All About TravelHerd Invoices

In this post, let’s learn all about TravelHerd invoices! TravelHerd invoices are issued in html email format. TravelHerd subscribing companies have the option to use the standard format html invoice included with their subscription or request that a custom-designed invoice be programmed for their exclusive use. In either case, all TravelHerd invoices come complete with a great set of extremely useful features.

Invoices in TravelHerd may be issued for proposals (not yet under deposit) and reservations (under deposit) to the booking agent; if the booking agent is a travel agent, TravelHerd will create a travel agent invoice complete with commission detail, while a direct consumer booking agent will have a direct consumer invoice with no commission detail created for them. There is also an option to create a client invoice with no commission detail for proposals and reservations made by travel agents, which can be sent to the travel agent’s client.

TravelHerd offers a choice of recipient options for invoices. Invoices are issued and emailed while within the TravelHerd proposal or reservation to the travel agent or direct consumer who made the reservation, to the reservation staff agent who created the reservation or to a third party’s email address. The reservation staff agent may select any combination of these potential invoice recipients.

TravelHerd’s invoice module has been enhanced with an option to issue an email client calendar event when issuing an invoice. The calendar event with deposit due date or final payment due date can be issued along with an invoice to the client (travel agent or direct consumer), the reservation staff agent and/or a third party.

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TravelHerd has teamed up with Authorize.net for secure on-line credit card processing. All credit card data entry screens are securely hosted by Authorize.net for enhanced security and confidence. An option to include a payment button for deposit or final payment, via secure credit card processing, in the TravelHerd invoice can be added by the reservation staff agent when the invoice is issued. The invoice recipient selects the payment button to make a payment and enters the credit card information on the Authorize.net server via an overlay on TravelHerd scripts.

Finally, two last points all about TravelHerd invoices. Reservation staff agents also have the option to add personal note to invoices issued by TravelHerd. All invoices issued are stored in the subscribing company’s TravelHerd database and accessed via the proposal or reservation in TravelHerd. Click here to schedule a TravelHerd demonstration for your company.

Credit Card Payment Processing using Authorize.net

TravelHerd now incorporates credit card payment processing using Auth orize.net. Authorize.net processes over one billion transactions per year for over 430,000 merchants. We selected Authorize.net as our credit card processing partner because of their award winning API integration and customer service.

TravelHerd credit card payment processing is available in our on-line Book Now tour booking engine as well as from invoice emails generated within TravelHerd for any reservation with an open balance. TravelHerd uses the Authorize.net Accept suite. After much research, we chose the Authorize.net Accept suite as the credit card payment processing solution for TravelHerd for its extensive on-line security and ease of use for the end-user making the payment. This solution is a SAQ-A level PCI compliance. To make a payment, the credit card information is entered on the Authorize.net server via an overlay on TravelHerd scripts.

All TravelHerd subscriptions have incorporated this value added service. Subscribing companies may choose to use credit card processing using Authorize.net or not; its use is neither obligatory nor automatic. TravelHerd subscribing company administrators can activate credit card processing using Authorize.net for their company via an option in their TravelHerd company settings. Administrators must verify that their credit card processing bank has set up their company credentials with Authorize.net prior to activating this functionality. There is no additional charge to the monthly subscription rate. TravelHerd does not receive remuneration from Authorize.net for this value added service. Click here to schedule a demo for TravelHerd including credit card payment processing using Authorize.net.

Flexible profit modules

TravelHerd allows flexible profit modules, for both mark-up and commission, by reservation

TravelHerd has very flexible profit modules. For mark-up modules, this includes single tier, double tier and mark-up via either division or multiplication; these modules are elaborated upon below.

– Single tier from net cost to selling price with optional seperate mark-ups for travel agents and direct consumers. The mark-up can be done by division or multiplication.

– Double tier from net cost to net selling price and net selling prices to gross selling price. The second step is with optional separate mark-ups for travel agents and direct consumers. The mark-up can be done by division or multiplication.

Mark-up parameters are set company-wide. Lead reservation agents and those with higher authorization levels can set their own mark-up parameters as well as adjust these mark-up parameters for individual components of their choosing within the scratchpad or reservation, as the situation requires.

Additionally, when setting up products in the TravelHerd database, FIT components can be loaded as mark-up per person, mark-up per unit, pre-calculated per person or pre-calculated per unit. A flag can be set for components where the selling price and commission cannot be overwritten at the reservation level; this is often used for fixed items such as insurance.

Default commission levels by product type (FIT vs. Tour) are set company-wide. A commission cap can also be set by product type. Lead reservation agents and those with higher authorization levels can set their own commission levels, per reservation or by service, up to the commission cap. A separate commission level and cap can be set for scheduled tours by departure date.

In both the scratchpad, used when preparing quotes, as well as within an existing reservation or proposal, the profitability based upon the selected mark-up and commission can be displayed for easy reference.

Fully Integrated Accounting Module

A fully integrated accounting module is included in TravelHerd.

Every TravelHerd subscription incorporates a fully integrated accounting module complete with financial reporting capabilities. The accounting module may only be accessed by those staff members whose TravelHerd log-ins have been set-up with accounting security clearance or higher. Setting up the chart of accounts, journals, general ledger accounts and credit cards accepted is done quickly and with ease. The fully integrated accounting module allows your accounting department personnel to post receipts (checks, credit cards, cash and wires), disbursements (checks and wires) and adjusting entries as required, with daily transaction reports, grouped in their own tab, at your fingertips. TravelHerd allows you to implement multiple currencies for buying and selling prices and deal with currency fluctuations as well.

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TravelHerd’s fully integrated accounting module includes an ARC/BSP airline tickets interface with Amadeus. Using this interface ensures that your airline ticket data is accurately accounted for in TravelHerd, thus freeing your staff to focus on other duties versus airline ticket entry, while still permitting manual airline ticket entry for non-ARC/BSP reporting carriers. Airline tickets are included in their respective TravelHerd reservations, provided the reservation number has been included in the ticket record prior to the data transmission into TravelHerd or entered manually into the ticket record later on.

The accounting module comes with financial reporting capabilities for many of the most commonly requested accounting reports, grouped by topic, e.g. Vendor, Audit, Airline, Insurance, as well as General Accounting and Daily Accounting. Many reports feature transaction data export functionality to either print-out or spreadsheet format files.

Profile history and profile date tracking

Profile history and profile date tracking make TravelHerd profile management easier

Profiles of Travel Agencies, Travel Agents and Direct Consumers are elements of TravelHerd’s profile management module. They are key to your marketing efforts and sales, so being able to view the history of profiles’ additions and revisions, include the dates attached to these actions, is a very important part of profile management. Profile history and profile date tracking are standard elements of TravelHerd’s profile management.

Simply put, all additions and revisions to profiles are now logged in the profile history within your TravelHerd database. The profile history enables the TravelHerd user to see what revisions have taken place to a profile. Revised profiles display the date and time of the revision and which TravelHerd user made the revision.

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While it is a truism that “change is the only constant”, it can also lead to confusion when there is no history to fall back on. Fortunately, profile history and profile date tracking in TravelHerd does away with this type of confusion for your staff when dealing with profiles.

All in all, the profile history and profile date tracking elements of TravelHerd’s profile management module provide key practical information for your Sales and Marketing, Reservations, Accounting and Operations departments.