before it allows the customer to pay for a two room reservation. While this seems so simple and necessary, not all booking softwares do this kind of work for you, so make sure yours does.
2: MAXIMIZING YOUR REVENUE
Event booking software in and of itself should aide in maximizing your company’s revenue. One way Aluvii does this, is by providing waterfall packages, a concept that allows for twice the revenue in a given time period. The idea behind waterfall packages is that a specific time period can be split up between two parties, allowing them both to book at the same time, in the same room, but have separate parties. For example, one party of guests will book a two hour birthday party in a fun center, with the first hour in the party room and the second allowing them access to the rest of the activities; while a second party of guests can book a party in the same two hour time slot, with the first hour giving them access to other activities, and the second hour giving them access to the party room. By doing this, the booking software assists in maximizing the revenue for a given time period, allowing for twice the customers in the same amount of time.
In addition to waterfall packages, this software includes an email drip campaign, in which it advertises to specific customers based on their birthdays, automatically sending out an invitation to book their party as their birthday is approaching.Booking software should also increase your revenue by doing the upselling work for you.
Make sure that your booking software includes options that maximize your company’s revenue, as many do not.
3: INTEGRATION WITH OTHER SOFTWARES YOU USE
An online booking software does not need to be yet another software to manage and upkeep. In fact, the best booking softwares are those that are integrated with other software you are already using. Event booking softwares can (and should) be integrated with your POS software, your waiver software, your CRM, and your email marketing software. By being integrated with these other softwares, your booking software can contribute to reporting tasks (such as contributing to the amount of people admitted in a given day, etc.), allowing waivers to be signed upon booking (easier for customers and companies), assisting in email campaigns (as mentioned above), and retaining and attracting customers.
4: CUSTOMIZABILITY AND ORGANIZATION
Your booking software should be customizable to your company’s specific needs. Whether you offer specific packages, custom services, or other unique options, your booking software should allow you to incorporate these services into your software. Integrating custom fields into the software is one way that a software may create this customizability. Custom fields allow you to design your own forms (within the software) for customer use during the checkout process. Before purchasing a booking software, make sure that there are ways for you to customize the software to your specific company.
5: READILY AVAILABLE SUPPORT
When buying and using an event booking software, you are bound to have questions, both in the setup and use of the new software. Make sure that your provider is readily available to assist you through these bumps in the road.
Aluvii is a software company that cares about you, and is readily available to provide you with support. Through the company’s customer nurture email campaign, they will help you along every step of the way, emailing you with checkpoints as you get your system set up and learn how to use it. Aluvii not only emails you these checkpoints, but gives you the contact information of a specific person who is readily available to help you with any questions you might have.
Once again, make sure that your online booking software provider supports you in your endeavors to put their software to use!
