Another summer is in the books. The flurry of bookings is (hopefully) starting to settle into a steady rhythm, giving you a precious moment to breathe, reflect, and plan. This post-summer lull is the perfect time for a strategic review. It’s when you can look beyond the day-to-day and ask a crucial question: “Is my business set up to work smarter, not harder, for the rest of the year?”
If you’re using a modern booking platform, the answer is likely a resounding yes—but you might not know it yet. Often, the most powerful tools are the ones that fly under the radar, hidden in plain sight within your dashboard.
Today, we’re pulling back the curtain. We’re going deep on six incredibly powerful features you might have missed. These aren’t just checkboxes to tick; they are strategic levers you can pull to increase revenue, improve operational efficiency, and create a seamless, frustration-free experience for your customers.
Let’s dive in.
The Problem: A customer gets all the way to the checkout page only to discover their child is a year too young for the tour, or that they forgot their drivers license for the adventure activity. Frustrated, they abandon their cart. You’ve not only lost a sale but potentially created a negative impression.
The Solution: Event Restrictions. This simple text box is your first and best line of defense against disappointment. It allows you to communicate essential need-to-know information before a customer even clicks “Book Now.”
Why It’s a Game-Changer:
Reduces Cart Abandonment: By weeding out ineligible customers early, you ensure only qualified leads proceed to book.
Manages Expectations: Clear communication builds trust. Customers appreciate transparency and are less likely to request refunds or leave negative reviews based on a misunderstanding.
Saves Your Team Time: It automatically answers the most common questions, reducing repetitive emails and phone calls.
What to Include:
Age minimums or maximums
Weight, height, or fitness requirements
Service areas or delivery zones
Cancellation and rescheduling policies
What to bring (e.g., “Please bring a valid driver’s license”)
What is included (or not included) in the price
How to Implement It:
Navigate to your Events List, select Edit Event, and go to the Event Setup - Details page. Find the “Event Restrictions” box, type in your clear, concise policies, and hit save. It’s that easy to prevent a world of hassle.
The Problem: Your Saturday afternoon slots sell out in minutes, while your Tuesday morning sessions sit frustratingly empty. You’re leaving money on the table during peak times and struggling to fill valleys in your schedule.
The Solution: Variable Pricing by Time/Date. This is your secret weapon for revenue optimization. It allows you to automatically adjust your pricing up or down based on the demand for a specific time slot.
Why It’s a Game-Changer:
Maximizes Peak Revenue: A simple 10-15% price increase on high-demand slots (weekends, holidays, sunset cruises) can significantly boost your profitability.
Stimulates Off-Peak Demand: Create “Early Bird Specials,” “Weekday Discounts,” or “Last-Minute Deals” to attract price-sensitive customers to slower times, improving overall capacity utilization.
Automates Your Strategy: Once set, it runs on autopilot. No more manually creating dozens of separate discount codes.
Crafting Your Strategy:
Raise Prices: For high-demand times. Example: +15% on Saturdays, +20% on holiday weekends.
Lower Prices: For low-demand times. Example: -10% on weekday mornings, -15% for bookings made more than 30 days in advance.
Use Public Notes: Add eye-catching labels like “Sunset Premium!” or “Early Bird Special!” to justify the price and make the deal feel exclusive.
How to Implement It:
Go to your Events List → Edit Event → Dates/Times tab. Select your date range and click “Show Existing Times.” Pick the times you want to adjust, enter your Rate Adjustment Percentage (e.g., 10 for +10%, -10 for -10%), and add a note in the “Set Public Note” field. Click save, and watch your pricing work for you.
The Problem: You run tours or activities where group size and timing are critical. You don’t want to have a 2-person tour at 10 AM and a 20-person tour at 2 PM. It strains your staff and resources and provides an inconsistent customer experience.
The Solution: Threshold Settings. This advanced feature allows you to maximize efficiency by strategically filling earlier time slots before making later ones available.
Why It’s a Game-Changer:
Balances Workload: Ensures your team and resources are used evenly throughout the day.
Improves Customer Experience: Maintains ideal group sizes instead of having some sessions overcrowded and others empty.
Drives Urgency: Gently nudges customers toward your preferred booking times by limiting the availability of later slots until earlier ones are filled.
Example in Action:
You have a shuttle that leaves every hour. You can set a threshold so the 9 AM slot must have 10 bookings before the 10 AM slot becomes available. This ensures your first shuttle of the day is profitable and builds demand for subsequent times.
How to Implement It:
Because thresholds are highly flexible and depend on your specific business model, the best way to get started is to reach out to your dedicated Customer Success Representative. They can help you design and configure the perfect threshold strategy for your needs.
The Problem: You’re leaving potential revenue on the table. A customer is already buying your core service—why not make it easy for them to add a t-shirt, a professional photo package, or a lunch box?
The Solution: Offer Extras & Merchandise. This feature transforms your booking process from a simple transaction into a curated shopping experience.
Why It’s a Game-Changer:
Significantly Increases Average Order Value (AOV): Add-ons are pure profit boosters. Even a $5 add-on purchased by every customer makes a huge difference over a year.
Enhances the Customer Experience: Customers love convenience. Offering them a professionally curated add-on saves them time and improves their overall outing.
Streamlines Operations: Since everything is prepaid together, it simplifies your point-of-sale and accounting.
Ideas for Extras:
Branded merchandise (hats, water bottles, t-shirts)
Digital photo or video packages
Food, beverage, or snack packs
Equipment rentals or upgrades
Donations to a related cause
How to Implement It:
Head to Company → Merchandise → New Product. Here, you can add product details, set pricing, upload images, and—most importantly—choose which events or services will display this item. It’s like setting up a mini-store within your booking flow.
The Problem: Your staff works hard to deliver incredible experiences. Customers often want to show their appreciation with a tip, but a cumbersome cash-only or separate tipping process creates friction.
The Solution: Online Tipping. This feature integrates a seamless, discreet “Add Tip” button right into the digital checkout process.
Why It’s a Game-Changer:
Supports Your Team: Makes it effortless for customers to reward your staff for great service, boosting morale and helping you retain top talent.
Provides Valuable Reporting: All tips are compiled into a detailed report that links to the event, date, and even the assigned staff member (if you use the Personnel feature), making payroll a breeze.
Offers a Modern Checkout: Customers expect digital tipping options everywhere they go. Meeting this expectation creates a polished, professional finish to the booking experience.
How to Implement It:
In your Events List, select Edit Event and navigate to the Event Setup tab → Financial. Simply check the box for “Allow Online Tipping” and save. You can customize the suggested tip percentages to match your business standards.
The Problem: You’re spending money on Facebook ads, Google Ads, and local flyers, but you have no real idea which channel is actually driving bookings. You’re making marketing decisions based on guesswork.
The Solution: Tracking Values. This feature allows you to add a mandatory or optional field at checkout asking customers to select how they found you.
Why It’s a Game-Changer:
Eliminates Marketing Guesswork: Get real, hard data straight from the customer. You’ll know exactly which efforts are generating ROI.
Allows for Agile Budgeting: See that “Facebook” is driving 50% of your sales? Double down on that strategy. See that “Local Magazine Ad” is at 0%? Reallocate that budget.
Measures Word-of-Mouth: The “Referral” option allows you to quantify and potentially incentivize your most powerful marketing channel: happy customers.
How to Implement It:
Go to Company → Tracking Values. Here, you can edit existing options or create new ones. Simply check “active” and type in the source (e.g., “Google Search,” “Facebook,” “Friend Referral,” “Yelp”). To see the results, go to Reports → Heard About Report for a clear, visual breakdown of your marketing effectiveness.
Knowledge is only power when it’s applied. We encourage you to open your admin dashboard in another tab and explore just one of these features right now.
Are your restrictions clearly stated?
Could one time slot benefit from dynamic pricing?
Is there one add-on product you could create in five minutes?
If you have questions, we are here to be your strategic partner. Reach out to our Customer Success team—not just for technical help, but for brainstorming. We see what works for hundreds of businesses and can help you tailor these features to your unique goals.
Here’s to working smarter, boosting your revenue, and providing unforgettable experiences for your customers.