🔗 Prerequisites
Features
What you get with this outcome
Every Great Tour Starts with Great Suppliers
Your suppliers are the backbone of your operations—from DMCs delivering on-the-ground experiences to airlines providing flights to owned properties you operate yourself. Kaptio centralizes supplier management so you can track agreements, automate payments, and ensure every booking request reaches the right contact. Whether you're a traditional tour operator working with third-party vendors or a luxury brand managing owned rail and cruise properties, the supplier model adapts to your reality.
Visual coming soon
supplier-hierarchy
Supplier Account Management
Create and organize supplier accounts with multi-currency support, parent-child relationships for franchise networks, and distinct account types. Model DMCs, hotels, airlines, ground operators, and even specialized providers like bike suppliers or guides—each with their own configuration.
- ✓Multi-currency supplier support
- ✓Parent-child account hierarchies
- ✓Supplier vs Airline account types
- ✓Extensible service record types
- ✓Centralized contact management
Visual coming soon
internal-vs-external
Internal vs Third-Party Suppliers
Distinguish between owned/operated properties (internal suppliers) and contracted vendors (third-party suppliers). Internal suppliers like your own rail properties or cruise ships can be configured with zero-cost services—costs managed at the property level—while third-party suppliers carry full cost/sell pricing and invoicing.
- ✓Zero-cost internal supplier pattern
- ✓Full cost tracking for third parties
- ✓Property-level cost management
- ✓Owned vs contracted clarity
Visual coming soon
payment-flow
Agreements & Payment Terms
Define whether you operate on Net Rate or Commission basis per supplier. Configure payment rules including Billback, Self-Bill, or Prepaid invoicing with deposit percentages and balance due dates. Different agreements can apply per Business Unit and Sales Channel.
- ✓Net Rate vs Commission agreements
- ✓Billback, Self-Bill, or Prepaid invoicing
- ✓Deposit and balance payment rules
- ✓Agreement per Business Unit/Channel
Visual coming soon
cancellation-tiers
Supplier Cancellation Policies
Define what suppliers charge you when you cancel bookings—not to be confused with customer cancellation terms. Create reusable supplier cancellation policies with tiered rules based on days before travel, then link them across your vendor network for consistent cost exposure.
- ✓Supplier penalty tracking (cost side)
- ✓Reusable policy templates
- ✓Percentage or fixed-amount rules
- ✓Tiered cancellation windows
- ✓Policy inheritance across suppliers
Visual coming soon
booking-request-flow
Booking Request Workflows
Configure how booking confirmations flow to each supplier. Choose from Manual confirmation, Email-based requests with templates, or 'Confirmation Not Needed' for services that don't require supplier acknowledgment—perfect for owned properties or pass-through services.
- ✓Email templates per supplier
- ✓Manual or automated workflows
- ✓Auto-confirm for owned services
- ✓Contact role assignment
- ✓Booking request tracking
Visual coming soon
Supplier Performance Scoring
Supplier Performance Scoring
Track supplier performance across key metrics: response time, booking accuracy, customer feedback, and delivery reliability.
- ✓Multi-metric performance tracking
- ✓Automated score calculation
- ✓Historical trend analysis
- ✓Performance-based tiering
Visual coming soon
SLA Tracking & Alerts
SLA Tracking & Alerts
Define service level agreements with suppliers and monitor compliance. Track response time targets and delivery standards.
- ✓SLA definition per supplier
- ✓Real-time compliance monitoring
- ✓Breach alerts and escalation
- ✓SLA performance reporting
Visual coming soon
Supplier Communication Hub
Supplier Communication Hub
Centralize supplier communications with Tasks, Chatter, and email integration. Track all interactions for complete audit trail.
- ✓Task assignment and tracking
- ✓Chatter collaboration
- ✓Email logging integration
- ✓Complete communication history
Visual coming soon
Contract Library
Contract Library
Store and manage supplier contracts, rate sheets, and terms documents. Track validity periods and renewal dates.
- ✓Document storage and versioning
- ✓Contract expiry tracking
- ✓Renewal reminders
- ✓Terms quick reference
Visual coming soon
Supplier Onboarding
Supplier Onboarding
Structured process for new suppliers: data collection, agreement setup, training, and validation.
- ✓Standardized onboarding process
- ✓Checklist-driven workflow
- ✓Training tracking
- ✓Go-live validation
User Journey
Step-by-step flow from start to finish
🗺️User Journey Flow
Follow the steps from start to finish
Implementation Plan
How to implement this outcome
📅 Project Overview
Discovery
3-5 days- • Inventory existing supplier contracts
- • Classify as Internal (owned) vs Third-Party (contracted)
- • Identify supplier types (DMC, Airline, Hotel, Specialized)
- • Document payment terms per supplier
- +2 more tasks
Configuration
5-8 days- • Create supplier accounts with currencies
- • Configure supplier agreements
- • Set up payment rules
- • Create cancellation policies
- +1 more tasks
Validation
2-3 days- • Test booking request per supplier type
- • Verify invoice generation
- • Test cancellation calculations
Resources
Configs, tools, and documentation to help you
⚙️ Golden Configs
DMC Supplier Configuration
Complete setup for a Destination Management Company: Net Rate agreement, Billback payment rules, standard cancellation policy, and email-based booking requests. Includes multi-currency handling for international DMCs.
Internal/Owned Property Supplier
Configuration for owned properties (rail, cruise, lodges): Zero-cost service setup, property-level cost management, confirmation-not-needed workflow. Based on luxury rail/cruise operator patterns.
Commission-Based Supplier
Configuration for commission suppliers (e.g., cruise lines, resellers): Commission agreement type, Self-Bill invoicing, and auto-confirm workflow for instant booking confirmation.
Airline Supplier Configuration
Airline account setup with BSP integration considerations, PNR import compatibility, and ticket-based payment rules. Includes tax handling and EMD number tracking.
Specialized Service Providers
Configuration for niche suppliers like bike providers, gear suppliers, or guides. Includes custom service record types, size-based price categories, and external inventory management patterns.
Common Pitfalls
Avoid these implementation mistakes
Inconsistent supplier naming—standardize conventions before bulk import to avoid duplicates
Missing payment terms—capture deposit %, due days, and invoice type upfront or face manual fixes later
Ignoring cancellation policies—retroactively applying policies to existing bookings is complex
Wrong currency on supplier—currency is set at creation and changing it later affects all linked services
No contact roles defined—booking requests fail silently if no contact role exists
Mixing internal and third-party models—be clear which suppliers are zero-cost (owned) vs full-cost (contracted)
Overlooking specialized record types—cycling ops need Bike/Gear types, rail needs specific configurations