© Image |
IT’S expensive, it’s complex and it never stops
evolving. What else can it be but technology?
Love it or loathe it, technology is playing an increasingly
crucial role in shaping the travel industry.
With systems suppliers falling over themselves to develop
dynamic packaging solutions, online developments and web-enabled
booking systems, it seems only progressive agents will survive.
But what of the consortia? What do they offer members – or
prospective members – in terms of technology?
Travel Weekly gives you the lowdown of each consortia’s
offerings.
Freedom Travel Group
Freedom members have access to a raft of technology from Vertical
Systems when they join the consortium. Central to the offer is
TASK, the reservation front and back-office system and centralised
payment facility. This enables all payments to and from operators
to be handled by head office, reducing administration and overheads
for members. The package includes viewdata, Internet access, e-mail
and a basic shop window website.
Vertical Systems sales and marketing director Kerry Costello
said: “In the ideal world all consortia would have members
operating on one system. We offer that uniformity.”
In addition, there are optional extras available to members.
These include a full consumer-bookable website with automated links
to the central payment system, and dynamic packaging software
allowing agents to package their own holidays from a range of
suppliers, including low-cost carriers. The system also searches
similar off-the-peg packages, allowing direct comparisons to be
made between dynamic packages and traditional operator product.
Global Travel Group
Globalrooms.com and Globalairfares.com lie at the heart of the
consortium’s technology, which has equipped members with a
dynamic packaging solution.
Globalrooms contains around 32,000 units in 64 countries,
including 5,000 centrally contracted properties, and pays 15%
commission. Stock is also available from numerous suppliers
including Hotelbeds, Lowcostbeds, Holiday Brokers and
MedHotels.
Meanwhile, Globalairfares gives members access to more than 75
airlines. Elements of both sites are brought together in the
virtual tour operator Global DP system, which produces legal
documentation including ATOL receipts, and allows for members to
add extra commission. All the sites are available in a white-label
version.
In addition, the consortium offers members an online presence
through GlobalTravelWeb, where agents can individually tailor their
own sites for a monthly fee. Packages, flights, accommodation, car
parking and car rental come as standard, with the Global DP
facility added free of charge. Global also provides two intranet
and two corporate websites and a forum for member discussion.
Worldchoice
The consortium has unveiled a range of initiatives
focusing on communication and profitability, while exploiting the
speed of the online arena.
Among developments is 24/7, a live online facility that enables
agents to search tour operator information and offers, as well as
download posters and window cards.
Similarly, members can use the Yourbrochure site to search
through all major operator brochures, print off those of relevance,
add a contact number and send it to clients.
Both these projects have been brought under one portal,
Getitquick.net. Members have one password and user name.
Recognising the mind-boggling choice of technology, Worldchoice
has also designed a quarterly Which? style report that provides
impartial advice on systems in the market.
For its dynamic packaging solution, the consortium has joined
forces with Thomas Cook to provide content under a white-label
deal. The system, which went live two months ago, links members to
Flexible Trips, Thomas Cook’s dynamic packaging operation,
enabling agents to access flights, accommodation and transfers.
Travel Trust Association
The Travel Trust Association recently unveiled its online Profit 2
booking management system following six years of exhaustive
research and testing.
For £35 per month, members can receive a raft of new
technology that management believe is faster, cheaper and easier to
use than anything else on the market.
The Profit 2 front-office system enables agents to work with
viewdata (and other reservations systems) and will automatically
place booking information into the back-office database. This, in
turn, allows tools for credit control, monthly returns, ATOL
receipts, marketing, invoicing and accounts. In addition, Profit 2
can generate mail-outs to clients and send invoices by letter or
e-mail.
Head of operations Gary Lewis said: “We have taken six
years of experience through Profit 1 to create the latest online
technology.”
Other TTA technology includes Webzone, a centralised dynamic
packaging system with access to 180 business partners. Suppliers
can also access their own ‘webzone’ where they can post
special offers which can be downloaded by agents.
Travelsavers
Travelsavers has launched a product to cater for business travel
agents called CorpXpress. The technology enables agencies to build
a corporate booking site that complies with a company’s
travel policy, lists preferred suppliers and negotiated fares as
well as producing management information reports.
Travelsavers chief operating officer Jim Mazza said: “It
places Travelsavers agencies of all sizes on a par with the
multi-nationals when competing for the most lucrative global travel
accounts.”
After a successful roll-out in the US Travelsavers will launch
its CruiseXpressPRO technology to the European market in December.
The aim is to help agents market and sell cruises. It has access to
the inventory of major cruiselines as well as special tools, for
example allowing spa charges to be pre-paid or to alert the
cruiseline to a special occasion such as an anniversary.
Travelsavers chief marketing officer Anne Marie Powell-Moebes
said: “It gives agencies the practical tools to upsell to
more lucrative categories and close cruise sales on the spot,
directly from their desktop at home or in the office, making the
entire transaction process shorter and more
cost-effective.”
Advantage
Advantage is poised to launch an intranet site that can be tailored
to members’ needs. Head of development Ken McLeod explained:
“We will use it to get information to members and they can
post messages and news on the site.
“Members can also adapt the system to set up intranet
sites for their own businesses and even for individual
branches,” he said.
It will contain news from the industry, details of commercial
deals and special offers. Each member of staff will have a password
with suppliers also able to access part of the site.
The consortium is also offering agents a dynamic packaging
solution in partnership with Lowcostbeds founder Paul Evans,
technology supplier Top Dog Solutions and a fulfilment call centre.
It currently offers flights and accommodation with car rental.
Other products and content will follow, including scheduled
seat-only product, Advantage For Fares.
“We will add more and more content,” said McLeod.
Further technology advances include the launch of scheduled
seat-only product, Advantage For Fares.
Midconsort
The consortium is currently working on two projects to further
strengthen its offering to members.
The first, e-learning, is essentially on-line training with
suppliers able to put new brochures or training manuals on the
consortium’s intranet site. They can monitor who has
completed the half-hour programme and reward them accordingly.
Midconsort chairman Charles Eftichiou said: “Agents
sometimes don’t have time to attend training centres but can
usually afford to spend half an hour in the office doing some
product training.”
In the second development, members will be able to personalise
operators’ special-offer window posters by selecting images
from a photo library and inserting their own text on to a
template.
“It will enable members to put a personal and professional
touch to their window posters,” said Eftichiou.
Both will be launched in the next six months.
The consortium has already made a number of technological
advances in the past few months including Targets Worth Chasing
which enables head office to monitor individual member sales to
ensure group targets are hit.