TProfile head of sales Bhav Taylor explains why agents should make good use of digital tools, which can ‘elevate’ the service they provide their customers
There are so many new travel apps and platforms being launched year after year. For some travel agents it can be overwhelming, for others it can seem like they are being edged out. But tech is not the enemy, in fact, it’s quite the opposite.
As a travel professional you want to provide the best tools to create exceptional experiences at every stage of the process. Travel tech doesn’t just increase day-to-day productivity, it streamlines workflows, enabling agents to focus on sales and customer service and it differentiates agents from the competition. So, with all that tech available, which tools should you look to integrate into your workflow and when?
Itinerary management platforms, with a consumer facing app built for the travel trade, enable agents to create and share inspirational travel ideas with dynamic content. There are some excellent platforms around and they are well worth considering.
If your client has a destination in mind, look at search tools such as hitlist. It helps users know the optimal time to travel for the best fares. Similarly, apps such as Hopper combine AI with big data to predict airfares and accommodations up to a year ahead.
If you have clients looking for a specific destination, with the best deals on airfares, it tells you when you should book the flight and when you should wait.
By staying on the cutting-edge you differentiate from the competition and strike a chord with your clients. You can always go that extra mile of course and there are plenty of apps that take you to the next level. SeatGuru for example, which helps travellers select seats and amenities for a trip, can also help you search for unusual requests such as a seat by the exit or wheelchair assistance.
Apps and websites that were originally intended for the consumer also help professional travel agents. One such app is Wherefor, which targets travellers that may not have a destination in mind but know how much they’d like to spend and when they’d like to go. Agents can use this to enter their client’s budget for the hotel and flight, including the number of travellers and so on and Wherefor generates a map showing all the locations available within their budget.
CRM systems help you manage your business and planning making it easy for you to monitor client bookings and revenues. They power website, products and customer interaction, while enabling you to keep track of employees’ work schedules, and important work documents such as invoices and traveller identification, and terms and conditions that travellers must sign.
Again, there are many to choose from, including our own at TProfile, which also gives you the flexibility to run your business anywhere in the world. Similarly, our customer portal and app delivers an exceptional and personalised experience for each customer.
There are plenty of tools and tech available that can help to elevate the service travel agents provide for their clients in creative ways. Smart tech helps the travel industry to grow and evolve, which in turn can both improve and enhance a travel agent’s service and expertise.