How to choose the best booking software for your tour business

Researching your next booking system can be a long, overwhelming process. You may have found yourself on review platforms, such as Capterra, to compare the various booking and reservation management solutions that exist today. 

Whether you’re transitioning from a previous software or choosing one for your new business, the question still remains — what exactly should I be looking for in a booking system?

Below we discuss which factors should go into your final decision.

1. Costs

Before you adopt any new software or program, you must look into the cost. You can easily eliminate choices if you cannot afford its pricing.  

Within the software industry, you’ll encounter different pricing structures, each with their own pros and cons. For example:

• Tiered pricing: This tends to be the most frequent pricing model used among SaaS (software as a service) companies. At its core, a tiered pricing structure provides several options or packages that contain different combinations or features at various prices. This generally is broken down into a monthly payment plan but allows you to select the package that best fits your business.
• Commission pricing: In this type of model, you are required to pay a specific percentage to your booking software provider whenever a guest completes a booking. While you might only be charged when a reservation is completed, these commissions can also be hurtful when you experience high volumes of transactions. Additionally, rates may increase year over year, making the variable costs difficult to predict.
• Booking fees: This is the pricing model used by FareHarbor. In some ways it’s similar to a commission-based model, however, in this scenario, the booking fee is transferred to the customer at checkout. Generally speaking, this is a free booking software, omitting any monthly payment plans or upfront costs.  Plus, customers are already well accustomed to paying a service or booking fee for their purchase, using websites like Viator orTicketmaster.

2. Customizable features and functionality

The tours, activities, and attractions industry is very diverse, so the features and functionalities you’re looking for will vary. When looking for a new software, you must consider which tools they must have for your business to operate smoothly.  

At FareHarbor, we understand that no two businesses are alike. That’s why we’ve worked tirelessly to create the only platform flexible enough to support all of the specialized needs of your unique business.

For example, FareHarbor Dock streamlines and speeds up in-person sales which is crucial for all operators with tons of walk-up customers. Meanwhile, businesses looking to boost their repeat customers can take advantage of FareHarbor’s memberships. 

No size fits all so we work tirelessly to provide the functions every business needs to grow their business and increase efficiency.

3. Ease of use

At the end of the day, your booking software should make life easier, not harder.

FareHarbor is designed specifically for operators. When you join FareHarbor, we build your Dashboard with you to ensure your business needs are met. Then, we schedule a training session to walk you through every last detail of our intuitive interface. 

Lastly, you can access your FareHarbor Dashboard through any web browser or by downloading our mobile app for iOS or Android devices.

4. Customer service

Last but not least, exceptional customer support and service is crucial to have from your next booking software provider. Outside of the features and functionality, what ultimately separates one booking system from another is the people behind it. 

At FareHarbor, we take immense pride in providing the industry’s best customer support (with reviews to prove it!). We offer friendly around-the-clock multilingual support, accessible by either phone or email. 

In addition to connecting with our great team, FareHarbor clients have access to an extensive online Help Center for Dashboard tutorials, which is a great solution for those looking to learn how to perform tasks on their own. 

We know choosing your next booking system is a big decision. We’re here to help! Request a demo today to see what we can do for your business.