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Omnichannel Sales Management in Real-Time.
Passenger transportation is a low-margin industry; hence it is critical for a successful operator not to lose any potential customers.
As a result, having a real-time perspective of every available seat across as broad a sales network as possible is crucial. Be it web-based OTAs or a bus driver who comes to a halt in the middle of the road and begins selling tickets to ad hoc clients.
Real-time seat and sales management is also required for adopting demand-based dynamic pricing, which has proven to be a critical success element for many operators.
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Advanced Fare Management
Pricing is heavily influenced by the type of long-distance travel business you operate. Our experience has shown that mid to large bus firms, particularly those who are market leaders in their respective regions, seek to diversify their operations by offering long-distance, international, shuttle, and commuter services.
It is critical for such operators' reservation systems to provide corresponding specialized tariff models that suit their operational business requirements.
Whether it is dynamic pricing in competitive intercity operations or serial travel cards for commuter/shuttle services, a contemporary reservation system must be capable of handling various circumstances in order for the operator to give a holistic passenger experience across their operations.
To Illustrate, Consider the Following Instances of Modern Fare Management Capabilities:
Pricing is determined by demand and/or the time till departure (yield management)
Discounts for groups (inc. mixed passenger segments like the family package, etc.)
Discounts on round-trip travel
To provide competitive fares on interconnected journeys, network pricing will be used.
Fare policies that are adaptable (modifications, refunds, etc.)
Versatile, periodic, and serial ticket products
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Advanced Inventory Control
Seat inventory management is determined by the operator's business model. Shuttle services, for example, do not typically require specific seat inventory management. However, real-time inventory management is required for intercity operations.
Assuming the operator is able to coordinate and arrange their fleet ahead of time, it would be highly ideal to offer passengers the choice of selecting their precise seat on all stop segments without jeopardizing availability on other segments. This allows operators to maximize seat utilization and revenue per Kilometre.
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Modern Digital Marketing Tools
A Bus reservation system is a valuable source of data that a bus operator may utilize for marketing (with consent, of course). A bus firm does not exist for a modern passenger without effective internet marketing tools.
A long-distance bus company must be present in the majority of digital channels in order for potential passengers to find them as quickly and easily as feasible.
The marketing toolkit should at the very least comprise tools for social media, campaigns, email marketing, loyalty programmes, and so on. Tools that Flixbus, for example, is utilizing successfully to attract millennials.
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Capability for Self-Service
Fewer employees equal higher cost efficiency in most parts of the modern world. As a result, the more customers who can manage their own travel arrangements, the less workers operators require in their call centers and help desks.
Moving to self-service would also boost client satisfaction because they will be able to control their travel information anytime they want without having to interact with other people. It's a win-win situation for everyone.
The usability of self-service features requires specific consideration. They must be straightforward, logical, and intuitive. Otherwise, it will just cause confusion and, in the worst-case scenario, increase the workload on your support desk.
However, self-service is not limited to digital sales platforms. The same is true for physical locations. Ticket vending machines, for example, are an excellent method to cut labor costs while still keeping a presence in strategic locations.
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Capability for Business Analysis
We feel that as a bus reservation system developer, we should not spend too much time developing highly customizable reporting tools for our platform.
Instead, we should concentrate on recording the data in a fragmented, well-structured, and accessible way that can be used in specialist BI tools designed for that purpose.
Because the data handled by reservation systems in the travel industry is highly relative and multi-layered, there should be no "hacks" or "quick-fix" solutions in database structuring ("let's-use-this-comments-field") that result in clutter and, in the worst scenario, incorrect analysis findings for decision-making.
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APIs for Integration that are Rich and Well-Documented
“No man is an island,” as the phrase goes. The same is true of digitally savvy operators and their reservation systems.
A bus reservation system must be able to interact with various external systems in order to provide a future-oriented booking experience. Whether it's making available seats for third-party resale or integrating with other business-critical systems such as fleet management, ERP, registers, social media, and so on.
The modern approach would be to employ a well-structured database schema and service-oriented architecture to avoid complexity and difficulty. And, of course, a well-documented API for integrating those services.
