Why add a booking module to your website?
A booking module is an essential tool for any online sales website! It is precisely this system that transforms your brochure site into a fully functioning online shop. Without a booking module, your customers will have to contact you by email and you will have to handle every reservation manually. With a booking module, your customers can directly book your offerings — whether those are activities, workshops, guided tours or entrance tickets for a museum or adventure park.The real value of a booking system is that it lets your customers buy and book entirely on their own. Your offerings are then bookable 7 days a week, 24 hours a day! You no longer need to sit in front of your screen watching for emails — sales happen automatically. This also makes it much easier to reach audiences in different time zones. If you offer guided tours in Paris, Lyon or Nice, your tours can be booked by French speakers from around the world, at any hour, whether they are in Canada, the Caribbean or French Polynesia.
Marketing research also shows that a booking system helps increase sales. Why? Without a booking system, many potential customers simply will not go to the trouble of sending an email to ask whether a particular time slot is available and how they should go about reserving it. A booking system allows customers to book instantly, which also encourages impulse purchases.
Having a booking system also makes last-minute management far easier. Instead of sending an email on Sunday evening for an activity on Monday morning, the customer can book their spot directly. And when you wake up on Monday morning, you will simply see one more participant on that day's activity slot. Automating your reservations is a key advantage!
Offering a booking system will also reassure your customers about the professional nature of your business. A truly professional website today uses a booking form. That is the difference between a professional site and a blog.
Finally, a booking system will make your day-to-day customer management much simpler. Everything is centralised and digitised, and you no longer risk making data-entry errors when recording reservations.
A booking system will also allow you to collect payments from your customers directly. The most advanced systems, such as Explorates, will even generate invoices for you automatically!
Which booking system should you choose?
Have you decided to take the plunge and add a booking module to your website? Now comes the hardest part: choosing one! There are countless systems out there once you start searching online, so here are a few tips and things to keep in mind to avoid making the wrong choice.First, choose a booking system that is up to date and regularly maintained. Be wary of software or apps that are no longer maintained, as they can leave serious security vulnerabilities.
If you operate in a French-speaking market, it is also worth using a system developed by a French-speaking company. This ensures you can communicate in your own language if a problem arises — something that matters greatly when things go seriously wrong on your site. It is also important to consider accounting and tax regulations, which differ enormously between the US and Europe.
You will also find free modules online. Be cautious, however, as these tend to be very basic with limited functionality. Above all, they will not evolve over time, meaning you may find yourself switching systems repeatedly.
Ultimately, the most important thing is to choose the booking system that best meets your needs and offers the greatest room to grow alongside your success. Do not hesitate to contact the Explorates team for a demonstration of our solution. Explorates is a booking system built and maintained in France by a dynamic, professional team. Explorates is also a member of the OCTO consortium, which defines communication standards for booking systems. A true benchmark!
On a practical level, Explorates lets you combine a booking system with channel management. What does that mean? It is quite straightforward: not only does Explorates allow you to manage reservations on your own website, but you can also sell your offerings on other platforms, such as Get Your Guide or Viator. And all without any extra steps on your part when a customer clicks the "Book" button.
Is it easy to set up a booking system?
Let's be honest: how straightforward a booking system is varies enormously from one solution to another. Some booking systems, such as Fareharbor, require a lengthy learning process in English, given the sheer number of options and features. Others, such as calendar widgets, are very simple to install but offer such limited functionality that they ultimately prove useless.The Explorates team has found the right balance between simplicity and performance, giving you a tool that is quick and easy to get to grips with. Once you have created your product catalogue on our platform, all you need to do is copy and paste a small ready-made line of code onto your website. Yes, you read that correctly: a simple copy-paste and you are done!
From there, the system takes care of everything, following the pricing and availability rules you have set. You can then focus on your core business and grow your operation, without spending any more time managing the bookings side of things.
Explorates is suited to a wide range of tourism sectors, including guided tours, culinary and creative workshops, ticketing for museums and theme parks, from high-ropes courses to amusement parks. And much more besides! Visit our presentation page for our booking system.