NB: This is a guest article by Mario Mucalo of iTravelSoftware.
There are more than 100 travel solutions on the market. Literally! It is not easy to find the one that best suits your needs. It is a process that requires time and dedication.
So, here are eleven important steps that can help you find appropriate one.
1. Prepare the list of the features that you would like to have
It is not that important that a travel solution has all the features you can imagine, it is far more important that it has the features you need.
So, think about your everyday processes, which are the most difficult and time consuming, and make a list:
- Reservation management
- Quoting, Invoicing
- Posting payments to the system
- Communication with the clients stored in the system
- Tracking accounts receivable/payable
- Reporting (try to figure out what reports you really need)
- Online booking (B2C), integration with website and level of customization
- Sub-agent booking (B2B)
- API (or some other type of extensibility)
- Product types (accommodation, rent-a-car, transfers, tours, air-tickets …)
- Integration with accounting system
- Integration with your local Payment providers
- Integration with 3rd party suppliers
A common thing is that people are looking for a software solution without realizing what it is they need the solution for.
2. The online presentation is OK, but try the demo before buying
Not few customers told us that they had decided to buy the software after seeing the brilliant fancy online presentation. Later, when they purchased the software and tried to solve some common situations they have in real life, the software was not able to do that.
While listening to the presentation, remember that the salesmen on the other side are trained to do the presentation. Ask them questions about your specific needs and let them show you that their solution can really meet them.
The online presentation is good, because you can see whether the person on the other side understands your business model. If not, their solution will not help you.
Ask for a demo version, and try the software yourself. If you are having problems in the demo, ask the sale person to show you how to do that, to help you and to do a presentation of that specific issue for you, do not just dismiss that solution. We often find that the problem is misunderstanding how to use the software.
3. There is no travel solution that covers 100% of your needs
Do not lose your time by trying to find the software that covers 100% of your needs. It does not exist. Although all tour operators and travel agencies have similar business models, they are all specific in some way.
There is no ideal solution that covers all the specifics, so try to concentrate on finding the solution that can cover the key features and problems.
5. Customizable solutions are a plus
There is no ideal solution. If you like a solution, but think there are some features really important for you that is missing, ask the sale person if there is a chance to customize their solution towards your needs.
If possible, describe your needs and cooperate with their team to create a specification before purchase. Do not expect them to do the modifications for free, remember – they are doing that for you.
6. Check the support; you do not want to end up biting your fingernails when something goes wrong
Check the support working hours and response time. A lot of travel agencies are moving to another solution because they are missing someone on the other side answering and helping them in time.
It is OK to pay for the support in advance because you are helping the other side allocate the appropriate number of persons dedicated to help you.
7. Do the training, otherwise you might be improperly using something
Training is one of the most important things when buying the software. If you and your employees do not do the training, you will probably end up throwing that solution away.
We have noticed some prospects think that their IT knowledge is great and that they will figure out how to use the software, especially if the salesman is telling them their solution is user friendly.
But remember, it is not about your IT knowledge. It is about transforming your business process (that are often custom) to the software processes and it is easier to get help from experienced personnel than improvising on your own.
Some software companies have the training included in the price and some of them do not. That is not important. The most important thing is that you get trained by their personnel with suggestions about implementing your business processes into their solution.
8. Check out their references, there must be someone else using the same solution
The best way to check whether what a salesman is telling you is true is to check with some of their existing customers. Ask the sale person to show you their customer lists.
Please try to pick some of the references, do not SPAM the entire list.
9. Pricing is important, but not that important as you might think
Although you think pricing is one of the key factors, in some cases it might not be. You do not wish to change the software every year or two because it is very expensive to do so, so think of the software purchase as a long term investment.
It will be the best to find the solution that is constantly being improved and that is being developed at least as fast as your company.
Remember to concentrate primarily on the value you are getting, and then on the price you need to pay, as described in a blog post by Ivana Hitner or a Tnooz article by Rob Wortham.
10. Plan the time for doing the evaluation
It is important to do the evaluation properly, because if you skip some of the important steps when doing it you might end up losing a lot of money by running into dead end.
Try to think on the evaluation as something as at least as important as your every day job, so take the time to do the evaluation properly.
Create the team for evaluation. More persons can evaluate the software more thoroughly.
11. Moving data from old software
If you are not already working with a software system then you can skip this but that is probably not the case. If you are already working in some kind of travel software system you will probably want to keep the old data (customers, reservations, payments ..) and import them into new software.
Ask the sale person about the import features and how can they help you to move without any problems.
Conclusion
To sum up – finding the software solution for running a travel agency or a tour operator is not an easy task. It is a project that requires a lot of planning, research, resources and communication with various sales teams.
However, if you are careful and thorough in this step, you can find a solution that will make your daily business much more efficient and thus save you a lot of money.
NB: This is a guest article by Mario Mucalo of iTravelSoftware.
NB2: Select software image via Shutterstock.
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About Special Nodes
Retraining is an important factor as well. Many travel companies experience a high rate of employee turnover. At some point you may have new hires being trained by staff that were never properly trained themselves.
Hello, Andrew!
Thank you for your comment. I completely agree on the “Retraining” issue, and I have mentioned this in our own blog when discussing training in detail:
http://blog.itravelsoftware.com/2012/08/training-staff-for-using-travel-software/
The things mentioned here are just initial evaluation tips to get the company going with the new software, not to keep them going.
However, you make a very good point and I agree.
Mario
Just a small aside question:
A techie guestpost on a techie site of name and fame: Why not require a proper (Gr)Avatar???
Is it that difficult for a techie?
There. It was on my “To do” list for ages now, however, when someone points it out in public, it is a great accelerator!
So, thank you, Happy!
Welcome Sir and better now;-)
My way:
1. Remember if you get anything that does 60% of what you want properly, you have a result. Also remember that no-one builds systems for an industry that cannot afford to buy them. Keep these two thoughts at the back of the mind all the time.
2. Talk to your mates (ones in a similar field). See what they are using and get some candid responses.
3. Following on from the above. Don’t worry too much about lists. Most systems around, these days, cover most aspects and if you have a “special” list all you will get is the sharp intake of breath and a big bill.
4. Ignore any system that tries to reinvent the wheel. Get something that uses a industry standard background accounts package. As long as you can reconcile the bank and the VAT comes out correct – smile. Be wary of un-reconcileable control accounts. In fact, if you cannot easily reconcile a control account, strike the system off your list of hopefuls.
5. Ignore online demos and presentations. You want a system that works – not a demo that works.
6. Training. Visit mate from (2) above to learn the foibles. It’s the work-arounds you need to know.
7. Evaluation is a waste of time. You have it, don’t you? And you saw the system at your mates place, didn’t you? Anyway, how are you going to evaluate something? The only way is to install the thing and see what happens. Most systems you can learn quickly and many will provide a child of 6 to show you how it all works.
8. Ignore any system that is new. Rely on systems that are tried, tested, have a load of users and read their FAQ’s to see what the real issues are. You cannot afford to ruin your business by being a guinea-pig.
9. Money. Ahhh! Money. Techys have starry eyes when it comes to money and usually ignore the fact that travel types generally have little, if any of it. Once techys have yours, that’s it. Offer what you can afford and then only drip feed it to them – as long as the system actually works, of course.
Finally, do not be over-awed. Especially by ones wearing smart suits and carrying fancy lap-tops/ ibore pads/ funny little gadgets that tell you the weather in Doncaster. They need you more than you need them.
Hello, Harrold
thank you for this comment. I agree with some of it, but not with all of it. So, I’ll just add some short remarks:
1. The 60% issue – this is why you need evaluating. Some software can take care of 50%, some software can take care of 90% of your problems. If you spend a little more time in the evaluation process, you might end up with a big benefit in the long run.
2. Why limit yourself to what your mate uses… World is a great place and there probably are software systems your mate has never heard of. I agree it is great to see how a solution works in full operation, but not to limit oneself to that.
3. “Following on from the above. Don’t worry too much about lists. Most systems around, these days, cover most aspects and if you have a “special” list all you will get is the sharp intake of breath and a big bill.” – this is wrong. When you think like this, you might end up in a following situation: You purchased the software, and you want to do something that you think is a must. But the software does not have it, because, as you say, it covers “most aspects”. And then you wind up with a problem you have already purchased…
4. I agree with most. However, “standard background accounts package” does not really exist, as all companies have something specific to them, whether in the way they charge their customers, the way the pay their suppliers, the way they keep their books…
5. Yes and no. I agree you need a system that works, but watching the demo will show you whether the system covers what you need.
6. Training is a must. No mate can help you there. If you take the time to evaluate the system, you will need less workarounds.
7. I completely disagree with you on that.
8. This, again, is not true. Some old and reliable systems are just – well – old! New systems are coming in new technologies, new approaches, opening up to new markets (social, media…) You generalization in the old vs. new is just pure prejudice.
9. Every and any system costs money and this is not a question. The question is how to maximize what you are getting for your money.
Finally, I agree with the “do not get over-awed”. But I do believe that in 2012 every company needs some software to manage their business.