Did you know that one of the highest ranking reasons that people make online purchases is convenience*? They want to buy at a time that suits them, so it’s important to make the process of booking your property as easy and straightforward as possible.
As technology continues to evolve, so too does buyer behaviour. This includes preferred payment methods. As self-caterers we’re providing a service so we’d be crazy not to adapt to cater for the changing habits of our guests; and there’s no reason you can’t continue to take payments the traditional way as well if you want to.
It makes sense if someone can place a booking online to give them the option to pay at the same time too. Here are just a few reasons why.
1. It’s good customer service
There are significant numbers of people that want to be able to pay there and then when they place the booking. Enabling guests to do so shows you are listening to what they want.
2. It lets your guest commit
When they have booked and paid online, your guests are less likely to change their mind or continue their search elsewhere.
3. It saves time
It is quick. Guests pay there and then,so you don’t need to wait for a cheque to arrive in the post, then take it to the bank, pay it in and wait for it to clear. The money goes straight into your account and clears in a few days. Another benefit is the guest completes the payment form themselves, which saves you a job if you are currently using a payment terminal – you no longer need to call or email guests to take the information needed to input data manually (also reducing room for error).
4. It’s safe and reinforces trust
The advice from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, ABTA and Get Safe Online is that guests should pay safe. They liken paying by bank transfer to paying by cash – it’s not traceable and there is no protection provided, so they advise against it. Using a secure online payment processor as part of the booking process shows your guests that you are a legitimate business that can be trusted. SuperControl has strict security standards, is totally PCI compliant** and links with a number of payment processors; so when your guests book through our booking pages they have complete peace of mind.
5. It gets you more bookings
By providing the option to book and pay online you appeal to a broader audience. Some people might not own a cheque book any more, which makes it difficult for them to book to stay in your property if paying by cheque is the only option. Creating barriers gives guests a reason to continue their search elsewhere. With no monthly fees, no PCI charges and no merchant account needed you can very easily start taking payments this way. It’s easy to add an online payment processor to your SuperControl account, it will be fully integrated – and remember you can still take bookings over the phone (or by cheque or BACS) if you want to. Please take a look at this short video:
*Source: Experian
** The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is designed to increase controls on the storage of cardholder data and reduce card fraud. SuperControl’s compliance with this standard provides security for your customers and also for your business.
