Quote:
Originally Posted by bob@redrosesegtours
In the meantime, I've researched Zerve and some other booking services. Overall, Zerve seems to have the best pricing and functionality (although we're not ready to go to that level yet). And according to the Zerve rep I talked to, their customer service people are trained to answer routine questions about the tours, schedules, pricing, policies, directions, etc. So you may want to consider them.
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I've looked into Zerve several times over the years. I hear rave reviews from tour operators who use them. I guess our situation is odd, however, in that we start with a standard schedule (e.g., 8am, 11am, 3p, and 6pm but it varies by the season) but it almost never ends up that way.
First, we offer several types of tours and rides and the activity is set according to the needs of the first customer who requests each time slot. Then we frequently add new tours when those fill up (or a customer wants something different) but that requires evaluating the number of machines available in the fleet, condition of batteries by that time of day, what staff member(s) are available, which tours they are trained to do, and so on. It is always a puzzle <g> and no two days' schedules are ever the same. I just don't see how it could ever be automated.
It sounds like a headache but it isn't difficult. Some would even say that it is an interesting challenge <g>. And it makes our customers very happy because we almost never turn anyone away. But the process does consume time that I don't have.
Another problem that I have with Zerve and other traditional reservation systems is that they take the customers' money up front. That's another thing that makes us unusual, I guess: we don't require a deposit (except groups over 10) and we don't take payment until the customer _returns_ from the tour. We even have a policy that if you didn't have fun then you don't pay -- but in four years we've never had a single customer take us up on it.
That is unconventional, to be sure, but customers really like it, it encourages reservations, tips, and positive reviews. It also eliminates arguments and the need for refunds due to inclement weather, etc. We probably have to reschedule tours more often than most tour companies but, remarkably, the incidence of "no shows" is only about 3%.
I've looked at traditional answering services too but they're typically only trained to answer from a list of prepared questions or take messages. I don't want to just defer my work until later. I want the operator to make the reservation or resolve the issue in order to make the customer happy.
A customer can request a reservation on our web site too but it is just that; a request based on the standard schedule and without consideration for what may already be booked. Then a human processes the request and either books/confirms the request or emails/calls the customers to lay out the available alternatives. That is, the automated system never turns a customer away on the grounds that what he wants isn't available.