Most inbound group tour companies, FIT operators and DMC’s use booking systems internally, keeping the access limited to staff, and trusted agents. But we’ve now made an option that will make online agent bookings much easier, help cash flow, make your company more competitive in the agent market and boost security. (Here’s why you might want to think about tapping into an agent network.)
Travel agents prefer to use their client’s credit card to pay for tours directly to supplier, thus avoiding the merchant fee and any hassles regarding who is responsible for the services provided. This is how they sell most tours, airline seats, and hotel rooms. But this creates security issues if they make deferred payments (storage of client card info) and, more particularly, when the booking is on the phone and they process a “card not present booking”. These are higher risk transactions and merchants pay higher fees as a result.
The new agent login option we’ve made now allows the agent to create a deferred payment at the time of the client’s booking. The system then creates the client account and then sends a login and the “invoice to pay” instruction to the client by email, so they can pay directly using their credit card. The agent never needs to see the card. The agent never touches the client’s money.
This can be very useful in reducing the risk of charge backs on the credit card bookings. Since the client reviews price, inclusions, dates and approves all the terms and conditions directly you have a clear case to prove consent.
Operators now also have a foolproof measure to prevent default of payment from agents and improve cash flow simply by taking the credit card info direct from the client.
You can set the system to release documents only when all the information you need is completed and all payment made. Once payment is made, your automated emails can be triggered to provide whatever information you want clients to have: receipt confirmation, pre-trip advice, vouchers, post trip feed back, link to Trip Advisor review etc.
There is a lot of information now that you can now use:
Pull all agency and staff bookings in report to show sales, commission, net, productivity, history etc during particular time period.
Option on agency bookings to show full retail price less commission = NET or… simply calculate and display at net only.
Other reports special to this type of operator are BED NIGHT reports, rooming lists, guide manifest etc.
Plus you can now also create marketing campaigns to past clients, encouraging them to book again.
There’s more implications to using this new booking option and we’d love to chat with you about it and see if it can work to improve your workflow and cash flow.
Contact us by phone, skype or email.