AppId is over the quota
We all like free, but is free room booking software actually saving you money or is it not only false economy, but a threat to your accommodation business?
Maybe I'm being over cautious. I haven't looked at every single piece of free reservation software so I can't give you a complete review but here are my thoughts based on those I have seen. Bear in mind I'm doing this from the point of view of someone who has their own accommodation business, so this stuff is as important to me as it is to you.
First off, do you need some kind of online booking program anyway? What's wrong with the good old telephone? Well the fact is, more and more people just want to check your website and book online. They're busy, they don't have time to chat. They just want to get the job done. That's not true for everyone, of course - those who want can still give you a call - but traveling executives in particular have a laptop or maybe an iPad and just want to book your bed and breakfast, family hotel or whatever as quickly as possible. If you don't have a room booking program of some sort, you are losing business.
So, quite understandably, you look for free room booking software. It's makes good business sense to reduce costs where possible. There can be problems though. It's not so much that the providers are being deliberately deceptive - I'm sure that's not true in many cases - but if you get reservation software free, what can you really expect from it? How well supported is it? Is there someone you can call if you get into difficulties? Will you spend time learning how to use it only to discover it doesn't have all the features you need? If you upgrade your computer, is it still compatible? Can someone connect to it with their tablet computer, Blackberry, whatever?
Worse case scenario, what if you advertise it as being available but it breaks down? That's not just inconvenient, it will cost you customers.
All of those are vitally important questions that you absolutely must get answers to. Then there's your time. How long will you spend finding and testing free hotel reservation software? Even if you eventually find one that does what you need, is it hands-off once you've installed it?
I know the argument that most people have: good accommodation reservation software is both expensive and complicated. You need to be running a big hotel chain to afford it and be an IT expert to get it running properly.
That's been true in the past, but not any more. There are solutions that are cost-effective for the smallest bed and breakfast but that have the flexibility to handle many rooms and even multiple locations. They are hosted remotely so you have nothing to install, nothing to worry about upgrading, you just provide a link to them and they handle the rest.
It's an ideal scenario, and for a few bucks a month it's both a viable alternative and one that's a lot better for your business than any free room booking software.
Do you really want to risk free room booking software when there's a low-cost alternative that will give you everything you need? I like this one, it's been improved recently too: Room Booking Software.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar