Welcome to a new series: Meet the Booking Platform!
On Episode 34 of Tourpreneur, the podcast for tour operators, we sat down with Checkfront who provide reservation software for tour operators, to find out more about the company and specifically how they can help tour businesses.
An important element of selecting a booking platform for your tour business is getting a feel for the company, its mission and of course its employees.
We can all take an online demo, read the publicity and the ‘About’ pages but will their values really align with yours?
One of the main reasons we recommend Tourpreneur listeners attend events such as Arival is to meet the booking platform partners in person so you can assess if they are the right fit for your tour business
We know that it is not always possible to attend events so as part of the Tourpreneur mission to flatten the learning curve for tour operators, we will bring you interviews with some of the main players in the booking software for tour and activity operators space.
First up, at ARIVAL Orlando, we spoke with Checkfront CEO Jason Morehouse and Director of Product Stephanie Brachat. We also invited Alan Rust of America Tour Company (here is his story on Episode 8) for the tour operator perspective.
Tourpreneur host Shane Whaley was armed with questions sent in by tour operators who wanted to know more about Checkfront. So sit back and hear more about them and how they feel they can help your business.
Checkfront Mission
We still wake up as eager as we did on day one to have the best online booking system available. We want to take the work out of managing the complexities and administration of service-based bookings, and allow owners to focus on their customers and what they love.
What is the Checkfront Story?
Checkfront was initially conceived by co-founders Jason Morehouse and Grant Jurgeneit to help frustrated service operators better manage their bookings online.
‘While large companies had (arguably antiquated) systems for centralizing reservations and taking payments, many tourism and rental companies were still struggling to manage bookings with e-mail forms, spreadsheets, and clunky software – hardly an ideal solution for a business owner looking to create a seamless and professional online experience.’
What Exactly is Checkfront?
Checkfront is a cloud-based business management software designed for tour operators, rental companies and accommodation providers. It offers booking and activity management, reservations and payment processing.
The software allows users to manage both online and on-site bookings. Point of sale features and a payment gateway allows clients to pay for tours, activities and services.
Checkfront also allows users to integrate with travel websites such as Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor, and they can publish their packages on these websites as well. Other integrations include social media websites such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
Got questions for Checkfront CEO Jason Morehouse? He is a member of our Tourpreneur Insiders Facebook Group. Come and join us and like-minded tour operators and tour professionals over at the group.
Links and Resources Mentioned on this Episode of Tourpreneur – the podcast for tour operators.
Links Mentioned in this Episode