In a modern bustling world, people expect to get a service they need in one click. This is when booking systems come for help. They allow us to quickly book whatever we want at any time and place. If you want to create an online booking system for the business you work in, start from the Minimum Viable Product. It will help you quickly introduce your startup to the market and investigate your audience.
Booking system acts as a mediator between the customer and service provider and is beneficial for both sides. The first save time, when the second keep all the reservations in one place, build and increase client database, improve marketing strategy, and attract dedicated audience.
The variety of booking systems is even more than impressive: and they are suitable to almost any business. Here are the most prominent examples of online booking systems.
Read also: Doctor Booking App Development: Here is what your users need
As you can see, booking and reservation systems are very diverse. They serve different industries, and, as a result, require a tailored functionality.
However, they are all united by a basic package of features that are essential for such systems.
If you want to create an online booking system, start from a simple functionality that will lead your users to their end goal. In other words, it is called MVP or Minimum Viable Product.
Let`s see what you need first off.
If you have already chosen a technology — a round of applause for you. If not, this article about how to choose the proper technology for a marketplace development will be just the thing.
Before creating a MVP, analyze your audience, as your product is created for nobody else, but them. If you are taking the stabs in the dark, it’s unlikely that you will be crowned with success.
Here is what you need to do before the development of MVP for booking and reservation system
- Analyze your customer segments
If your booking website is a multi-sided platform, that serves different types of customers, you should find different approaches and values for each of them. To attract clients, you need to concentrate on the service providers first. You can divide them into groups in the following cases:
- They have different requests, and, as a result, you have to prepare tailored offers for every group.
- You need various marketing and sales channels to draw them to your platform
For example, you plan to start an online restaurant booking platform. Let`s divide your audience into:
- Small restaurant owners
- Large hospitality groups
- Restaurant chain owners
- Local, intercountry or international restaurant owners
Each of the segments needs different features, so think what group your MVP will concentrate on.
When you have decided on the group of your users, take your time and analyze the competitors in your niche. Try to find the gap in their services and fill it with your value proposition.
For example, your product can include different bonus packages, better loyalty programs, or more reliable customer support.
While doing a competitor analysis, pay attention to the following factors
- Market size
- Geographical coverage (whether it`s international or local business)
- Number of customers
- Monetization strategy
- Main features
- Think about the marketing channels, where you can reach your segments
You should start promoting your product long before its launch. To generate leads you can
- Create a landing page with the contact form
- Contact service providers and build partnership with them
- Join forums and affinity groups to network with their representatives
- Advertise your product on social media channels
To create a word of mouth for your product, don’t forget about different crowdfunding sites for fundraising.
- Decide on the main goal of your booking website
It doesn’t matter what type of the booking system you develop. Your aim is to make the process of booking fast and intuitive for users. It should also allow service providers to keep all the reservations in one place, quickly confirm the reservations, and send notifications or reminders.
Accordingly, your main goal is to make the user book the service or product. This will actually dictate the features you need to push the product onto the market.
User flow is the path your user has to go through in order to complete a certain task (e.g. make a reservation). Think about what information and tools they need in order to make a reservation on your website.
The user flow diagram should show
1. What the user sees on the screen.
2. What action he or she has to complete
Your goal is to make these steps as easy as possible.
You can organize the user flow in the state diagrams as the following (the box above the line shows the page and the one below the line — the action user has to complete on it)
Let`s see how it works on example of booking and reservation system that offers services.
You get the point.
Сome again with the same actions for each page of your website
Now when you have a user flow it`s time to create the list of basic features for your MVP.
Here is the basic functionality you need for the beginning.
USER PROFILE
- Real-time booking
- Advanced search and filters
- Availability calendar
- In-app and email booking confirmations
- In-app and email reminders
- Simple cancellations
- Reviews
ADMIN DASHBOARD
- Add / edit products and services
- Add / edit booking details
- Manage reservations
- Manage customer list (add, delete, ban users)
- Send notifications
- Set availability
- Create the questionnaire on your website to learn what features your audience would like to see further.
Don`t be afraid to ask your clients about their preferences. It will help you to find the direction to follow and fill your booking app with tailored and useful functionality.
You have probably noticed that some websites include small questionnaires on their pages that ask you to mention the size of your company, number of workers, industry, etc. This feature will be suitable for people who register in your system as service providers. In such a way you will learn what functionality to add in order to satisfy their needs.
For example, if you are building a ticketing booking system, you should know what type of companies prevail on your system: small, big, local, or international ones. For instance, if you see, that your audience includes mostly large companies, think about adding advanced analytics about ticket sales, reporting and tracking tools, etc. in the next development stage.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to MVP development. All depends on your main goal, type of business, target audience, and resources. However, the stages you need to go through when creating MVP app are in most cases alike.
Let`s briefly sum up the entire process of booking and reservation system development
- Define one main business goal of your MVP
- Create the user flow — a path your user has to go through in order to complete this goal
- List the necessary features for each step of the customer’s journey
- Create the questionnaire on your website to learn your audience
Here is a bonus for you — step-by-step PDF checklist on how to start a successful marketplace. Feel free to download.
Have some questions concerning MVP development or need a tailored business advice? We are always glad to hear from you!
Originally published at medium.com on October 30, 2017.
