With e‑Invoice coming in, it no longer makes sense to issue invoices in Excel and then key in everything again into MyInvois. You end up with duplicate records, manual submission to LHDN, and a higher risk of mistakes between what the customer sees and what you report.
Excel cannot submit to MyInvois, generate compliant QR codes, or handle credit/debit note linking required for tax compliance.
The Excel Trap
If you’re running a travel agency on Excel, you’re not alone. Most Malaysian agencies started this way. It’s free, it’s familiar, and it works… until it doesn’t.
Here’s what Excel can’t do:
1. Multiple People, Same Time
When Kak Ani opens the booking spreadsheet, Encik Farid can’t edit it. Or worse, they both edit different copies and spend hours figuring out which one is correct.
2. Automatic Calculations
Yes, Excel has formulas. But when you’re tracking deposits, balance payments, commissions, and SST across hundreds of bookings, one wrong formula breaks everything.
3. Customer History at a Glance
“This customer booked with us before, right?” You spend 10 minutes searching through tabs to find their previous bookings.
4. Payment Reminders
You have to manually check who hasn’t paid, then manually send WhatsApp messages. Every. Single. Day.
5. E-Invoice Compliance
Excel cannot submit to MyInvois. With e-Invoice mandatory from 1 January 2026 for businesses with RM1 million+ revenue, Excel is no longer an option.
The Real Cost of Excel
Let’s do the math:
Time spent on manual tasks:
- Searching for customer info: 15 min/day
- Copying data between sheets: 20 min/day
- Chasing payments manually: 30 min/day
- Creating invoices in Word: 15 min/invoice
- Fixing formula errors: 30 min/week
Total: 2+ hours per day on tasks that software does automatically.
At RM50/hour (conservative estimate for your time), that’s RM3,000/month in lost productivity.
And that doesn’t count the bookings you lose because you’re too busy with admin to follow up on leads.
What Modern Travel Software Actually Does
Here’s what Abang Rizal discovered after he finally made the switch:
Everything in One Place
Customer contacts, booking details, payment status, invoices - all connected. Click on a customer, see their entire history.
Real-Time Updates
His staff in the office and his sales agent in the field see the same data. No more “which version is correct?”
Automatic Reminders
System sends payment reminders automatically. He wakes up to payments, not to a list of people to chase.
One-Click Invoices
Create booking, click “Generate Invoice,” done. SST calculated automatically. E-Invoice submitted to LHDN automatically.
Reports Without Formulas
“Show me this month’s revenue by destination.” Click. Done. No pivot tables, no VLOOKUP nightmares.
The Migration Checklist
Ready to break free from Excel? Here’s your step-by-step plan:
Week 1: Prepare Your Data
- Clean up your Excel files (remove duplicates, fix formatting)
- Export customer list as CSV
- Export supplier list as CSV
- List your most common tour packages/products
Week 2: Set Up New System
- Create account and business profile
- Import customer data
- Set up products and pricing
- Configure SST and e-Invoice settings
Week 3: Parallel Run
- Create new bookings in the new system
- Keep Excel as backup (read-only)
- Train your team on new workflows
Week 4: Go Live
- Stop using Excel for new bookings
- Archive old Excel files
- Celebrate your freedom 🎉
Common Excuses (And Why They Don’t Hold Up)
“I’m not tech-savvy”
If you can use Excel, you can use modern software. It’s actually easier because you don’t need to build formulas or fix broken references.
“It’s too expensive”
Calculate your Excel cost: 2 hours/day × RM50/hour × 22 days = RM2,200/month in lost productivity. Most travel software costs less than RM500/month.
“My staff won’t learn”
If your staff can learn Excel, they can learn anything. Modern software is designed to be intuitive. Most teams are comfortable within a week.
“I’ll do it after peak season”
E-Invoice deadline is 1 January 2026. There is no “after peak season” option. You have 24 days.
Abang Rizal’s Verdict
Six months after switching, we asked Abang Rizal if he missed Excel.
He laughed.
“Miss what? The stress? The late nights fixing formulas? The panic when files corrupt?”
“Now I close my laptop at 6pm. The system handles the admin. Customer can pay anytime online, the system will notify me and issue any receipt automatically.”
“Should have done this years ago.”
Ready to break free from Excel? WauHub is built for Malaysian travel agencies. We’ll help you import your data and get set up in days, not weeks.