Make the web your market place

Our dependence on the web as a source of information, entertainment, communication and income has grown exponentially, much is being promised and most people look to the web several times a day (click here to learn more). When considering just how powerful the web is, it is amazing (and sometimes disappointing) just how weak some web business applications are.

CIMSO has developed WebRes to integrate e-commerce into the INNkeeper experience. WebRes Group Bookings builds on the existing WebRes features adding the following:

• Give Tour Operators their own login so they can check availability and make bookings from anywhere with an internet connection.
• Tour Series bookings become as simple as copy and paste.
• Create a central reservations office without sharing any information other than availability.
• Hotel marketing personnel can track availability and make bookings in real-time, while visiting clients.
• You keep full control over your room stock, rates, operators and availability.

Click here to Experience WebRes Group Bookings for yourself.

• You can log in with username: webresdemo@gmail.com
• Password: demo

Latest Installations

Okonjima, who have been using INNkeeper since 2004, has expanded their capabilities by installing WebRes Group bookings at the beginning of this week. We look forward to seeing Okonjima shift into the fast-lane on the information super highway.

We welcome Naledi Game Lodge and Telestai Guest House to the INNkeeper family.

Processing Debtor Transactions

Debtor transactions can be summarised as follows: extending credit, processing credit sales and collecting payments. The debtors book is crucial to the health of any business and very often too little consideration is given to extending credit and collecting debt.

Extending Credit

Judging the credit worthiness of prospective clients on face value is like estimating how dangerous a lion is by evaluating the fluffiness of it's tail. The credit application process must be formally structured to ensure a balance between exposure to risk (of bad debt) and limiting sales (by restrictive credit terms). Once a client's credit application has been evaluated and the credit limit has been decided on (both in terms of time and money), enter the details on the client financial tab in INNkeeper's Client Relationship Management facility.

Credit Sales

The user-friendly interfaces of INNkeeper, Restaurateur and ShopKeeper make it easy to sell products and services to clients. It is however important to manage the administrative side of the sales process, particularly:

• Documentation - Ensure that signed credit sale receipts are properly filed for later reference. Late night bar slips need to be in the reception pit when the guest's morning after memory may not be so good.
• The correct account – Clearly defined folio descriptions and debtor accounts help to eliminate charges being posted to the incorrect accounts
• The correct amounts – Complete system integration ensures that the sale prices at the Points of Sale are the same prices set by management.

Collecting Payments

Debtors clerks have an unglamorous, but vital job. The efficiency of the debtors clerk influences the cash-flow, debtors book and the future prospects of the business. The key control areas of the debt collection process are:

• Statements – Send statements regularly and well before payment is due so that queries may be resolved before settlement becomes overdue. The INNkeeper mass mailing process makes this easy and inexpensive to do.
• Posting Payments - Payments need to be linked to the correct charges and bookings and once a particular invoice has been paid, the transaction must be archived. All of this is done from one convenient location on the INNkeeper Debtors Transaction screen.
• Minimising Risk – Suspend the credit of delinquent clients easily in one action across the whole organisation.

Click here to download the Debtors Transaction Manual

Training

The PSD Africa training facility is fully booked for the month of March 2012. Please click here to see the training schedule for April 2012.

We are looking forward to seeing many more INNkeeper establishments on the web, more often.