Agents must be 'more proactive and consultative than ever' amid rise of AI

Travel agents must be “more proactive and consultative than ever” to prove their worth as an increasing number of people turn to artificial intelligence for their holiday inspiration, according to the chief executive of Travel Counsellors.

Speaking to Travel Weekly at the homeworking agency’s annual conference in Liverpool, Steve Byrne said agents can “stand out from the crowd” by combining their own social media content and product knowledge from their own experiences with AI tools to retain existing clients and attract new customers.

He stressed it is vital that agents maintain a human element throughout the booking process, rather than relying solely on AI, or risk losing out to the technology.

“What we need is for travel counsellors to overlay AI with the human touch,” he said. “If all we’re doing is providing something that’s been created by a machine, the customer may as well go and engage with the machine.”

Byrne was speaking shortly before chief technology officer Jon Bauer unveiled Travel Counsellors’ new AI assistant, TC Co-Pilot, which will be integrated into the agency’s digital booking platform from Monday.

He said agents must continue to be a “trusted friend” to their clients, adding: “AI is going to be able to do so many things, but it can’t replicate that.”

The company’s chief encouraged agents to be proactive by contacting their clients rather than waiting to be approached.

“Call up and say, ‘I’ve been thinking about you and I’ve handcrafted something because I thought it’d be ideal for you – this is how I can help you with it’.

“You have to add value by thinking about how to tailor-make an itinerary to meet the needs of the individual customer; you have to personalise it.”

Byrne said those who are not quick to adopt the technology in their day-to-day lives could risk doing so at the detriment to their business.

“It’s like any tool: if you don’t use it to your advantage, there’s a risk you’ll get left behind,” he added. “Use it to enhance what makes you different; our point of difference is the human connection between the travel counsellor and the customer.”

Bauer later explained TC Co-Pilot will provide agents with support on using Phenix powered by the company’s own knowledge base, while also assisting with business tasks such as building itineraries, researching hotels, creating marketing materials and planning social media content.