For users of the TourCMS tour operator ecommerce platform

Enquiry handling - please post your ideas!

One of the developments we are working on at the moment is enquiry handling (and enquiry workflow). This is particularly important for tailor-made tour requests etc.

In summary, we propose that an enquiry will create a customer record (but no booking record) - and create an "enquiry". These enquiries can be assigned to individual members of staff - and tracked until complete. The enquiry will be a form that you can add to your website (or create manually within TourCMS)

If anyone has any specific requirements for enquiry handling please post below (we have talked to a number of customers and are building the functionality around their needs - but we are always happy for more ideas!)

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Alex Bainbridge on February 20, 2008 at 12:15pm: An update on this..... we have actually decided to implement enquiry handling in a slightly different way.

Instead of an enquiry creating an "enquiry record" we are going to create a "touchpoint" record..... the advantage of this is that you could use a touchpoint for a brochure request, an enquiry, to note that a letter has been sent, payment received etc

This new means will mean that TourCMS will become a very effective integrated CRM system......

Any further thoughts from anyone about touchpoints! (yeah, we know it is a jargon word !)

Thanks. Alex; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ralph Foulds on February 20, 2008 at 12:40pm: Wouldn't payment receipts need to be noted within the booking record, rather than the enquiry record (sorry, 'touchpoint').
Will we be able to categorise the touchpoints in different ways (eg. brochure request, tour enquiry, tailor-made enquiry) and then report separately on them ?
Also, as much reporting as possible would be good on the information going into the touchpoint record, including on any extra data fields we may set up.
Can we add these extra data fields to our website enquiry forms and have the data brought straight into the touchpoint record, with tokens to match those data fields for use in rtf & email templates

Thanks, Ralph; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Alex Bainbridge on February 20, 2008 at 1:16pm: HI Ralph
Yes - payment receipts will be noted on the booking record as well as the touchpoint record.

Yes - you will be able to categorise touchpoints.....

As for your other questions..... er.... yeah I expect so. Our plan is to do a "bare bones" release first - setting the foundations - then we can build the other bits and bobs afterwards once we have had some feedback from everyone
Thanks. Alex; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by TourCMS team on September 25, 2008 at 9:40am: Just so everyone knows..... enquiry handling is coming this week!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Actief in Tsjechie on September 27, 2008 at 8:06pm: Hello Alex,

Maybe an idea is to add / integrate this functionality into the booking engine process. I mean if prospects in fact try to book but do not get the result they want they might want to escape the booking engine and ask their question by means of a simple enquiry form.

Rgrds Luit; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Actief in Tsjechie on September 27, 2008 at 8:17pm: Hi Alex,

Obvious idea: let the administrators of the TourCMS be (fully) in control to configure the enquiry handling form. What I mean is that they can add all kinds of field types like drop down list, mandatory yes/no etc. etc.).

Regards! Luit; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by TourCMS team on September 27, 2008 at 9:19pm: Hi Luit

The enquiry handling is specified around 3 requirements

- adding a "brochure request" form to your website
- adding a "tailor made tour" request form to your website
- adding a "contact us" form to your website

Yes you can use it for other uses...... I like the idea of making an enquiry in the booking process. You can add any fields you like. TourCMS just stores the data - the form is on your website not on TourCMS.

The great thing is lets say you get 10 brochure requests in a single week - from TourCMS you can export all the names and addresses of each brochure request (in one file) and then merge them with a label printer - to print all the brochure request labels..... Only a thought.

We will do a full writeup (including examples) when the functionality goes live (which is likely to be Sunday)

Thanks. Alex; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dana Ronan on September 28, 2008 at 2:25am: Hi Alex,
I'm excited about the pending enquiry section. I'm not sure what your plans are, but we would love to make manual customer enquiry entries (not always from our website) and have RTF documents (brochure request letters etc..) able to be merged with the customer information, just like the invoices within the booking area.

I assume we'd just use the existing merge fields that exist in the extra details screens with the customer record.

Would also love to be able to choose the fields we can export (ie: Name and email address if just sending an e-newsletter, full address details is sending a brochure mailout)

Finally, will it be possible to export data based on whether or not an active/nonactive or no booking records exists within the customer file? This will allow us to export "existing customers", "prospects" and potentially "past customers" as well - really great when sending special offers that apply to new bookings only.
Cheers,
Dana; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by TourCMS team on September 29, 2008 at 11:31am: Hi Dana
Yes - you can add manual enquiry entries (within a customer record)

RTFs for brochures..... very interesting. I will add that to the list - in the meantime we have to get some more tokens sorted out (which you guys need anyway), the hotel room type, and another credit card service.... then we will do enquiries phase 2

Regarding customer export - you need to look at the "enquierer", "Traveller" and "booker" automatic status. That auto-calculated field lets you see their status. (and is in the customer export already)

Enquiries hopefully going live Monday PM; ▶ Reply to This