The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a new normal for the business world, especially tourism. Many destinations have only started to open their doors for limited numbers, and several tourism business leaders have opted out or downgraded services to meet the low demand. More danger looms over the industry as the scare of Omnicron and other variants continues to surge, but there may be some good news.
While tourists deal with the pandemic’s limitations, many businesses have access to several resources to leverage for profit and growth. Knowing the right business tools to use can be a great option for tour businesses of all sizes. Here are some valuable tools to help your tour business.
Financial Tool
The financial stability of a tour company is essential for a successful business. There are a number of ways to maintain a healthy financial system, including creating a budget, monitoring financial data and expenses, and diversifying revenue streams. Utilizing a financial close automation software can help your tour company manage and review its income in order to be prepared for the next quarter. Financial close management software is used to automate the financial close process. This can include automating the generation of financial statements, reviewing the calculation of ratios and other metrics, and analyzing the management of financial reports. Financial close software can help organizations to improve accuracy, compliance, and efficiency in the financial close process which is key for a fast-growing tour company. A period-end close workflow can act as a single platform to improve your financial control and offer a detailed audit trail. This type of software can make it easy for you to assess tour projects and spending, ensuring value for money across all business units.
Booking Tool
The tourism sector has evolved dramatically, and many tour businesses have adopted several strategies to improve tour bookings and sales. Many activity operators also use multiple digital channels to enhance the visibility of their services and direct sales. Many also publish a particular tour’s itinerary on their Twitter with a link that takes customers to your website’s booking page.
While this is a good idea, it’s best to keep in mind that today’s customers prefer to access all offerings in-app and may be reluctant to switch between platforms to perform an action. So, using the booking software affords you a one-stop-shop to manage all direct bookings. That way, customers can book your service conveniently from their preferred platforms.
CRM Tool
Customer service is vital, especially in the activities industry where there are many human interactions. Tourists always want to find out dates for specific tours or tell you which itinerary needs tweaking. This is why it’s vital to prioritize customer service. Investing in an efficient customer relationship management (CRM) tool is a good idea, and many CRM tools exist for tour businesses of all sizes to improve customer service results. Omnichannel contact centers, for instance, are a perfect example.
Business Intelligence Tool
Data has become an essential component for businesses today, but how do tour operators benefit from efficient data management?
Tour operators already produce large volumes of data. Still, the real challenge isn’t data discovery but analytics, hence why many businesses opt for tools like Google Analytics to better understand their website’s data and plan ahead. However, as businesses leverage data from different data sources, Google Analytics isn’t enough as it only offers insights from your website. That’s where business intelligence (BI) comes in handy.
Business intelligence tools can help you turn data into real-time insights for data-driven decisions. In 2019, 64 percent of businesses reported that BI systems ramped up operations, and about 56 percent also believe BI systems can help them make faster data-driven decisions.
Generally, the business world has moved to an abundant world of digital tools and resources for business success. Now more than ever, these useful tools have become essential for tour businesses seeking to thrive despite the many setbacks presented by the pandemic.
