subject: Are You Put Off Getting Reservation Software Because You're Worried It's Too Stressful To Learn? Don't Be, It Is As Easy As This [print this page] Are You Put Off Getting Reservation Software Because You're Worried It's Too Stressful To Learn? Don't Be, It Is As Easy As This
Setting up, and get the best from your reservation management software, can be made really simple if you do this one thing first:
Plan ahead.
Not listing your reservation needs first, is the surest way to create difficulties later.
And people too often forget this part.
Every outfit is as different as it's owner. Each set-up is unique. You may be budget, you may be 4-star. You may be tiny, or you may be expanding. You may be the tailor-made option, or perhaps more mainstream. You may offer fixed prices or adjustable ones. You may market with coupons and offers. Or not.
Whatever the case, you need your reservation management software to work, YOUR way.
No matter how small or big you are, you need to be able to accurately and reliably have your reservation information to hand.
So, what exactly do you need to plan?
Well, first lay out all the rooms, the space, the units, the tables, the time slots that you offer. And any special names you've given the rooms, tables, etc. For example: The Honeymoon Suite, The Red Room, The Penthouse, table numbers. You also need the number of people each room, table, etc will take.
Then, you will want to have your tax codes laid out. Standard, exempt and non taxable.
After that, the packages and offers that you make available. You definitely want your software to be able to factor all this in. You want to be able to completely customize your reservation software system in this way.
Now, all the different payment options that you accept. Cash, Mastercard, Visa, American Express. Again an obvious point. But if overlooked, or incomplete, will cause problems which could lose you business. It would be so frustrating, wouldn't it, to have a customer right there in front of you, fervently pressing their card which you accept - in your hand, desperate to pay for a super-profitable package. But you can't take their payment. Because you forgot to enter that type of card into your system. Agony!.
If you have special arrangements with other businesses that refer business to you, such as travel agents, you must make a complete list of them and put them in the system. You absolutely want the correct business to get credited for each booking they refer. You also want to be able to update that list, easily, as your network grows.
By preparing all this information in advance, and you probably do have all this information close to hand anyway, you make the actual build and working of your software simplicity itself.
