Resco CRS: Central Reservations

Overview

Resco CRS can handle complex booking environments of packaged, dynamic, group, allotments and tour reservations. The system covers all aspects of operations, from bookings, reservation modifications, payments, generation of sales invoice and commissions to reconciliation of agency accounts. Data can be exchanged with external systems such as General Ledger and Property Management systems. Pricing and yield management are supported by easy-to-define rules. Rules also control the payment schedule, cancellations, invoice generation, commission calculations and agency access restrictions.

Pricing and Yield Management

Pricing can be set-up in multiple currencies, converted based on currency rules, and created separately for agencies and wholesalers as needed. Automated yield management rules, based on current inventory, time restrictions, repeater levels, and other conditions is possible. Additional surcharges and reductions can be defined to handle discounts, tax, commissions, and specifics needed to control pricing levels. Moreover, extensive calculations can be defined based on other surcharges, number of people in a booking, number of days before the trip begins and much more.

Sales can be calculated per day or per predefined period (event, cruise etc.). Pricing can also be calculated based on costs even for items that are in different currencies with automated margin and rounding to e.g. nearest “99”.

Invoicing, Payments and Cancellations

Invoice rules allow the user to define payment terms separately for each agency if required. Terms can be based on trip start date and can be triggered by purchase type, traveller status (e.g. repeater status) as well as others. Outstanding balances and payments due can be checked and acted upon. Delays in payments can even influence the inventory available to an agency. Cancellation rules can also be defined for each agency separately based on different purchase items and other criteria.

Allocations and Allotments

Each agency can be assigned sets of allocated units and can have them for exclusive use or shared with other independent agencies. Allocation cut-off, outstanding balance and user restrictions can be defined as well, either on a per user or per group basis. The system tracks agency allotments including past performance per individual allotment or average including individual contact history in terms of familiarization trips. Agencies can be ranked in terms of performance, revenue and other criteria.

Bookings

The application allows for day by day (from-to) and event-based bookings (fixed predefined period) as well as pre-packaged, dynamic packages or trip items selected during the booking process. Bookings can include multiple trips, additional items such as excursions, transfers, flights, predefined dining options, auxiliary items such as flowers. Each item added to the booking affects the total price in real-time. Selected units, rooms or cabins are locked during the booking process thus preventing undesired overbooking.

Confirmed bookings or options with expiry dates and inquiries are recorded and can be used to re-trace the booking process. Moreover, booking changes such as the recording of a payment can be defined to automatically change the booking status.

The Resco CRS inventory can be made available to external systems via an XML interface. These include other bookings systems (B2B) as well as other web booking engines that support agency or direct bookings. Regardless of the source of the booking the system can automatically send a booking confirmation by email in addition to printing tickets and invoices. Each generated printout is stored and can be retrieved quickly for future viewing or reprinting.

Travellers and Agents

The system maintains a traveller’s as well as agent’s previous arrangements, correspondence and brochure requests including the booking’s history of changes. It is also designed to detect and consolidate travellers with the same personal details automatically.

Custom dialogs can be defined to record communication with a customer, be it via brochure request, phone call, complaint or special dietary request. All details can be passed directly to the PMS system and used in the CRM module.

Audit and Reporting

All transactions recorded in the system follow general accounting rules, i.e. any financial change in the system voids a previous transaction and creates new postings. This way an audit trial is always maintained, and every financial change is recorded, associated with a user and given a date. Additionally, non-financial operations are recorded in a log for viewing.

Resco CRS contains a comprehensive list of standard reports which we will modify as per each user’s requirements. The package comes with extensive financial, occupancy statistics, performance and forecast reports to name a few, automation with scheduled reporting and distribution of reports are also available.

Interfaces

Resco CRS is an open product, includes a full XML API interface which enables ease of integration and exchange of data with external systems such as:

• Property Management Systems (PMS) – e.g. Resco PMS
• Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and Cruise Distribution Systems – e.g. Amadeus, Sabre, Traveltek
• Electronic Payment Providers – e.g. PayPal, Cybersource, Servebase
• General Ledger (GL) systems – e.g. SAP, MYOB, Sage
• Address verification and cleanup providers – e.g. QAS
• Telephone Systems – e.g. Shoretel

Customer Note and Workflow Module

The Resco Package provides customizable user interfaces and business forms (Notes). Using Resco’s communication, Notes allows the building of efficient business processes specifically related to day to day operations. Manage your business processes, set reminders and improve your business workflow handling using Notes. Communication forms and its full structure is also available through the Resco API allowing for ease of setup in any web environment.

Customer Complaint Handling

Workflow process for customer complaints within the customer and agents’ profile is available. Functionality includes the ability to assign unique references and apply reason codes and status levels to individual records.

Information received from on board the vessels can also be captured and imported to the shoreside CRM profile in real time. This allows companies to react to complaints immediately and provide targeted compensation to the customer even if he/she is still onboard. Compensation with voucher handling is possible.

Sales Team Handling and Automation

Field sales team management and assignment is available. Team can be setup on regions and flexible localization as required, the hierarchy build can be as extensive as needed or simple. Budget and quarterly targets are managed in the system, business intelligence and integrated dashboard is at hand to be run over the data to monitor performance and KPI’s. Web interfaces are available for such business management data and custom-made web tools.

Voucher Management

A useful feature to expand your Loyalty Program by offering member benefits in the form of gift vouchers. Multiple types of gift vouchers are possible to generate from the CRM to the member’s profile.

Assigned vouchers are visible in the member portal and can be redeemed on board, used for future cruise bookings, or gifted to referrals.

Vouchers can also be used for many other purposes including a compensation method or to confirm gift orders with guest cruise documents.

Ship Visit Management

Cruise ship visits such as guided tours for travel agents, potential customers, or daily visits from crew members’ friends can be managed in Resco CRM.

Send out a daily visit invitation to your agents and customers including a link where they can register and – if required – pay online for the day pass.

Crew and staff members can apply for a visit online and applications run into Resco CRM and be sent to the responsible department for approval.

Crisis Management

Having a solid handle on how to approach a crisis can make the difference between business as usual and complete business failure. Some crises have become blueprints for modern responses to problems, while others have destroyed products, divisions, or even entire companies.

With Resco CRM note and communication tools your company will be able to note and store incidents and accidents against the customer profile, keep your customers always updated, track inconveniences and the response to those inconveniences over the long term.