How agencies can turn ‘bookers’ into top consultants
AGENTS are under
pressure to shift their
focus from booking
processes to high-touch
consulting, and technology
enables them to make this
transition more effectively.
Tavellers are becoming
increasingly demanding, says
Robyn Christie, Travelport
country manager for South
Africa. “They seek more
choice, personalisation,
flexibility and connectivity than
ever before. This means that
travel agents must be able to
constantly demonstrate the
added value they provide as
well as excellent customer
service.”
She says it has become
more and more challenging
for travel consultants to
ensure they have access to
the necessary tools to show
consumers that they are still
relevant.
Part of this involves taking
advantage of the training
opportunities available
through technology leaders
like Travelport, says Robyn.
Garth Wolff, ceo and founder
of the eTravel Group, says it is
equally critical for agencies to
make sure their consultants
have the ability to integrate
new technology with their
practical knowledge and
experience. “Technology is
advancing at a rapid rate but
technology is nothing without
the back-up and support of a
competent consultant.”
Customer centricity
The ultimate goal for travel
companies is to develop a
customer-centric end-to-end
solution. Richard Addey,
Sabre’s country director
for South Africa, says this
will ultimately improve
customer experience, reduce
complexity, minimise nonvalue
interactions, and save
time and money. “Presenting
the right offer or experience
at the right time in the right
context increases revenue,
differentiation, loyalty and
engagement,” says Richard.
Sabre has been working
on the release of its new
Sabre Red Workspace to
cater for this objective. The
technology will be rolled out
to selected customers from
September and will include
data insights, ancillary
shopping and consumer-grade
user experience. Richard
says Sabre’s new travel
agent interface provides
unique market insights,
decision support modules and
enhanced product information,
including branded fares and
ancillaries, integrated into the
workflow.
He adds that the product’s
great UX design (designed
for efficiency) is key to driving
adoption and maximising
agent productivity, enabling,
for example, new hires to
deliver revenue more quickly.
Robyn says that in the quest
to transform from trip bookers
to consultants, knowledge of
travel is an agent’s biggest
asset. “Travelport’s Rich
Content and Branding has
the capability to help agents
become experts in delivering
personalised customer service
over and above any OTA. Our
Travel Commerce Platform
creates synergies and network
effects that facilitate revenue
growth across the travel
value chain.”
The latest version of
Smartpoint includes
enhancements such as
upgrades to its itinerary
management solution,
Travelport ViewTrip, and
changes to the flight, hotel
and graphical user interface.
Immediate access to
inventory is critical to
travellers, travel bookers
and travel management
companies, with accuracy
remaining pertinent to their
requirements, says Claude
Vankeirsbilck, chief sales
and marketing officer of
Tourvest Travel Services. He
says Travelit incorporates
these requirements through
various components, such
as significantly enhanced
search mechanisms; ability
to pay vendors using a virtual
credit card and easy financial
reconciliation with quick
access to invoices.
Agents can also enhance
the service they provide
to clients through the use
of videos, visuals and fact
sheets of the product they
are selling, says Joanne
Visagie, sales and marketing
manager of Beachcomber
Tours South Africa. She
says agents should tap into
Beachcomber’s online system
for quotes and make use of
the operator’s tools.
Mobile and mobility
Mobile is another key
consideration for travel
agents, says Robyn. “Mobile
travel technology providers
such as MTT are leading
the industry and pushing
boundaries in terms of
creating mobile travel
applications and intelligent
mobile services that deliver
a highly customer-centric
experience.”
In line with this trend, First
Car Rental incorporated all its
WebLink cases into its iPhone
and Android apps, by allowing
login credentials to drive the
correct rates and accounts TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY
for that particular customer,
should they prefer to make
their own bookings. However,
the agency still receives its
commission.
The mobility of the agents
themselves is also key,
says Jannine Adams, senior
manager marketing of
Amadeus.
“Agents can then offer a
24-hour service as they can
change reservations on any
device. They need to be able
to book and issue invoices
anytime, anywhere.” As
Amadeus Selling Platform
Connect is URL-based and only
requires user authentication,
agents can be accessible
anywhere, anytime.
Jannine says Amadeus has
researched its customers’
needs and noted the
movement of the market from
bricks-and-mortar to mobile
agents. “Mobility was their
greatest need,” she says.
The system is customisable,
so benefits for larger
agencies include flexibility and
workflow, Jannine comments.
“Agents can do everything
via their mobile devices and,
importantly, can go to cryptic
mode making use of graphics
at the same time. They can
also run several fare searches
at the same time.”
Ways to enable efficiency
NOWADAYS there is more
pressure on consultants
to offer clear, concise and
accurate travel documentation
and advice with a quicker
turnaround time. There are a
number of tools that enable
agents to do this.
Travelit was designed to
enable its travel consultants
to be more efficient, with
a key focus on improving
customer service, says Claude
Vankeirsbilck of Tourvest.
“Our decision to incorporate
the online technology within the
framework of Tourvest Travel
Services has also enabled
us to offer the solution to our
franchisees and ITCs.”
He adds that consultants
can make any travel booking
offered within the solution in
a far shorter time – with the
added benefit of autoticketing
– leaving agents the time to
proactively consult with the
customer when needed.
Amadeus’s Jannine Adams
agrees, saying the ideal is for
agents to be able to change
tickets within 15 minutes,
however it usually takes longer
if the change has airfare and
tax implications – and even
longer if it involves rerouting.
“Amadeus Ticket Changer
automates this process
for travel agents; it takes
four steps and does all the
recalculations for you.”
Beachcomber has put
electronic processes in
place to make it easy for
agents to sell effectively, quote,
add extras to their quote and
pay online. “More information
is better consulting,” says
Joanne Visagie.
She adds that the tour
operator’s online quoting and
payment system is being
developed into a booking
system in the near future.
“Also included in the system
is an agent portal called
Beachcomber e-assistance,
within which are a number
of different tools to help
consultants sell expertly and
close deals.”
“Time is truly a commodity
these days,” says Melissa
Storey, First Car Rental
executive head: strategy,
development and marketing.
To help agents save time, the
company drives information
on their behalf via its WebLink
personalised booking engine
as part of a three-step process
with direct availability and
electronic confirmations.
Data and visibility
To manage their offices
effectively, managers and
owners need good visibility of
their businesses.
Jannine says Amadeus
Agency Insight – Productivity
Tracker will enable them to
do this, helping agencies
determine the management fee
travel agents should charge.
Travelit is another tool that
offers tangible and accurate
data. It provides operational
management with insight
into areas within Tourvest’s
business operations that may
need to be fine-tuned in order
to achieve the best results
to service the customer, says
Claude.
Due to the increasing need
for data, companies like First
Car Rental provide agencies
with weekly or monthly
reporting on spend and travel
trends. “We are also able
to dump data at any given
location in a pre-defined format
at various intervals, which
can be utilised by agencies in
whichever way they see fit,”
says Melissa.
Cost savings
Technology can also enable
agents to achieve significant
cost saving for their clients.
Claude says Tourvest has
achieved, on average, 25%
savings on the total travel
costs for its clients who have
adopted Travelit.
Growing demand for online booking
THE debate about how
technology is going to change
the way in which travel
agencies operate rages on,
with the majority of agents
agreeing that client demand
for online interaction is on
the rise.
In a recent survey
conducted by TNW’s online
sister publication, eTNW,
an overwhelming 79% of
respondents said they were
witnessing increased demand
from clients to offer an online
booking platform. The survey
was conducted among 176
travel agents.
Agents report that email
is the most popular form of
consultation, with 67% saying
clients prefer to use email.
While 19% said their clients
preferred face to face, 10%
said their clients preferred
to consult telephonically. A
meagre 4% said their clients
used mobile.
However, at least 51% of
respondents said the demand
for mobile engagement was
increasing.
Some believe that the
industry will undergo complete
transformation as a result
of the increasing demand
for online interaction. Gané
Ivanovic, who is leaving South
Africa to manage a major
online booking tool in Nigeria,
believes that travel agencies
will no longer exist in their
current formats but rather will
sell travel via online booking
engines. “As our technology
generally follows three or four
steps behind the US market,
it is easy to predict what will
happen to travel agencies
here,” he says, adding that
large overseas agencies are
already going this route.
“Five years ago everyone had
an insurance broker, now they
do everything online,” says
Gané, who believes travel will
head in the same direction.
“The future is closer than we
think and the sooner agencies
switch to online, the better
their chances of survival will
be.”
Can expertise be
replaced?
However, other players believe
some functions performed by
travel agents will never be able
to be replaced by an online
booking platform. Sean Hough,
ceo of Pentravel, says when
it comes to leisure travel, the
current portals available are
restricted in that they cannot
take care of the complexities
required in bespoke, tailormade
packages. While he says
that technology is changing
so fast it is likely a good tool
will be developed in the future,
he also says that face-to-face
remains a significant channel
because people still want
expert advice and someone
How do clients prefer to consult?
67%
19%
4%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Email
Face to face
Telephonic
Mobile
10%
More mobile please
they can trust.
“The online customer is
there and we are going to
see more customers going
online to transact,” says Vanya
Lessing, ceo of Sure Travel.
However, she says an agent’s
decision to move online should
be based on their business
strategy and whether they can
expand their customer base
by going online. “It will also
depend on how much money
the agency has, as it will need
significant budget if it wants
to compete with the likes of
Travelstart.
On the corporate side
specifically, Vanya says the
take-up in the South African
market has been slow.
“However, most corporates are
asking TMCs if they have an
online solution. So every TMC
must have a tool of some sort
available.”
David Pegg, md of Sure
Viva Travels, says ultimately
consultants who are able to
add value beyond the simple
booking processes available
online will still have a place in
the industry. He says it would
be impossible for technology
to beat the experience and
knowledge of agents who have
been in the industry for years.
Rather than a future scenario
in which agencies as we know
them no longer exist, Franz
von Wielligh gm of Flight
Specials, says agencies will
evolve into travel solution
specialists. He says online
is becoming an increasingly
important part of the travel
agent’s offering, but key to this
will always be the back office
fulfilment. While this offering
is likely to become more
sophisticated it will not replace
face-to-face interactions with
clients, he believes. “There is
a misconception around what
online actually is,” says Franz.
“In the end it is just a different
avenue for distributing our
service"
What do clients want from a tech solution?
A TMC’s technology
offering plays an important
part in whether a corporate
will choose to partner with
them or not. TNW spoke
to Howard Stephens,
chairman of the GBTA, to
investigate what exactly
it is that travel buyers
look for in a technology
offering.
A buyer’s first
consideration, says
Howard, is where the
company’s technology
strategy is headed.
Leading on from this is the
question of whether the
TMC’s technology system
has the ability to interface
with the system that the
corporate currently has in
place. “Some corporates
have their own preferred
system in place.”
He notes that there
might be some security
risks involved in engaging
with a different technology
platform. “Would it be
a seamless integration
from the time the order is
placed all the way through
until payment is made?”
he questions.
In terms of corporates
who require the TMC to
develop a bespoke solution
for them, Howard says the
key is that the solution is
easy to change. In other
words, it should really just
be a matter of changing
the corporate badging.
Cost versus savings
Are you buying products you want?
Data security
Another major consideration
for clients is how much it will
cost to implement the solution.
If the corporate is unable
to do the implementation
themselves, will the TMC do it
or are consultants needed?
Howard says this is
closely followed by the
question of whether the
cost implementation will be
recovered during the life of
the system and, if so, will the
corporate be locked into a
partnership with the TMC in
question? “It becomes difficult
to change TMC,” he says.
An alternative to this is
that the TMC develops a
system that is built into the
corporate’s system. “Then
all that’s needed is a link
into their system,” Howard
comments.
Necessary training
Important to corporates
is how much training of
staff will be required once
the system has been
implemented. Howard says
this all comes down to
the strategy around how
the solution is rolled out.
For example, if it is rolled
out across desktops, then
there will be significant
hassles in training
employees across the
company. “It also becomes
an ongoing concern
because if those people
leave, then new people
must be trained.”
Are you buying products you want?
Howard points out that
some TMCs have their own
products, which they might
want to promote via their
online booking platform. As
such, clients will want to
ensure they are buying the
products they want to engage
with and not the ones put
forward by the TMC.
System flexibility
The ease with which the
system can be changed
to accommodate the
corporate’s particular
requirements is another
important factor that comes
into play. “If, for example,
my company often requires
three-leg flights and the
system can’t handle this,
is it flexible enough to be
changed?” asks Howard.
Data security
Corporates are often required
to pass on a significant
amount of personal
information to TMCs, such
as health needs or religious
requirements. This can be a
sensitive issue given that it’s
OK for the employer to have
this information but becomes
trickier once a third party is
introduced into the equation.
It becomes an issue of the
corporate’s duty of care
responsibility towards their
travelling employees.
As such, corporates want
to know how protected that
information is by the TMC,
notes Howard. He adds
that this also becomes
an extremely important
consideration when it
comes to the travel details
of the company’s top level
executives. “For example, is
the ceo travelling tonight?”
Reporting
A TMC that is able to
simplify the company’s
reporting processes has
something very valuable
to offer. Key, says Howard,
is for the TMC to be able
to produce consolidated
information on travel trends
and other information
that is useful to the travel
manager.
In summary, Howard
says that TMCs, through
the use of their technology,
must be able to make travel
arrangements simple for
travellers, they must be able
to implement quality control
behind these arrangements,
produce relevant
information around the
travel and then, as a bonus,
be able to benchmark
the company’s system in
relation to what the rest of
the market is doing.
