As a business owner, you've probably heard that your most valuable asset is your time. The more time you have the more you can affect positive changes in your business. Yet often times as a business owner, you end up swimming in a sea of minutiae—from late night accounting to early morning emergencies to endless hours spent manipulating appointments—which is why it's more important than ever to automate and systematize what you do.Generic software like Google Calendar, Outlook and others fall short when it comes to the nuances of online activity and rental businesses. On the flip-side of the coin, many other solutions concentrate so much on the customer experience that they lack the nuts-and-bolts features needed to create a smooth operation in the back office.Sure you can have a streamlined booking experience for your customers, but what good is it if you don't have the tools to deliver a great experience once the customer booking experience is completed?Here are six absolute must-haves in any online booking software you pick for your operation.

1. Activity, rental, or both?

Many online booking systems are built primarily for tour and activity merchants, leaving rental merchants (or even those who provide both activities and rentals) to handle the rental portion on their own.When you pull up the calendar feature of your online booking software, it just makes sense to have the option to view all areas of your business so you can manage staff, inventory, and time accordingly. Even if you don't currently offer both, your business may evolve in the future, and your software should be able to handle potential changes you make in the direction of your business. For example, in the screenshot below activities, tours, and rentals are all brought together in one integrated solution.

Your online booking software should make expanding into activities, tours, or rentals a no-brainer.

Your online booking software should make expanding into activities, tours, or rentals a no-brainer.

2. Overall business visibility at a glance.

While your employees may rely heavily on the dashboard of your booking system (or on a calendar planner) to prepare for upcoming events, it's crucial to be able to see more than just appointments on your calendar. For example, in the screenshot below, the standard calendar incorporates a view of availability and capacity, along with bookings you've already made.Your calendar shouldn't just tell you what events are happening (that's what free tools like Google Calendar are for); rather, it should give you an overview of everything you need to know so you can stay on top of things.See Also: 9 Effective Marketing Strategies for Tour and Activity Operators

3. Ability to dig deep, organize, and filter quickly

While overall visibility at a glance is an extremely helpful calendar feature, it is also important that you're able to view tours and activities differently from rental equipment.The calendar should have filtering capability that allows you to quickly and easily manage these two very different types of services in your business. This means the software should allow you to view activities and rentals separately, or eliminate one completely from view if one isn't needed (i.e. if you don't offer rental equipment, you should be able to avoid having that clutter up your visual area).Note that in the case of rental equipment, the software should allow you to group similar equipment together for ease of booking and management.

4. Simple navigation and easy last-minute booking features

Activity and rental merchants are no strangers to call-ins and walk-ins. When taking that call, you should not only be able to glance at the calendar and dig into specifics as needed, but you should be able to book that slot the moment the customer says they're interested.Your calendar should also have a quick and easy way to create new bookings on the fly. This way your employees can offer quick service and keep customers happy (and close quickly on new sales opportunities).See Also: The Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Booking SystemsFor example, if a customer calls in and asks if they can book something last minute, that particular time window may not be available. Any industry-specific booking solution should allow you to quickly and easily identify alternative times or durations at your fingertips to close the deal (like in the screenshot below).

5. Painless blackout capabilities

If you're no stranger to managing rental equipment, then you know equipment breaks down or may not be available due to a season change. A critical component to any solution for your rental business must have the ability to prevent equipment from being rented from time to time.Taking equipment offline for periods of time is an absolute must. Any successful solution in this space must have three critical blackout capabilities:

• Blackout the business. For example, maybe you want to close business for a day or more due to an unplanned event (i.e. building damage, holiday, etc.)
• Blackout a tour or activity. For example, the t-shirt and shorts bike tour is closed for winter or no longer available.
• Black out a piece of equipment. For example, one of the bikes you have is no longer available to rent because someone in a t-shirt and shorts bent the rim while riding on ice.

6. Seamless customer experience

Of course this goes without saying, but all of this has to come together in one simple, intuitive booking experience for your customers.

Conclusion

Your online booking software is arguably the most important solution your business will use. Since your calendar is used during each booking, a calendar that does it all will make your life easier when booking bike tours, renting kayaks, or planning your next escape room schedule.Remember that a business is something that runs when you're not there. To pull that off, you need software and supporting tools that are specific to the world of online tours, activities, and rentals. So before you get glassy-eyed with the customers' booking experience, make sure you're glassy eyed with your experience, too. Take the time for a much deeper look into the critical capabilities you'll need to successfully run your operation—from start to finish.With Peek Pro, the only online booking system that guarantees new customers, you'll have access to all of the features described above - and much more. Not only will you get our award-winning platform, you'll get online training, 24/7 customer support, and access to millions of potential customers who are looking to book an experience like yours.

Many tour, activity, and rental operators experience ebbs and flows in their businesses. For some, these cycles are dependent on vacation seasons, and for others, slow periods happen on weekdays when target customers are at work.Knowing how challenging these dips and spikes can be to navigate, we've asked several owners and advisors of tour and activity businesses to share their most creative and effective techniques for filling up spots. As temping as it may be to offer heavy discounts, the fact is that you're working hard to provide value and shouldn't need to cut into your bottom line. Here are some of the most valuable and out-of-the-box lessons that they've shared.

1. Approach new, unconventional, and untapped markets

Tip provided by: Eric Liguori, Vice President at the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship; Co-Director of the Entrepreneurship Education Project Professor at The University of TampaRather than encouraging business owners to offer deep discounts during the off-season (and off-days), Liguori helps business owners tap into new markets. One that he often recommends: independent and assisted living facilities."Most tour operators overlook these captive audiences thinking that residents are not a good fit for the experiences that they provide," says Liguori. "While some assisted living, and certainly some nursing home residents, may not be up to day trips or tours, almost all independent living residents are very much up to going on the tour, and most of these facilities have busing to get their resident groups to and from your tour destination."You can start by approaching these organizations' activity or facilities coordinators. Ask what types of activities residents might like to experience, and communicate how much your company can help enrich their lives."If you pitch a win-win-win situation where the tour company, resident, and facility benefit, it's an easy sell," says Liguori.The bottom line is that you should cast your net wide to find new types of customers—assisted living facilities are one option, and you could consider exploring communities of freelancers, students, and other groups with flexible schedules.See Also: 5 Strategies to Generate Customers Before Peak Season

2. Reduce your costs

Tip provided by: Aaron Evans, Director at Together TravelThere are two sides to any healthy business equation—costs and revenue.Tour and travel operators may jump to assume that they only control that they have is over how much they're earning—it's why small business owners may jump to offer discounts as a means to increase revenue volume. As Evans points out, however, it's important to focus on the cost side as well."Negotiate better deals with your suppliers," recommends Evans. "Our business, which provides holiday tours for young people in Europe, finds cheaper hotel rates during the week."

Negotiate better deals with your suppliers to cut your costs

With this approach, tour and activity operators can pass cost reductions on to potential customers. So you can offer a discount without cannibalizing your margins.

3. Get creative to fill up spots

Resist the pressure to reduce your margins, and find new ways to offer value to your target audiences. Explore new local markets, generate new savings opportunities by cutting costs with suppliers, and build your visibility within your local community. The "how" is entirely up to you, and we'd love to hear how you've experimented with these tactics. Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below.

Whether you're rewarding loyal customers for repeat business or enticing people to give you a try, there are plenty of reasons to offer promotional codes for your experiences. The best reason, though, is that customers want them. The majority of adult Internet users—more than 100 million people—redeem online promo codes, and 54% of travelers search for coupons while on vacation, according to research by eMarketer and ILoveCoupons.com.So if offering promo codes is great for marketing, how do you get them into your customers' hands? Here are 10 ideas—some traditional and a few creative—for distributing your promo codes and boosting your bookings.

1. Social media

Twitter followers and Facebook fans have already expressed an interest in your business, making these social media platforms the perfect place to post coupon codes. More than half of travelers use social media for inspiration, and half of travel companies say that social media has been directly responsible for bookings, according to Tnooz. Post promo codes as a regular part of your status updates, and track this platform as part of your marketing efforts.

2. Your email list

If you send out e-newsletters, include promotions that are exclusive to your subscribers. Emails that contain a coupon have an average open rate of more than 14 percent, an increase in unique clicks of 34 percent, and a transaction completion rate increase of 27 percent, according to Experian Marketing Services's Email Benchmark Report.

3. Partnerships with hotels and restaurants

If your business attracts travelers, why not work together with other businesses that serve this market? Print coupons that can be handed out at local hotels and restaurants. Better yet, partner to create special offers. For example, you can create a getaway package with a hotel that includes your tour or activity and a two night stay. Or work with an area restaurant to create a promotion that includes your tour or activity and lunch. The more value you can offer customers, the more excited they will be to book with you.

4. Bloggers

Enthusiasts who blog about your industry or location love to give things to their readers. Offer a special discount code that is exclusive to their blog. Make sure you create a call to action by including an expiration date to your deal.

5. Local tourism boards

Check your local tourism board to see if it has listings for area tours, events and rentals. If so, offer a special discount code for their visitors. OC Helicopters, a company that offers helicopter tours of California's Orange County coastline, offers a 35-percent discount on three of its tours by posting discount codes on Caladventures.com, an online resource for fun adventures.

6. Thank you gifts

After a customer participates in your tour or event or books a rental, thank them by offering a discount on their next purchase.

After a customer participates in your tour or event or books a rental, thank them by offering a discount on their next purchase.

You can hand out a code on the spot, or send a follow-up email inviting the customer to come back. If they had a great time, chances are they'll take you up on your offer.

7. Coupon websites

Submit your promo codes to sites like Retail Me Not that offer consumers lists of discount codes. Nearly three-quarters of consumers search online coupon sources to look for discount codes, according to a study published in Internet Retailer magazine.

8. Mobile billboards

Don't underestimate the power of the visual ads. Drum up business during your slow period by hiring a mobile billboard company that will drive around town advertising your business and code on its truck. The technique will get you noticed and you just might fill up spots and rentals that might have gone unused.

9. Random acts of coupons

Give your employees cards that offer promo codes to be passed out at their discretion. Encourage them to give them to family, friends and strangers who look like they might enjoy your tour, activity or rental. These surprise discounts will brighten the day of both the giver and receiver.

10. Local newspapers

Reporters are always looking for interesting stories; why not call your local newspaper and tell them about your latest tour or event? Then partner with them to provide a special discount code for their readers.With an online booking software like Peek Pro, you can create, manage, and start allowing customers to redeem promo codes in just a few clicks. Learn more below.

Hiring passionate employees is pivotal to your tour business's success. They help you rack up positive ratings on review websites. They bring word-of-mouth traffic when customers tell their friends about their great experience. And they facilitate repeat business as customers come back again and again for the experience. But how do you find engaged employees who will love your business – and your customers – as much as you do?Hiring the right guides can be challenging. And you'll face steep competition: half of seasonal hiring will be done in the leisure and hospitality field—your competitors and colleagues.That means you've got your work cut out for you when looking for the best employees. To give you a bit of an edge, here are five ways to find great new employees and make sure you're well staffed during your busy season.

1. Your Current Employees

Do you have a staff member or tour guide who is a customer favorite? Someone who's been loyal to you and excited about your business? Ask if he or she has a friend who needs a job. One of the most effective ways of finding new employees is getting referrals from your existing employees. Not only will they take responsibility for the new hire, they can usually tell if their friend will be a good fit.

2. Your Customers

If you have a loyal customer, ask if he or she is interested in becoming an employee. You could also ask your tour guides to tell local customers on their tours how they can apply to become a guide. Despite seasonal turnover, this approach has helped businesses constantly attract and hire new guides. Hiring someone who already had a positive experience with your business - and has been in the customers' shoes - is a great way to find the right fit for the job. They have knowledge of your business and the experiences you offer, and they'll be excited to talk about them. Hiring customers is as easy as putting a “Help Wanted" sign in your window, on your website, or on your social media pages.

3. Colleges and Schools

Seasonal businesses need employees during the summer – and that's exactly when students look for a job. You can target this audience by speaking to counselors at the job placement offices at local schools. You can also put up flyers inside university student centers and local student hangouts.

Seasonal businesses need employees during the summer, exactly when students are looking for a job

4. Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are great places to spread the word about your products and services—and they're also the perfect spot to post a job ad (Facebook recently added a "jobs" tab; check it out). Your social media followers are already interested in your business, and if they see you're hiring, you might get a phone call right away. Even better: Social media reaches passive job seekers. Sometimes the best candidates are the ones who are already employed; when they see an interesting job on their social media feed, it could pique their interest.

5. Associations and Groups

If you belong to an association or group, such as your local Chamber of Commerce or state tourism council, check out its website and newsletter to see if there's a space for classified advertising. Your job post will reach people who are passionate about your industry, and you'll spread the word about your business.When you're looking to staff up for the busy season, implementing any of these tips will help you find employees to handle the influx.

The first thing potential customers will find with a basic online search: reviews and ratings of your business. How many of those customers are going to find information that shows you're the best in the business or that customers are extremely satisfied with their experience?Customer reviews posted on business listing sites, Facebook, and even on your booking site can influence a customer's decision to book—or just move on to one of your competitors. Harvard Business Review reports that peer-to-peer information sharing has made it easier than ever for customers to consider other people's opinions when making a decision, and 81 percent of travelers find user reviews important. Taking steps to encourage customers to post positive reviews and rate your business can support your marketing efforts and help you stand apart from the competition. Your challenge is to solicit these reviews without pressure.

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Seven simple ways to ask customers for reviews without annoying them.

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1. Create a strong, professional presence on online reviews sites.

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Make sure you are active on major listing sites where customers are posting reviews. Add photos, respond to comments, and fill out the "About Us" or description boxes so that it looks like the listing is professionally maintained—and the business cares. Grab the URLs to all these sites so you can easily share the link on Facebook and Twitter, email it directly to a customer as part of your thank you letter (see #2), or include the link on any physical marketing collateral such as comment cards or brochures.

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See Also: Best Practices for Handling Negative Online Reviews

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2: Send a personalized 'thank you' email to every customer.

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Email is one of the easiest ways to follow up with a customer.

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If you're using an online booking system like Peek Pro, you can automate custom emails to ensure every customer receives an email shortly after their tour or activity. You want to show your customers that you care about their experience, and this is also a great opportunity to drop links or hints to share a review on your top review sites. Simply embed a link directly to one or two review sites within the email or suggest that the customer shares a testimonial by emailing you back. Make sure to indicate that the customer's testimonial may be used for marketing purposes so that you can share those comments on your website, blog, or even on social media. Below is an example of a 'thank you' email you can personalize and send to your customer base:

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To: [customer name]

Subject: Thanks for joining us [customer first name]!

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[customer name], Thanks for joining us on our [tour name]! We loved having you and hope you enjoyed the experience. We want to keep providing amazing tours and experiences like the [tour name] and always welcome feedback. What did you like most about your visit? What can we do better? We want to hear from you!

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Send us a testimonial by replying to this email or give us a review on [review site link] or [review site link]. Come back and see us for even more exciting tours and experiences on your next trip to the area — we're always adding more adventures and are here to ensure you have an unforgettable experience.

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Cheers, [Your name]

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‍Disclosure: All written testimonials and reviews become the property of [company name] and may be used for marketing purposes.

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3. Offer a discount for reviews.

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Consider extending a 5-percent, 10-percent, or even 20-percent discount if your budget allows on the next booking in exchange for a review. Snagshout does this by encouraging Amazon users to post a review of goods discounted up to 90-percent off the list price for sharing their genuine opinion. It's a win-win situation for both parties and will encourage more customers to write up a review quickly.As a tour and activity operator, make sure you share this special offer in a way that encourages a positive review and highlights all the benefits of another tour or activity with your company—you want these customers to feel like they are earning a reward or getting a great deal, not being bribed. And, you want to include a disclosure statement that indicates the customer needs to share an honest review—not just a good review.

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4. Host a giveaway for reviewers.

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Encourage customer participation to post reviews by hosting a giveaway. You could offer a free tour, complimentary activity, or a package of activities and experiences as a grand prize. Reviewers would simply send you an email with a screen capture of the review they posted or provide you with information on where they posted the review to enter the giveaway. Macy's did this with its Bazaarvoice Sweepstakes earlier this year, encouraging customers to submit product reviews in order to win a $1,000 Macy's Gift Card.

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5. Run a YouTube reviews contest.

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Video reviews are among the most powerful types of reviews available online because they can feel more personal. Host a contest where customers post a review of their experience shortly after their activity or when they get home to be entered in the contest. Keep the guidelines simple: describe the tour or activity they booked, share what they enjoyed, and provide a few tips for other customers who want to make the most of the experience.Reward the best reviewers with a complimentary tour or activity, and be sure to showcase these reviews on Facebook and on your website to help future customers get an "insider's look" at your offerings. And, if you can ask the customer for full rights of the video—or capture the video testimonial when the customer is still with you so that you are taking the video—you can upload it to your own YouTube account and link back to your website to take full advantage of your YouTube marketing efforts.

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6. Make a big deal out of reviews you receive.

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Make the customer the star by spotlighting testimonials or reviews somewhere on your website, blog, or even on your Facebook Page. Share snippets of positive customer reviews on all your social media accounts and make sure the customer is recognized for their efforts. Many people may be inclined to post similar reviews when they know they will be publicly acknowledge—especially if you're posting on highly visible and interactive places like Facebook.

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7. Publicly thank and reward your reviewers.

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Make the customer the winner in these situations by posting a "thank you" comment on sites that allow for it or communicating to the customer that you are sending them a small gift for their efforts. If you decide to send a gift, consider something like a coupon or special discount for a future booking, a gift card, or a company pen or hat. You can advertise the fact that you reward your happy customers with gifts on your website and social media sites so that other customers are aware they may also receive something in exchange for writing a review.Customer reviews are extremely valuable to your tours and activities business so you need to take steps to solicit as many positive reviews as possible—without turning your customers off. Use these tips to generate more reviews each season.

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Learn the results of King's Landing's use of Peek Pro's SmartReviews+

Want more customers coming to your website? Who doesn't, right? One of the most powerful tools you can use to drive traffic and grow your business is a blog. More than just a place to share stories and pictures, a blog helps small businesses generate 126% more customer leads and 97% more inbound links, according to Yahoo! Small Business Advisor. That's a lot of eyeballs coming to your site, learning about what you have to offer.Whether you don't have a blog or haven't yet taken the time to maximize yours, here are seven simple steps to make the most of a blog, and, in turn, grow your business and increase your revenue.

1. Know your focus.

While it's tempting to use a blog to promote your latest tour, activity, or rental, your focus should be on what your customer wants. Take time to identify what gets them excited. If you offer rock climbing tours, for example, is your customer a beginner looking for tips on how to get started or a more experienced adventurer looking for inspirational stories from legendary climbers? Once you understand what interests your potential customer, you can move onto the next step: writing posts they actually want to read.

2. Plan your content.

Your blog and everything it contains should be consistent with your brand message. Only share content that represents your company and its values. Personal stories are a great way for customers to get to know you. Other content ideas to keep customers reading: sharing news from your industry; debunking common misconceptions about your field; Q&As with customers or experts; and tips about the activities you offer. Travel experience provider Muddy Shoe Adventures is a great example of a company that writes engaging blog posts that combine personal stories with expert advice.

3. Create a schedule.

How often will you post content to your blog? Sites that publish four or more posts a week get four and a half times the number of customer leads than blogs that post once a week, according to research from Hubspot. Whether you update your blog daily, weekly or monthly, make sure you choose a timeframe that you can handle. It's better to have less frequent but consistent content than sporadic posting.

It's better to have less frequent, but consistent, content than sporadic posting

4. Assign the writing.

Do you enjoy writing? If the answer is 'no,' it'll come across in your posts. Whether you're a small business or a large enterprise, writing blog posts should be a regular part of someone's job. Do you have a tour guide who has a knack for telling stories? Ask if he or she would like to write for the company blog. Do you have a customer who loves to leave long glowing reviews? Ask if they'd like to contribute a guest post. Or maybe you have a friend who is passionate about your industry? Tap them to contribute an article or two to your blog.

5. Include a call to action.

When someone reads a post, what do you want them to do next? Book a rental? Visit another page of your website? Share the post with their friends? End each blog post with a clear call to action. For example, if you're blogging about your newest food tour, end the post by asking readers to comment if they've ever tried the cuisine before. Then include a link to the reservation page. This is how you turn that traffic coming to your blog into leads for your business.

6. Engage with readers - your potential customers!

Blogs should be a two-way conversation. Make sure you follow up on comments. Thank visitors for taking the time to voice their opinions. People like to know that businesses are listening to them. Plus, comments are often good fodder for additional blog topics. Promote responses by asking questions, and make your blog a community where readers can interact.

7. Distribute your content.

Finally, your blog doesn't need to begin and end with your site. Offer to share your content with associations and groups by simply emailing the site manager and asking if they accept guest posts.

Offer to share your content with associations and groups by simply emailing the site manager and asking if they accept guest posts.

Then ask that a link to your site be included in the post. You can also identify and engage with influential bloggers in your field. Invite them to review your tour or event, or ask if they'd be interested in a guest post for their own blog with insider tips on your field. And be sure to cross-post your blog content with your other social media platforms. Photo workshop provider Switch to Manual does a great job of sharing photos and podcasts on its blog as well as its Instagram account,Remember: Your blog is a relationship-building tool that can increase your business and establish you as an expert in your industry. Make the most of this powerful addition to your business.