This is a guest post from Kelsey Tonner from Be A Better Guide. Check out his website for excellent information on leading amazing tours.

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‍One of the largest gratuities I ever received while working as a tour guide took place on a cycling tour in Costa Rica. It was a wife and husband who were into birding in a big way, and were were pretty much in paradise with all the birds they were seeing. But part way through the group tour, I had an idea.I spoke with a local birding guide, and asked if he did early morning tours and how much it would cost. Later at dinner, I checked with my birding couple to see if they wanted to get up early for a private birding tour and told them how much it would cost. They were wildly excited, and had the time of their lives the next morning before our regularly scheduled activities.

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At the end of the tour I got a very generous tip from them (which essentially doubled my wages for the entire week) and they wrote a letter to my employer, stating that I was one of the best tour guides they've ever had. All of that for about 15- to 20-minutes worth of extra work on my part.

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‍And that's exactly what I'll talk about here: The techniques you can use to consistently earn large tips as a tour guide, and make it a regular part of your income.

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1. Learn to be an Amazing Guide

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The obvious must be stated: No matter how many "tipping systems" or "gratuity hacks" you know, nothing will compensate for being a mediocre tour guide. I spend a lot of time over at Be a Better Guide focusing on how to be extraordinary tour leaders—and this should be your primary focus. What are some areas you can work on? An amazing tour guide is patient, energetic, organized, funny, adaptable, empathetic, a problem solver, a powerful speaker, an incredible listener, and above all, a people person. It's a lot to tackle but remember: Exceptional service is in the details. The more you can hone these skills, the more you will make in tips—guaranteed.

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2. Delivering and Over-Delivering

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Expectations are everything in the service industry. Your clients are coming on your tours with a list of things they expect, including—but not limited to—how they'll be treated as a customer, what's included in the tour, what they'll see, how the tour will run, and more. You must work diligently to meet all of these expectations, and be crystal clear on what they are.This is where the majority of tour operators and guides fail. TripAdvisor is littered with terrible reviews from unhappy customers whose expectations were not met.

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TripAdvisor is littered with terrible reviews from unhappy customers whose expectations were not met.

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To get great gratuities, you must meet (and properly set) those client expectations. But to get fantastic tips, you must then go above and beyond those expectations, wowing and delighting your guests at every opportunity. On my tour in Costa Rica, for example, those guests were so impressed because I was not expected to give them that kind of personal service on a group tour. Had I been their private guide, hired for $10,000 to lead a completely custom tour—my actions would simply have been expected.

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But remember — Deliver first, then over-deliver.

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3. Increase your Perceived Value as a Guide

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Are you an expert in your field? Do you have unique or special connections to your subject matter? Are you a born and bred local? All of these attributes will raise the value you bring as a guide—and increase your potential tips.

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An example is my friend Dario who works as a private tour leader in Siena, Italy. He's a local, and therefore a member of one of the city's Contrada (or neighborhoods). Tourists to the city of Siena do not have access to these neighborhoods, but Dario has permission to bring guests inside as part of his tour. He receives incredible tips (beyond his high tour price) partly because guests feel it was because of Dario that they had this incredibly rare experience.

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Think of ways you can play up your perceived value, and build it into the design of your tour. Can you introduce your guests to some local colorful characters? Get them somewhere the public cannot access? How about using your special connections to meet the head chef, top brew master, or someone normally unavailable?

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Reinforce to your guests that the main reason your tour is so amazing is you.

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4. Increase the Price of your Tour

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There's a high correlation between the cost of your tour and what you earn in tips as the guide. Generally speaking, the longer your tour and higher the cost, the more you'll earn in gratuities.

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Consider the impact if you doubled the cost of your tour without changing much of the itinerary or content. While you'd need to focus your efforts on delivering a more premium experience, you'd also see a huge jump in tips.

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For example, National Geographic Expeditions is known for having scientists, researchers, and extremely knowledgeable naturalists lead their tours. By committing to this next level of expertise, they're able to charge premium prices for their tours, and their expedition leaders earn very generous tips.

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5. The Principle of Reciprocity

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Robert B Cialdini is the Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University and is best known for his book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. It's an incredible book, but his Principle of Reciprocity is especially relevant for us here.

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The principle states that we're all bound (and motivated) to repay debts of all kinds. If someone does something nice for you, you'll then feel obligated to repay that kindness. This principle is active in all of our social relationships, but it's especially important when trying to earn more tips.

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If you give first and freely, people will repay that kindness. Can you give away a small edible treat on your tour (e.g. a sweet or inexpensive local delicacy)? How about giving out a high-quality, homemade map with some of your favorite coffee shops or restaurants? Or perhaps a handout with instructions on how to have a truly authentic local experience?

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‍Remember, the more personalized and unexpected the gift/service, the more powerful the principle of reciprocity applies (i.e. the greater the reward you'll receive).

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6. Build a Social Connection

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Michael Lynn, a professor in food and beverage management at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, and someone who's been studying tips for many years, says the following:

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“If people in the service industry can establish a social connection with their customers, they'll get better tips. The simple fact is, we're more likely to want to help someone we're connected to, and we're more likely to care about someone's opinion if we have a social connection to them."

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Because we generally only have a small window of time to build this connection, here are 5 ways to quickly connect with your clients:

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1. Get your first impression right. Acknowledge clients right away as they arrive, and if you're busy or with someone else, give them a nod and smile. Ideally, be free and ready 10 to 15 minutes before your tour to spend extra time with your guests
2. Introduce yourself by name. Also be sure to repeat your name throughout the tour
3. Wear something unusual/something that gives you some identity. This will tell your guests something unique or special about who you are.
4. Learn your guests' names and use them when possible. (If you have a difficult time remembering names, repeat the customer's name when first introduced.)
5. Smile. Research has confirmed the cultural wisdom of smiling and has found that smiling people are perceived as more attractive, sincere, sociable, and competent than unsmiling people.

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7. Be Clear on Your Tipping Policy

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Whatever your policy on gratuities, make sure that your guests know about it before the tour. If you include tips in your tour or are not allowed to receive tips, then that needs to be communicated. If you warmly welcome gratuities on your tour—or are completely dependent on them—than that should be made clear as well.

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For tips on how to best communicate this, here are three examples from well-established tour companies. Note how specific they get with how much gratuity is suggested per tour or per guide.

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‍G Adventures: Tipping F.A.Q.

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‍Is tipping included and if not, how much should I budget? Although not compulsory, tipping is expected and is an expression of satisfaction with the people who have assisted you throughout your tour. Although it may not be customary to you, it is of considerable significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels. At the end of your trip, if you felt that your G Adventures CEO (G Adventures guides are called Chief Experience Officers) did an outstanding job, tipping is appreciated. The amount is entirely a personal preference, however as a guideline 20-25 USD/EUR per person, per week can be used.

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‍Backroads Tours: Tipping F.A.Q.

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‍Gratuities for most services during your trip are covered in the overall cost. We are often asked, however, whether it is appropriate to tip the Backroads Trip Leaders and what a reasonable amount might be. While we have considered including such gratuities in the overall trip cost, we always come back to the belief that recognizing excellent service is a personal matter. If you feel your Trip Leaders have provided an exceptional trip experience, gratuities are encouraged—and welcomed—at the end of the trip. A typical gratuity on a 6- day Casual Inn Trip is $140 per guest (about $23 per day). The gratuity is then divided among your Trip Leaders and other Backroads support staff (van drivers, etc.).

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‍Vermont Bike Tours FAQ: Is tipping included?

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‍All gratuities are built into the included features of your vacation with the exception of those for your Trip Leaders and drivers. Tipping for your Trip Leaders and drivers is optional and not included in the price of your vacation. Tipping guidelines are included in your VBT Welcome Handbook.“It is customary to express a personal 'thank you' to your VBT Trip Leader at the end of your trip, especially if he or she has provided you with excellent service or individual assistance. We recommend the local currency equivalent of $10 - $12 per person for each day of your trip for each Trip Leader."

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8. Give a Tip Speech

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A "tip speech" is when the tour guide reinforces their tipping policy while on tour. We all know that many clients may not read the pre-trip information, or thoroughly read your website, so it's important to re-clarify how gratuities work on your tour.

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I would suggest including this in your opening introduction to the tour and then a one or two sentence reminder at the end. You do not want to repeatedly be bringing up your tips, nor do you want to make people feel guilty or uncomfortable in any way. Remember though: communication and clarity about tipping will reduce stress for your guests. We all know how awkward it can be wondering how much money to leave, if tipping is expected, and what currencies might be appropriate.

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Conclusion

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As in life, we as tour guides should always be striving to be the best we can be. Seeking out ways to be more effective, inspiring, and extraordinary. I firmly believe that life is too short for boring—and our job as tour leaders is to create memories of a lifetime.And guess what? If we can do that, we'll get great tips too.

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‍Read about Malibu Riders and how Peek Pro's tipping feature increased their tips by 50%

What does the growth of the hard adventure market mean for tour and activity operators?High-risk, high-energy activities that get the adrenaline running and heart pumping—that's what weekend warriors and outdoor enthusiasts alike are searching for these days. That's why the hard adventures market is expected to grow by nearly 4 percent over the next four years alone, according to the latest report from Research and Markets.Tour and activity operators can tap into this increasing demand for adventure activities by expanding their offerings and making internal changes to accommodate for the influx of hard adventure bookings. Here are five ways tour and activity operators can capitalize on hard adventure market trends.

1. Promote "Escape" Experiences

In a recent press release, Research and Markets highlights several changes in consumer behavior that are encouraging many to escape from urban living and actively seek adrenaline-pumping outdoor activities. “Increased urbanization and immigration have led to overcrowded cities and mobile, fast-paced, and polluted environments, increasing consumers' preference for nature-based outdoor adventures," the release states. Encouraging travelers to escape from the mundane and experience something completely new could help you drive more business.

What You Can Do:

Promote the opportunity to "escape" with one of your adventure packages and activities, encouraging people to take a break from their busy life and enjoy a thrilling experience like no other. This could be anything from a whitewater rafting experience to a zip-line adventure you're offering in a new destination. Play up the thrill factor, and highlight just how these activities can help customers escape the daily grind: Include photos, video snippets of the adventure, and detailed activity descriptions in all your marketing materials—including your website—to entice these customers.

2. Encourage Shared Experiences

Hard adventurers aren't just looking for new ways to enjoy the great outdoors—they're also looking to spend quality time with family and friends. Peak + Skift reports on the rise of experiential travel and indicates that 71 percent of those surveyed traveling with friends and family members preferred to book local. This means there is a very active market of travelers seeking out local tour and activity operators specifically to book an adventure with friends and family members.

What You Can Do:

Set up tiered pricing options for group travel and bookings so that travelers can easily book an adventure for a small group or larger party. Invest in online booking software that allows you to set up tiered pricing and package options in the backend so you can promote different types of packages and offerings across your website and social media networks with ease. Align your marketing efforts with the shared experiences trend by promoting "family discounts" and group package offerings in newsletters, in blog posts, and on your website.

Align your marketing efforts with the shared experiences trend by promoting "family discounts" and group package offerings in newsletters, in blog posts, and on your website.

3. Cater to Solo Travelers

While you'll have plenty of travelers seeking out shared experiences and ready to make group reservations, don't overlook the growing demand of solo travelers hungry for new adventures and experiences. The New York Times reports on several studies and findings that indicate a significant increase in demand for solo travel—as much as as 37 percent jump from 2013, according to the 2015 Visa Global Travel Intentions Study. Solo travelers looking for unique outdoor experiences may be interested in learning more about the latest adventure activities they can enjoy alone, or once in a lifetime experiences they can show off to friends and family about.

What You Can Do:

Encourage independent travelers to book unique experiences that you offer on a seasonal basis or only for a limited time. For example, a kayak tour operator could offer one-on-one classes with a pro kayaker available during a certain season. A hiking tour operator might offer private hiking adventure coupled with a training class or other educational experiences for singles.

4. Expand Your Offerings with Multi-Activity Experiences

Accommodate for the demand for hard adventure experiences by expanding your offerings to cater specifically to adrenaline junkies and weekend warriors. This might include customized packages for weekend escapes where travelers can book more than one activity per day or pick out three or more from a special "menu" of offerings for an entire weekend escape. You might also expand your offerings with add-ons, such as educational workshops, classes, or provide the opportunity to purchase an additional activity or tour at a discount. The goal is to generate interest in your business by offering more than just a single experience at any given time.

What You Can Do:

Make use of package pricing and add-on features in your online booking software program to expand offerings to all customers. Be creative with different package combinations and accommodate for multi-activity bookings in a single day. For example, whitewater rafting operator might offer a morning and evening rafting experience. A zip-line adventure company could offer nighttime zip-lining tours to complement a daytime experience in the same day. Explore options to add programs such as workshops, educational classes, and hands-on experiences for a more customized experience.

5. Partner with Complementary Tour Operators

Many adventure seekers are looking for activities that are only accessible to athletes and "professional adventurers." For example, outdoor activities such as trekking, cave exploring, rock climbing, and parasailing typically require some training and are only accessible to experienced travelers. If your company currently doesn't offer these types of experiences, consider partnering with a tour operator that does so you can create a package that gives customers a chance to enhance their visit.

What You Can Do:

Reach out to complementary tour and activity operators to develop packages that appeal to this market segment. You could promote dual experiences, such as a kayaking adventure in the morning followed by a climbing adventure in the late afternoon. Or, an early morning hike followed by a sunset speed boating adventure. The goal is to tap in to your complementary business's pool of customers to generate more business and refer business to theirs with a menu of unique offerings.

Final Thoughts

As the hard adventure market continues to grow, tour and activity operators of all types can promote their activities in new ways and attract more customers by expanding their offerings beyond the single tour or activity experience. Use these tips to attract more of this growing market segment in the upcoming travel seasons.

[two_third]If you're a Bike Rental shop owner and the idea of bike sharing coming to your neighborhood is keeping you up at night, you're not alone. It's already spread to cities like New York City, Miami, and Minneapolis, and continues to crop up in others as well—all with the hopes that bike sharing will deliver everything from increased tourism revenue to reduced emissions.A lot of bike rental businesses' fears stem from the still unknown effect the rise of bike sharing will have on them—will it be a boon or bane?To ease some of that worry—and to try and answer that question—here's some early research you can dive into, as well as some concrete things you can do to account for bike sharing in your neck of the woods.

The Implications of Bike Sharing

First and foremost, what demographic are these bike-share programs appealing to? Bike-share systems, "seem to attract a particular profile of user: male, white, employed and … younger, more affluent, more educated and more likely to be already engaged in cycling independently of bike-sharing," according to an article on Next City.It also seems highly likely that more large cities will jump on board the bike-sharing wagon. Larger cities will likely invest first because of the large costs of the infrastructure required to make bike sharing a viable alternative.But what else do we know about the bike-share market?

• Bike sharing is here to stay, as it continues to be rolled out in more and more cities. In the long run, bike sharing may commoditize the 30 to 60 minute rental part of the market. If you're not in that market, you may not have to worry too much just yet.

• The resulting infrastructure from bike sharing will likely increase the demand for bikes in your area.

• It could also create a healthy business ecosystem. For example, in a Smart Growth America (2013) study, businesses along Victoria Street in San Francisco's Mission District reported a 60 percent increase in sales due to increased pedestrian and bicycle traffic after the installation of a new bike lane.

• Bike sharing can actually have a positive impact on your business. For example, in Minnesota a bike sharing service called Nice Ride expanded its program and bike rental shops have seen positive effects on their businesses because of what owners see as an increased interest in biking overall. Penn Cycle, a local bicycle rental shop, found bike rentals increasing by 10 percent to 15 percent.Penn Cycle, a local bicycle rental shop, found bike rentals increasing by 10 percent to 15 percent.In this case, rental shops provide better deals for longer use, while Nice Ride bikes appeal more to those looking for quick commutes.

• On the flip side, it could also negatively impact your business. For example, Cody Anderson, manager of Calhoun Rental bike shop, describes business being noticeably down since bike sharing arrived in his area.

Prepare for Bike Sharing In Your City

So, your city has yet to roll out a bike-share program, but has announced plans to implement one in the near future. Don't fret—here's a few things you can do to prepare:

• Avoid overreacting to a potentially competitive force. Instead, research, plan, and develop a strategy depending on how your business could be affected. To determine the affects on your business, use online scheduling software to help you report on the number of monthly bookings. This can help you ascertain how bike sharing may be affecting your business.

• Review your pricing and make sure it's competitive. Construct your pricing logically, such that if you're using the bike for more than just a one-way trip, it makes economical sense to rent the bike from your shop instead. For example, DecoBike in San Diego charges $18 for a four-hour rental ($5 overage charge applies if you're late) for a pretty basic bike. A four-hour rental is probably not a round trip, so DecoBike is targeting a different market segment here that may compete with yours. Make sure you have a bike "somewhat" close to that price (i.e. under $25) for the same types of customers. It's okay to charge more for a four-hour rental, just be sure customers clearly see the difference in value (i.e. a more comfortable ride, planned activities, customer service, no overage charges, someone to call in case of a problem, etc.).

Compete with Bike-Share Programs

A bike-share program operating in your city is far from an automatic death sentence for your business. Still, you should take a few steps to insure that your competing to the best of your ability. Here's a few ideas of what to do:

• Introduce a loss leader to compete head-to-head with bike sharing alternatives. A loss leader is a pricing strategy where you sell a product below its market cost. For example, CitiBike's pricing in Miami will run you $24 for a full day rental. You could offer an equivalent bike for $20.
• Try to eliminate overage charges from your pricing model. Overage charges are designed to punish the customer for guessing wrong, and to encourage customers to estimate high. Since bike-sharing models use overage charges extensively, eliminating them from how you do business could be attractive to your target customers. For example, if your bike is $10 for four hours, that implies the bike was rented at $2.50 an hour. If your customer goes over an hour, you could give them a grace period and just charge them additional $2.50 instead of an overage charge of $4 every 30 minutes like CitiBike does.
• There are a lot of bikes you can own for under $200 that an average cyclist would probably be happy with. With that in mind, you could offer financing for local renters. As an alternative to purchasing a bike sharing subscription for $99/year, you could offer your customers a lease to own option where at the end of 2 years they would actually own the bike for a similar amount spent. Alternatively you could offer rental credits that customers can cash in later for discounts on buying a new bike.

Whether it's planning for bike sharing in your area or better competing with bike sharing, take the time to do your research first. Remember that correlation doesn't necessarily mean causation. In other words, just because bike sharing arrived in your neighborhood and your sales have changed, doesn't necessarily mean that bike sharing is the culprit.

Escape Rooms have been described as team-building experiences, gameified theater, and an unparalleled entertainment experience—and business is booming, with new rooms popping up all over the country. But, what exactly are Escape Rooms? It's a place where guests play a real-world version of a video game by solving puzzles together to get out of a room as quickly as possible.Despite it's popularity, the industry is still in the infant stage: Experts trace these unique puzzle hunts to the REAL ESCAPE GAME™ franchise that launched in Kyoto, Japan, in 2007. The first made its way to U.S. soil in 2012 where it took place on board a ship in San Francisco.Since 2012, variations of the original Real Escape Game have been popping up all over the country and may soon be a leading trend in the active entertainment industry. Room Escape Adventures, for instance, opened its first location in Chicago in December 2013 and has now opened up locations in 18 American cities and three destinations overseas. Centennial's Clue Room opened in Colorado in September 2014 and has been attracting an average of 400 customers per week, according to the Denver Post.With such a young industry, new businesses are bound to run into a few challenges as they try to handle the rapid influx of customers. Choosing the right online booking software can make it easier to generate more bookings and handle customer communications—as well as the booking process for your escape room business—more effectively. Setting up a system that allows for group bookings and group pricing options, customization, and easy implementation of discount and promo codes is beneficial for any small business owner.Here's a closer look at challenges Escape Room business owners may be facing, and suggestions for overcoming these obstacles:

Challenge #1: Maintaining Customer Communications Efficiently

Solution: Customized Emails

Maintaining contact with your customers as soon as they register on your site is a critical part of customer service. Sending customized emails can help you maintain a high level of professionalism and give you a chance to encourage more bookings. Hubspot reports that personalized messages increase conversions rates; and the a Email Marketing Study from Experian Marketing Services reveals personalized promotional mailings had 29-percent higher open rates and 41-percent higher unique click rates.Personalized emails can be a great way to not only welcome newcomers but also to nurture leads—walk your customer through the booking process by sending out a series of personalized emails. Topics may cover the latest escape room experiences you have available, a news byte about your business in the news, and promo codes to encourage the recipient to book now. Use online booking software programs that allow you to set up customized automated emails, manage your email database and registrations all in one place, and handle all customer communications with ease.

Challenge #2: Poorly-Designed Online Booking Forms

Solution: Streamlined Online Booking Process

Many escape room business owners want to move beyond a simple "contact us" email that doesn't always capture relevant details about the customer, and, in most cases, looks unprofessional.One-click bookings and buying options are an attractive component of any website. Online retailers including Amazon, Macy's, and Sears have perfected the art of guiding shoppers through the entire checkout process so that they not only feel confident about going through the online checkout, but are also encouraged to buy more than anticipated — complementary products, add-ons, and suggestions. Look for online booking software that takes customers through a stepped checkout process and allows for add-ons or multi-activity purchases in a single click.

Challenge #3: Managing Corporate Accounts and Package Options

Solution: Tiered Pricing Options

When you are in a position to handle larger volumes of bookings and are busy building a larger client base of group parties, team building activity leaders, and special event hosts, you need an efficient process to handle these types of customers—not different pricing options.You may want to offer several different pricing options for individuals, couples, groups, and corporate bookings. For example, you may offer a discount for corporate groups of five or more people planning a team-building event at your escape room, or a couples or friends package where the customers get a discount for booking the experience together.If you want to add add-on services, such as beverages and snacks after the experience or meals at a local restaurant, you'll need a software program that allows you to create different packages with ease. Tiered pricing can benefit your business in many ways because, as QuickBooks points out in this article, it gives your customers a menu of options to choose from. Invest in a booking software program that allows you to set up group pricing rates specifically for these market segments.

Online Booking Software allows you to offer add-on services and dynamic pricing

Challenge #4: Poorly-Managed Discount and Promo Code Process

Solution: Online Voucher Redemption Management Tools

If you plan to offer discount codes, coupons, vouchers, and send out special offers, make sure you choose online booking software that keeps track of these codes and redemption activities. Peek Pro makes it simple to add promo codes and discounts to various activities on the backend. You can use drop-down menus to assign promo and discount codes to each activity. You can also keep track of promo code redemptions in the backend. Invest in a software program that makes voucher redemption management a simple process so your customers can enjoy a streamlined checkout flow and you can run promotions at your leisure.

Challenge #5: Managing Gift Card Sales

Solution: Streamlined Online Gift Card Purchase and Redemption

Escape room enthusiasts may be interested in gifting the experience to a significant other, friends, family members, or acquaintances. Keeping track of gift cards issued and redeemed manually, however, can be time-consuming and inefficient. Make this process easy for customers by offering the option of buying and redeeming gift cards exclusively online. Offer gift cards when following up with the customer about their experience via email and have gift card purchase options readily available for purchase both on your website and during the checkout process. Choose a software program that allows for gift card disbursement and redemption at checkout by entering a gift card number directly as a form of payment.

Challenge #6: Maintaining Accurate Sales and Activity Reports

Solution: Built-In Reporting Tools

As your business grows and you are managing larger volumes of bookings each week—or perhaps branching out to multiple locations—make use of reporting tools that allow you to keep track of sales, booking trends, discount redemptions, and other site visitor activity. This can be almost impossible to manage manually and may require hiring additional staff to take care of accounting and operations management duties. Choose online booking software that makes it easy to produce downloadable reports and print report summaries with current data, including up-to-date information about bookings, sales, discount redemptions, and customer details.

Final Thoughts

As more escape rooms start appearing around the country, business owners need to count on a reliable booking system and customer relationship management tools to manage bookings effectively week after week. Taking steps to integrate a customizable online booking software program that grows with the business's needs is a smart business move for today's escape room operator.Peek Pro is an online booking software for Escape Rooms that offers all of these solutions and more.

If you own a brewery, tours can be a boon to your business: they inject a new source of income, introduce new customers to your business, and allow fans to sample your products straight from the source.But whether you host weekly tastings or ongoing guided tours of your brewery, you need an effective system to coordinate these tours and manage the inflow of customers eager to book tours in any season. Just take it from some of the nation's biggest breweries, which offer online bookings to simplify the process.Here are some key reasons why your brewery needs to offer online bookings as an option for brewery tours:

Eliminate Manual Administrative Tasks Related to Bookings

Your staff is already taking care of day-to-day brewery operations. Even if you have a designated marketing team to handle promotional activities for your business, team members may have limited time available to take care of tour reservations over the phone, via email, and in-person. Make it hassle-free for your team: Set up an online booking system for your tours so all a customer has to do is visit your website and click through the "Book It!" button.Offering one-click online bookings eliminates the need for staff members to set up bookings via phone and email, and keep manual records of all activities. Online booking software programs, like Peek Pro, take care of everything digitally and can even automate confirmations and email messages so that the entire booking process is a 'hands-off' activity.Both large and small breweries can benefits from an online booking system—Great Lakes Brewing Co, has already implemented Peek Pro into their website to help visitors make reservations in just a few clicks.

Share a Live Calendar with Tour Availability

A live calendar allows prospective visitors to see when tours are available, what days of the week the brewery is closed for cleaning or maintenance operations, and what types of special events you are hosting throughout the month. This feature gives visitors a chance to plan their trip around your availability and makes it much easier to share information about brewery happenings without added effort. It also prevents you from over-selling tours because tours booked can be updated in real time and you can set limits on the number of tour spots available on any given day.

Reduce or Eliminate No-Show Rates

A poorly-managed booking and reservation system—usually one that involves calling customers directly and confirming reservations over the phone or by email—can increase the chances of no-shows when the customer is unaware of the consequences. If you are already experiencing problems with no shows, use an online booking software program that requires visitors to pay upfront and agree to your cancellation policy that accounts for no shows. Imposing a cancellation fee or a no-show penalty can prevent no shows and keep your tours booked to capacity with minimal effort.

Use an online booking system to make visitors pay upfront and agree to your cancellation policy to combat no shows

Manage Customer Information Effectively

When a customer contacts you to book a tour, you need to collect all of their information, which is a time-consuming process and runs the risk of data entry errors and mistakes.Online booking software programs collect and organize all customer data for you. So all you have to do is log in to a dashboard to reveal contact information and details about the customer's inquiry. Even if the inquiry comes to you via phone, a staff member can log information directly into an online form for easy retrieval.Maintaining a current database like this makes it extremely simple to send out welcome emails, newsletter updates, and "thank you" emails to an entire list—or a segmented list—in a few clicks. Take advantage of the software program's built-in templates and automation tools so that you can communicate with customers in a timely manner and keep track of customers interested in booking tours as efficiently as possible.

Personalize the Tour Experience

Creating an unparalleled customer experience is much easier to do when you can gather information from the customer efficiently well before they arrive.In addition to gathering customer information with ease, you can set up a series of questions for the customer during the checkout process in an effort to personalize their experience. For example, you could ask the visitor what their favorite type of beer from your brewery is so that you an surprise them with a complimentary glass of their favorite brew at the end of the tour. You could also find out if they are celebrating a special occasion and surprise them with a gift such as a beer glass with your logo on it or other brewery memorabilia.

Accommodate for One-Click Mobile Bookings

Research shows that more travelers are using a smartphone and other mobile devices to do research and confirm reservations. According to the latest State of Mobile Commerce report by Criteo, 66 percent of travel-related mobile transactions come from smartphones and 27 percent of travel-related online purchases come from a smartphone or tablet.Take advantage of this trend by creating a mobile-friendly version of your website, complete with a one-click booking button. Travelers can read descriptions about tours you offer, special events at the brewery, and other offerings on their mobile device and make a reservation without having to log in to the desktop version at any time. It's an attractive feature for today's tech-savvy customer and may help you generate more bookings each season.

Provide an Automated Voucher Redemption Process

If you run special offers, issue discount codes, or work with third-party daily deal sites, you need to implement a streamlined voucher redemption process so that customers can use their coupon codes without any hassles during checkout. Using an online booking software program that makes it simple to issue discounts and keep track of redemptions. Make use of reports that reveal how many vouchers were redeemed over a given time period so that you can determine the success rate of different marketing and promotional activities.

Fully Monetize Tours with Add-Ons

Many breweries miss out on the opportunity to fully monetize tours by offering add-ons and product purchases as part of the experience. For example, you could include the option of purchasing brewery memorabilia, such as hats, t-shirts, beer glasses, bottle openers, coasters, and other souvenirs at the checkout process. Add-on services might include a private, one-on-one tasting experience with a beer maker or special pricing on a batch of specialty brews. This is also the perfect place to sell a gift card. Take advantage of add-on features available with an online booking software program so that you can maximize revenue potential from each and every brewery tour booking.

Easily Produce Manifests for Tour Guides

Tour guides can use manifests for a roster of visitors and relevant information about customers, such as special celebration or special requests. Use an online booking software program that provides both online and printable manifests for tour guides to reference at a glance. You can customize the fields for your brewery tour manifests, such as including information about the customer's beer preferences, birthday or anniversary celebrations, and any special requests made upon booking.The tour guide could access these reports on a tablet computer, smartphone, or just print out a copy before the tour to check in customers with ease.Marketing and managing these tours can be tricky without a streamlined booking software program by your side. Using a robust online booking software program like Peek Pro can help you coordinate and book brewery tours with ease. Consider these features and benefits of offering online bookings to keep your tour calendar full season after season.Many breweries and distilleries around the nation use Peek Pro to manage their brewery tours and offer online bookings. Read about how we helped the Catoctin Creek Distillery here.

Gone are the days of relying on just one distribution channel to drive the bulk of customers to your tours and activities company. Online travel agencies: they may not be as effective as they used to be. The hot-streaking daily deal sites: they're beginning to frost over. Social media sites: they'll require a well-executed strategy to be worth the time.So to attract today's tech-savvy customers who are using a number of methods to research their travel options, make reservations, and share feedback about their experience, you'll have to explore all possible distribution channels out there so you can position yourself in just the right markets—and invest your marketing dollars and resources wisely.Here is a closer look at the distribution landscape and what this means for your tours and activities business:

Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)

Though the well for third-party travel booking sites hasn't dried up, it sure is beginning to evaporate. While many travelers still turn to these sites for their next adventure, as Tnooz reports, OTAs are facing fierce competition by metasearch and media channels that attract the target market with low prices and a streamlined search experience. Since travelers are realizing they can find some amazing deals on travel packages on their own, they are becoming far less dependent on third-party booking sites to take the guesswork out of booking online for them.

What this means for you:

While OTAs have been a great source of revenue for tour and activity operators for years, today they may not bring you the most high-quality traffic you need each season. Don't overlook sites that offer last-minute packages and bidding sites that offer deeper discounts on various types of bookings if you really want to stay ahead of the game. Alternatively, online consumer marketplaces, like Peek, with an existing customer base of millions of active customers who are ready to book, bring all of the benefits of an OTA but with higher quality.

Daily Deal Sites

Some of the biggest daily deal sites introduced travel and activities to their daily lineup of deals several years ago, capturing a highly active market of hungry buyers looking for deep discounts on things to do and places to go. However, research shows that daily deal sites have been on a cold streak for a few years. Some of the biggest players in the industry are facing significant profit losses and having a hard time keeping up with the competition, Adweek reports. More companies are cropping up to link customers with local merchants, making many of the previously sought-after offers on the bigger daily deal sites less attractive.

What this means for you:

Don't rely solely on daily deal sites to generate most of your customers during a slow season—especially if you are paying high fees for the service. Explore smaller, local sites and opportunities such as daily deals listings with your local newspaper or a city magazine.

Don't rely solely on daily deal sites to generate most of your customers during a slow season

For example, Creative Loafing Tampa in Tampa, Florida has its own buy local-half off deals site where it partners with local businesses to offer 50-percent off deals on events, activities, restaurants, and even goods from local stores. These are targeted to the local market and may be a better option for locals interested in staycation activities. Smaller local merchant listing sites that offer merchants the option of posting deals—enhanced listings sites or sites that give customers a chance to post reviews and ratings—can also be valuable distribution channels for are tours and activities operators.

Online Marketing Partners

Partnering with an online marketplace already attracting high-quality customers interested in booking tours and activities can help you build your business—fast. Marketplaces like Peek gives you access to a highly active distribution channel that reaches more than millions of passionate customers who are searching for experiences to book. Peek Pro Partners are able to be listed on peek.com, which opens you up to new customers.

What this means for you:

Tapping in to an online marketing partner's tools and resources can make the process of customer acquisition that much easier. Working with a company like Peek can help you tap into an existing targeted-pool of customers to grow your customer base.Mobile-Optimized WebsitesGrowing in effectiveness: mobile websites, as more travelers turn to their mobile device to conduct research and work through the reservations process. ICE Portal reports that more than 40 percent of online traffic inquiries related to travel come from mobile devices—smartphones and tablets—and that mobile is used through every stage of travel; 26% of consumers use smartphones when planning a vacation.In addition, results of a Phocuswright study found that mobile travel bookings were expected to reach $39.5 million by this year, accounting for an increase of three times the number of travel bookings compared to just two years ago.

What this means for you:

Mobile adoption continues to grow at a steady rate, which means your tours and activities business could be missing out on a valuable opportunity if your site is not mobile-ready. HubSpot reports on recent Google data that finds 67 percent of users are more likely to purchase a product or service from a mobile-friendly site.Make sure you have a mobile-optimized version of your site online and take all design elements into consideration. After having an interview with a senior designer at Apple, we shared some valuable tips for designing a regular and mobile site for maximum customer engagement. Invest in a high-quality mobile version of your site to ensure an optimal user experience and a streamlined booking experience.

Local Travel Organizations and Visitor Information Offices

Many travelers heading to your destination may be turning to the local chamber of commerce, visitor's bureau, or other local travel organizations for last-minute ideas on activities and experiences in the area. Summer is also "staycation" season in many parts of the country, which means more locals will be seeking out vacation opportunities in their own backyard. While local travel organizations and visitor information offices may not be a primary distribution channel for the typical tour and activity operator, they can still be a valuable outlet for businesses that want to expand their reach.

What this means for you:

Get listed on all major local organizations and visitors' centers so that travelers can find out more about you instantly. Make sure you have brochures and business cards available for distribution at these outlets. Don't overlook the opportunity to get listed or set up a featured listing on the merchants section of these organizations' websites and mobile sites so that visitors have one-click access to your website during their trip planing process.You can also turn to local travel sites for valuable statistics and data about traveler behavior. For example, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority publishes a comprehensive visitor profile study each year with an assessment of Las Vegas visitor and trends in visitor behavior—including how much is spent on shows, sightseeing, and other activities outside of heading to the casinos. This type of information can help you learn more about the typical visitor to the area (your ideal customer) so you can create attractive packages and listings geared towards this particular market.

Social Media Sites

Facebook and Twitter are valuable outlets for tours and activities operators to build their online brand, interact and engage with customers, and execute a multifaceted online marketing strategy. But no matter how much time you spend nurturing customers and posting content on these sites, the ROI on social media marketing is still fairly low. Attempting to drive bookings through social media may not necessarily be the most valuable use of your resources but it still pays to maintain a strong social media presence.

What this means for you:

Facebook and Twitter may help to get the attention of your customers but you will need a well-executed strategy to convert that attention into a booking. We recommended strengthening your Facebook presence in a previous post and shared examples of how tour and activity operators are maximizing Facebook features to drive bookings. Keep in mind, though, that social networking sites may not be your most valuable distribution channel since the majority of your customers log on to these sites for entertainment and socializing—not specifically to make a purchase.

Final Thoughts

Positioning your business in the right market may involve going beyond traditional distribution channels. Explore the distribution channels listed above to capture even more of the market share for your niche business and ensure more customers can find you online and offline with ease.