5 Elements to Consider When Choosing Booking Software for Your Business

If you are seeking good online booking software, you must know there are plenty of options in the market. Whether you own a hotel, B&B, restaurant, or rental rooms and spaces, you can go for any good software that fulfills your needs and requirements. These can be Software as a Service - SaaS, stand-alone software, or any with WordPress themes.

Before anything else, you need to figure out your intentions and goals that you want to achieve with that software. Some software provides better invoice API while some other lets you customize your space with a custom logo and design. However, you must carefully decide while keeping critical factors such as efficiency, customer service, and pricing. So, look beneath the silver lining and consider the following five elements before choosing an online booking software for your business.

Planning and Accounting

The online booking software must be able to easily and efficiently handle multiple parts of any given planning. It means you can easily set several conditional rates for a room, private space, or a property, for any range. The conditions checklist includes the following:

Other accounting features like automatic rates processing and yield calculator are ideal for large businesses but if you own a small business, you might not need them. However, this is an extra and the above things are mandatory.

Handling and Management

In addition to your own management, the booking system must also be able to work with 3rd part channels. It is so because today, it is impossible to stay in the hospitality business and far from Online Travel Agencies or Channels - OTAs, such as Expedia or AirBnB. So, the software must easily be able to handle bookings via 3rd party, manage bookings, and set rates according to external databases and booking software. It is important in the case of hotels and rental spaces for vacations. If there is a gap or mishap between your current and channel inventory, you might face a lot of humiliation and bad reviews. And if you are running a business, you must know what bad reviews or conversations lead to.

Acceptable Payment Options

Another thing to note is that the online booking software must be able to process multiple payment methods. Some common options include PayPal, Stripe, etc. Also, online payments also have transactional charges, so do keep that in mind as well. However, these are not the same as bank transactions, as each bank has its separate Gateway and API. So, you must also comply with the company’s policy requirements like SSL certification, refund policy, and others, if any. Remember to consider these factors to include, and also ask the software company about such options. Also, the booking software must be able to process and handle different payments like non-refundable upfront costs, no cancellation rates, etc.

Customer Service

Customer service, management, and housekeeping are essential components of any business. It starts from the moment a customer lands on your website to reserve a place and ends after they leave your place after check-out. It means you must efficiently communicate with them, effectively answer their queries, and make their journey smooth and comfortable. You can also consider automation like a chatbot, automatic reservation, reminders, and alerts for new bookings. So, make sure the booking software can handle everything properly. Also, it must handle hotel room status and create maintenance lists. However, the internal staff must also be active and efficient in addressing to any concerns to prevent customer complaints and bad reviews.

Billing and Invoices

Finally, the online booking system you are about to choose should be able to print professional and accurate invoices. Although many large corporations have their own billing system, most SMBs find it easy to work with dedicated accounting packages. So, if you are one of those companies, make sure the booking system processes proper billing. Moreover, it should easily link with the accounting and inventory system.

Final Thoughts

Once you start looking for booking software, you will know that there are plenty of options available in the market. The final decision rests solely in your hands, but remember, whichever you choose, aligns with your business model and needs. Do not let the catchy marketing jargon or customization options fool you. Focus on performance, efficiency, and functionality. Also, evaluate the total cost, including website integration, payment gateway setting, management and handling time, and reliability and scalability. These factors are essential to consider, no matter the size of the company.