Your Marketing Web Site & HWEB Reservation Engine
Think of your company's web reservation system having two major elements:

The Marketing Web Site - This is typically found by entering your URL (www.yourcompanyname.com), or domain address, into a web browser. It is where you post all the helpful and necessary information about your company that people need in order to use your service. The marketing web site is usually maintained by your company personnel or a web site specialist contracted by your company.

The HWEB Reservation Engine - This is the Hudson HWEB Reservation system where the customer travel information is collected, online fare quotes are generated and online reservations are made. Typically, Hudson will train the designated "webmaster" at your company to oversee the system configuration, which includes the ability to change the look of your site, update fares and service information and add and delete group portals. Support packages are available from Hudson if you need help either jump-starting or maintaining your HWEB Reservation system.

Tuning Your Marketing Site
There are many things that need to be considered in designing your marketing web site so that it promotes the maximum number of web reservations to be placed. Here are just a few of the most important rules that you should consider:

Make It Load Fast - Even though you might have a newer computer, with a fast processor and a high-speed Internet connection, like DSL or even a T1, many of your potential customers have slower computers and are using slower Internet connections, including dialup. You need to temper your desire to have complex graphics and quell the temptation to include the extensive use of FLASH and JAVA script in the design of your marketing site. Industry experts warn that web surfers will bail from your site if the home page does not load in 30 seconds (30 seconds on a 56k dialup, not DSL). Note that all the high profile travel sites use simple, fast loading formats.

Make It Easy To Use & Navigate - Avoid confusion and over-designing your web site. Keep in mind that, for many that want to do business with your company on the web, they are "first-time web customers" who are not highly competent in figuring out complex sites.

Provide Complete Information - Answer all the questions that are answered by your call center agents on a daily basis. Your web customers have all the same questions and concerns as your call center customers, and if you provide the information, in an easily accessible format on your web site, you will generate a higher percentage of web reservations. If you leave any critical (to the customer, not you) information out, then the customer will, at best, phone your call center rather than booking online.

What happens if my flight is late? Do I need to bring a car seat for my child? Where will I get dropped off and picked up at the airport? These are just samples of what should be addressed on the web. If you don't address an issue that is important to a potential web customer they will either move on to another site or maybe call you on the phone.

Address this issue by having two or three of your best phone agents write down the 15 to 20 most commonly asked questions. Combine all of these lists and address all issues on your marketing web site.

Effective Links to Your Hudson Reservation Engine - Hudson will furnish you with a link that you will use to go to the Hudson web reservation system from your marketing pages. Most commonly we then see a button on our client's web sites that say something to the effect of CLICK HERE TO MAKE A RESERVATION or ONLINE RESERVATIONS - CLICK HERE. Make sure that your script or graphic that activates the link to Hudson is one of the most prominent buttons on the page.

We have learned that some of your site visitors are still on the fence as far as making a purchase is concerned, and are not yet committed enough to the purchase to click on the button that says "...MAKE A RESERVATION..." Simply adding a second button to your marketing pages that says CLICK HERE FOR A FARE QUOTE, and pointing that link to the same Hudson reservation pages, has proven to increase the total number of web reservations that are made. We strongly suggest that you include both buttons, ONLINE RESERVATIONS and FARE QUOTES in the design of your marketing site.

Market Your Product & Services - Your marketing web site is where you have the opportunity to build value in your product/service. Do not miss the opportunity to tell people why they should be using your service as opposed to other options: price point, convenience, car is safe at home and the high cost of airport parking, just to name a few.

Do Not Promote Your Call Center - The last thing that you want to do on your web site is to promote your call center. Remember that many people that go to your web site might be "on the fence" about even making a web reservation. Displaying your phone number, anywhere other than on your Contact Us page, will reduce your web reservation count. Do not do it.

Avoid Technical Language and "Shop Talk" - The language that you use daily in your transportation company may not be the best language to use on your web site. Avoid technical terminology, abbreviations and anything that will not be clearly understood by the general public not associated with your industry.

Tuning Your Hudson Reservation Site
To have the most effective web reservation system here are the basics to consider:

Keep it Simple - The place for unlimited copy, explanations and sales pitches is on your marketing web site. Keep your reservation system simple and "clean" looking.

No Phone Numbers - Phone numbers belong on your Contact Us page, or may be offered post-sale on confirmations. Phone numbers are also effectively placed in error messages, so that people are prompted to phone if there is an issue with their reservation on the web. Having a phone number on the reservation pages effectively says, "No, don't make a reservation online. we really want you to phone us."

Avoid Clutter - Limit your use of different size and color type fonts, which you might be tempted to use to get people's attention. Generally, overuse makes your site look amateur and cluttered.

Best Prices on the Web - Make sure that your best fares are available on the web. You don't need to give a special discount on the web, although many companies do and enjoy greater web success. Just make sure that a better fare is not available on the phone.

Make Lots of Portals - A web reservation portal can be made for a group that is using your service, a hotel or even a corporate account. Promoting the use of portals opens up new marketing channels to people who will make web reservations who otherwise wouold have never landed on your web site.

Corporate portals can list corpoate loactions that are "hidden" from view globally. Hotel portals can be made to address the needs of hotel guests, booking their own furure reservations, or address the needs of hotel staff, who appreciate our Hotel QuikRez technology.

Portals can offer changes in copy, services offered and even airports that are displayed.

Hudson web specialists will get you started with portal deployment. You will get to see the great positive impact the portals have on your total web reservation count.

The web specialists at The Hudson Group are available to help you maximize your marketing web site so that you are able to capture the greatest number of web reservations. Feel free to call on us for help and/or suggestions.