Long gone are the days when people stood in caterpillar lines and waited patiently for their turn to book a movie. Not just a movie, in fact, almost each and every sector, which includes booking tickets, has taken a revolutionary trend with the advancement of technology and implementation of easy solutions of Online Reservation and Booking sites.
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Most of you even prefer recharges done online instead of going to the shop and having it done by the shopkeeper. So, why on earth is this change taking place, and how is this trend changing our lives for the better? Read along to know more!
What aspects are involved in an online booking and reservation system?
1. Booking Travel Tickets
Most of you are familiar with the booking of travel tickets online. Whether it is by train, bus, or simply by flight, online facilitation has revolutionized the travel industry. Also, consider the rise in the number of applications for booking cabs and auto rickshaws. This has made the travel space hassle-free and easy to a great extent.
2. Booking Entertainment Tickets
Nowadays, more often than not, people prefer booking movie and sports event tickets online. If you are wondering why exactly, think about all the time saved rather than physically going to the actual event/show counter and getting to know that seats are no longer available. Hurts, isn’t it?
3. Hospitality Industry
When you can browse a Hotel’s website, choose the best list of rooms as per your preferences, apply various deals and promo codes to avail the discount schemes, and even successfully book a room in minutes – all these from the cozy comforts of your home, then why should you or anyone even consider the traditional method of hotel booking?
4. eCommerce Sites
When we are talking about Online Booking Systems, how can we leave behind the most important sector or field of business that has been revolutionized the most? Yes, I am talking about eCommerce software or, in layman’s terms – Online Shopping.
eCommerce sites are just another example of an online booking system where you can browse through the list of options, zero in on your desired products, go through their details, analyze them nicely, finalize the product, and then book it for delivery at your doorstep and that too with Cash On Delivery (COD)! Cool, isn’t it?
5. Examinations
A number of Online Examination Portals offer Examination Systems for recruitment and other significant processes. Such an examination system consists of guidelines on how to give the exam, questions, their options, and even answers which can be revealed only at the end of the examination. The booking of these examinations is done usually online to get the best transparency in the transaction details and the booking process.
Well, these are some of the major aspects that have seen the greatest revolutionary trend in Online Booking and Reservation Systems. You can go along, citing more examples. Try thinking of a few, won’t you?
Benefits of Online Reservation and Booking System
1. Time-Saving
As I have discussed before, there is no more need for waiting in lines to book your tickets, pay your bills, or for that matter, get any of your tasks done. Also, you wouldn’t have to get embarrassed when there are no seats available anymore by the time you reach the counter end.
2. Easy Payment Solutions
Although nothing can substitute real cash flow from your hands, however, the payment processes facilitated by Debit Cards, Credit Cards, Online Wallets, etc., exquisitely take care of the fact that your bucks are dealt accurately and with immense security.
3. Transparency
With the system of Online Booking and Reservation, you can now enjoy greater transparency regarding the booking process – such as the availability of slots filled, slots vacant, the various charges incurred, the tax deductions, etc. Hence, no more need to become a doubting Thomas that the person behind the counter is taking extra charges from you.
4. Easy Access to Resources
There is no fixed limit of timings for booking when you are booking online except, of course, for the maintenance timings of the given server. Also, these booking and reservation facilities can be easily done while you sit comfortably in your pajamas, sipping a hot cup of chocolate coffee.
5. Great Deals and Discount Offers
Apply some promo code or a gift card and have the necessary deduction made to your total bill so that you can pay less than the specified total amount on the bill. No haggling, no bargaining! Just a quick acceptance.
What are the drawbacks of integrating online booking systems into our lives?
Well, we have had a fair share of the best advantages of using online booking and reservation systems. However, such software is no less than a coin with another side attached to it. I am talking about the negative aspects of online booking and reservation systems. So, what are the potential risks involved in integrating this system as part and parcel of our daily lives? Here are the answers.
1. Security Threats
Is there anyone spying on your payment transactions? Is there someone out there trying to sniff your password while you book away to glory? Totally possible! Although necessary security tools and features software have been developed and some technologies also implemented to prevent such security threats, there can exist some loopholes somewhere in the system, which ultimately paves the way for the attacker.
2. Technical Glitches
Technical glitches in the software may often lead to undesirable consequences and convert your easy solutions into highly difficult ones. To avoid this, the software needs to be constantly updated with the latest technologies to prevent such things from happening. This very need for constant updating of the Software/System can be termed as one main potential con when it comes to online bookings and reservation systems.
3. Down Time of the Server
While using such online bookings and reservation systems, if the server goes down at any time, you have no other option but to halt your booking, which might ultimately prove to be a great disadvantage for you. This is because such instances may cause loss of time, loss of payment, loss of money, loss of opportunity, and even make your discontinued/incomplete transactions prone to cyber-attacks.
4. Internet Connection Is a Must
According to a recent survey conducted by the search engine giant, in the year 2016, just about 40-45 percent of the total population in the world is equipped with an Internet connection. This means that about 60% of the total world population does not have an Internet connection. Also, out of the 40% of people with an Internet connection, more than half of them have to be content with below-standard internet speed.
The point I am trying to make is that here is where an online booking and reservation system becomes redundant or meaningless. The same can happen with you as the absence of internet or low internet speed is not going to help you in your online booking/reservation even if you have the best hotel management software at your disposal.
Final Thoughts
On the whole, the online booking and reservation system is actually creating a greater potential for improving the lifestyle standards of the people. Such a system simplifies the lives of people and also helps corporates and firms provide creative solutions for the best services. The online booking and reservation system is thus predicted to become a massive wave in the sea of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the coming years.
A Backpacker with keen interest in Digital marketing. Responsible and passionate for building a digital culture at SoftwareSuggest. Grabber to implement new competitive ideas to analyze and boost online presence. Could be found in mountains and solo traveler by birth.
