Agents have given the thumbs up to Thomson’s new Internet-based booking system TOP2, which has been designed to replace its TOP viewdata system.
Sales systems development manager Jeannie Ramirez said:”We’ve had positive feedback from the agents that have been trialling the system. We are pleased with the initial results. TOP has been voted the best reservation system for many years. Initial feedback is that this will be just as good.”
Ramirez said the pilot project – carried out by a select group of agents since February – proved the new software could handle high volumes of business.
“It allows us to deliver a radically improved, reliable and easy-to-use version of our core reservation systems,” she said.
With TOP2, travel agents interact with Thomson’s mainframe computer through a user friendly Web-browser interface which runs under Microsoft Windows on PCs.
It is faster than viewdata, easier to use, and it can provide agents with information like pictures, maps and text.
There is a further advantage. PCs can perform more than one task at once, so the system lets agents access several operators’ bookings systems at the same time. This is particularly beneficial to agents searching for late availability.
Thomson has still to decide when it will launch the system to a wider audience. Ramirez said the pilot scheme was on-going, and there was no time scale for a launch of TOP2 which has been under development for more than a year.
Software house Intelligent Environments has been working with Thomson to produce TOP2. Managing director Roger Willcocks said while the system was technically “ready to go” Thomson was keen to ensure it had addressed all issues before making it widely available.
He added: “It is a much broader initiative than the ones being undertaken by other tour operators who are devising new systems just for their preferred agents rather than for every agent. So, the feedback from agents is critical but we understand that it has been good.”
As the Internet-based booking system runs on PCs, agents who are still using the old viewdata terminals will have to buy new computers to access TOP2.
Willcocks admitted this would mean investment for some agents, but said moving to the new system was necessary to keep up with the industry. “If they don’t adopt to this sort of technology, they will not be able to compete. There are other ways being developed for people to book holidays. TOP2 offers agents a number of advantages over viewdata, such as reduced training time. ”
n Thomson has announced it will sell holidays to the public over the Internet within the next few months (Travel Weekly April 26).