Switching reservations systems: what to plan for

Updated October 2026 · 6 min read · Top Dog Travel Systems

Allow a realistic timeline

With Top Dog, allow at least 12 weeks from contract to go-live for a team new to the system. It takes longer with lots of direct contracts or a website alongside. Be wary of anyone promising much less for a business of any complexity.

What the work covers

1. Discovery and plan. How you work today, what you need on day one, and what can follow in later phases.
2. Setup and branding. Brands, users, pricing rules and terms.
3. Documents. Confirmations, invoices, vouchers and itineraries in your branding.
4. Data import. Customers, bookings and contracts brought across.
5. Suppliers. Connections switched on and tested with your credentials.
6. Training. Everyone who'll use the system, not just the project team.
7. Testing. Real bookings, end to end, before you go live.
8. Go-live and after. Support through the first weeks, then ongoing development.

Decide what to bring across

Not everything has to move. Agree early which customer records, future bookings, contracts and templates come across, and what stays archived in your previous system. Less to migrate means a cleaner start.

Plan the cut-over

Pick a date when new bookings start in the new system. Then decide how bookings already made are handled: brought across, or completed in your previous system until they've travelled. Either works if everyone knows the rule.

Launch in stages if it helps

You don't have to switch everything at once. Many businesses go live with the core system first and add a website or extra integrations in a later phase, once the team is settled.

Bring your team with you

Name a champion in each team, involve them in testing, and give people time to practise before go-live. A system your team trusts gets used properly.

Checklist

• Day-one needs agreed, later phases listed
• Data to migrate agreed, and what stays behind
• Supplier credentials gathered
• Document templates and branding ready
• Cut-over date and rule for existing bookings agreed
• Training booked for every user
• End-to-end test bookings done

How we run it at Top Dog

It starts with a conversation and a demo built around what you sell. If we can help, we meet your team, in person wherever we can, and agree a plan that separates what you need to go live from anything we'll build for you. Then onboarding covers setup, branding, documents, data import, training and testing. How we work.