Operations
Self-service changes
Let travellers move their booking to another date, or cancel it, from their booking page, within the rules you set. Seats move instantly and your team is told.
Who it's for
Why operators use Self-service changes
Operators who want fewer emails asking to change dates, and fewer no-shows from travellers who couldn't make it.
Highlights
- Travellers move their booking to another date from their booking page
- Or cancel it, within the rules you set
- Choose how many days before departure each is allowed
- Choose what travellers get back when they cancel
- Seats move instantly and your team is told
Fewer change requests in your inbox
A large share of support email is the same request: can we move to another day, or can we cancel. Each one means checking availability, moving seats, adjusting payment and replying. Self-service changes lets travellers do this themselves from their booking page, within the rules you set. Seats move instantly and your team is told. The plugin is available from the Growth plan.
Travellers who can't make a date and can move easily are more likely to rebook than simply not turn up, and the seats they release go back on sale for someone else.
Date changes
Date changes are on by default, up to 3 days before departure (you can set 0 to 365). Travellers can move to another date of the same tour option. Dates that can't be priced are not offered online.
When the new date costs more, you choose what happens. Keep the price they paid. Or they pay the difference, while cheaper dates keep the price paid. Or only offer dates at the same price or lower. This matters if you use seasonal rates or dynamic pricing: without a rule, someone could book a cheap Tuesday in March and move to a peak Saturday in July. With “pay the difference”, moving from an $80 date to a $95 date costs $15 per traveller.
Cancellations
Cancellations are off by default. Turn them on and set how close to departure they are allowed, 14 days by default. Then decide what travellers get back.
A refund returns what can be refunded; non-refundable deposits and fees are kept. A gift voucher returns everything paid as voucher value, which keeps the money in your business and needs the Gift vouchers plugin. Nothing back simply frees the seats, which suits non-refundable products where you still want the seats released. On a $500 booking with a $100 non-refundable deposit, the refund option returns $400, while the voucher option issues a $500 voucher.
Your team is told about every change, so nothing happens without you knowing.
Setting up Self-service changes
- 1Turn on Self-service changes. Switch the plugin on from Plugins (Growth plan and above).
- 2Set date changes. Choose whether travellers can change date and up to how many days before departure.
- 3Choose the price rule. Keep the price paid, charge the difference, or only offer dates at the same price or lower.
- 4Decide on cancellations. Turn them on if you want, and set how close to departure they are allowed.
- 5Pick the cancellation outcome. A refund of what can be refunded, a gift voucher for everything paid, or nothing back.
Features
What's included, plan by plan
Switch on Self-service changes once. Each part below turns on with the plan that includes it, and you choose which ones to use.
-
Traveller portal
Growth & Scale -
Refunds & cancellations
Growth & Scale
Settings
What you can set up
Self-service changes works out of the box with sensible defaults. These are the choices you can make, straight from your console.
Date changes
- Travellers can change their date
- Up to (days before departure)
- When the new date costs more
- Matters with Dynamic pricing or seasonal rates: without it, a traveller could book a cheap date and move to a peak one.
- Keep the price they paidThey pay the difference (cheaper dates keep the price paid)Only offer dates at the same price or lower
Cancellations
- Travellers can cancel
- Up to (days before departure)
- For tours without a cancellation policy. A tour with free cancellation can be cancelled online until its own deadline, and a non-refundable one gives nothing back.
- What they get back
- A refund of what can be refunded (non-refundable deposits and fees are kept)A gift voucher for everything paid (needs Gift vouchers)Nothing back (cancellation only frees the seats)
Operations
How operations plugins fit in
Operations plugins cover the work around each departure: tickets and check-in, traveller details, waivers, guides, resources and costs. Your team sees the same live information, from the office to the meeting point.
- 1
Switch it on
Open Plugins in your console and turn it on. No code and nothing to install.
- 2
Make your choices
Adjust the settings to match how your business works, or keep the defaults.
- 3
It works everywhere it should
Your website, checkout, emails and console pick it up straight away.
Related
More operations integrations
Part of Traveller portal, Refunds & cancellations in Tourtify.
QR tickets & check-in
Every confirmed traveller gets a ticket with a QR code. Scan it with a phone at the meeting point to check them in. Duplicates, cancelled bookings and the wrong day are caught.
Suppliers & contracts
Everything you buy in one place, used by quotes, the trip builder, departures and Costs & profit. Supplier directory, contracts and rate seasons, supplier bookings, and bills & payables (Growth): contacts, licences with expiry alerts, encrypted bank details, rates by season and travellers, requests and confirmations in the supplier’s language, bills with due dates, pay runs and sync to your accounting. Allotments (Scale): rooms and seats per date with automatic release and stop-sell.
Traveller details
Collect passport, date of birth, dietary needs and emergency contacts after booking, per traveller. Checkout stays short; you get everything before the trip.
Waivers & consent
Each traveller signs your waiver or terms online before the trip, or on site. We keep the exact text they signed, with time, IP and a tamper-evident seal.
Tour guides
Create guide profiles and assign them to departures. Show guide bios and photos on tour pages. Automatically notify guides when new bookings are confirmed.
Resources & tasks
Assign vehicles, boats, equipment and venues to departures without double-booking them. Checklists per tour create tasks when a departure gets its first booking. One schedule of every guide, vehicle and resource with drag to reassign, conflicts checked every morning, and a private calendar feed for each team member and vehicle.
FAQ
Self-service changes: questions
Can travellers move to a different tour?
No. They can move to another date of the same tour option.
Are non-refundable deposits returned?
Not with the refund outcome. Non-refundable deposits and fees are kept. The voucher outcome gives voucher value for everything paid.
Will my team know?
Yes. Your team is told about each self-service change.
Which plans include Self-service changes?
Self-service changes is available on Growth & Scale, at no extra cost.
How do I switch on Self-service changes?
In your Tourtify console, open Plugins, find it in the list and switch it on. Its settings open straight away, and you can switch it off again at any time.
Do I need a developer?
No. Plugins are built into Tourtify and set up from the console. Where an outside account is involved, such as a payment provider, you connect it by entering your account details.
Does Self-service changes work with my other plugins?
Yes. Every plugin is built and maintained by Tourtify, so they work together: discounts, deposits, vouchers and fees all add up correctly at checkout.
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