MOBILE technology has
become increasingly
important for travel
agents, primarily because
of the way it enables them
to connect with travellers
on their level, industry
professionals say.
According to the recent
findings of a World Travel
Market Global Trends Report,
more than 40% of online
traffic related to travel
comes from mobile devices;
57% of business travellers
use a mobile device to book
travel; and 44% of travellers
use their phones to research
travel while they're actually
travelling.
In line with these findings,
Giles Clinton, partner at
Checkout Travel, says,
on average, 70-80% of
Checkout Travel’s enquiries
and searches are done off
a tablet or smart phone. “I
think that mobile technology
is going to become the
main way people source
and search for travel in the
future.”
“Research highlights
the importance of mobile
technology to the travel
trade,” says Melissa Storey,
executive head: strategy,
development & marketing
at First Car Rental. She
adds that advances in
mobile technology are
revolutionising the ways in
which leisure and business
travellers plan, research and
book travel.
“To remain competitive,
companies need to
understand their customers’
buying habits and evolve
their systems in accordance
with the advances in
technology.”
Don’t be left behind
Pine Nel, senior manager
integrated solutions for
Carlson Wagonlit Travel in
South Africa, says: “Mobile
technology empowers
the traveller; it allows
for anywhere real-time
interaction throughout the
entire booking process.
“From pre-trip profile
management and live
itinerary updates through to
location-driven and on-themove
tools like maps,
point-to-point transfers
and restaurant guides, the
traveller is now firmly in the
driver’s seat.”
In light of this, travel
agents must be part of the
mobile research process,
providing curated expert
advice at every step of the
planning and buying process,
says Norm Rose, US-based
travel technology expert.
He agrees that the primary
change mobile brings to
the travel ecosystem is
an always-on and alwaysconnected
traveller who
wants relevant information
in line with their needs at
specific moments during
their trip and that mobile
is becoming the dominant
platform for all types of
travellers. “Travel agents
must be part of this mobile
conversation or they will be
left behind.”
Critical to your business
Mobile technology is very
much here to stay and
will become more and
more integrated into our
lives, comments George
Harb, Travelport’s regional
director for Southern Africa,
Zambia and Zimbabwe. He
says mobile technology
will continue to grow in
importance as more and
more travel agents look to it
for business solutions.
Mobile technology is
particularly important when
it comes to showcasing the
travel agent’s product to the
client, says Andrew Stark,
gm of Flight Centre. “I don’t
see expert consultants using
mobile phones to book
on behalf of customers. I
see customers using their
phones to search, compare,
enquire and book. It’s
another medium to push
product to consumers.”
Wally Gaynor, md of Club
Travel, agrees that it’s not
so much about the mobile
technology the consultant is
using but rather about which
mobile technology the client
is using to access what the
consultant is booking. “The
consultant makes a booking
on Amadeus and the client
uses the Amadeus Check
My Trip app to access their
itinerary and e-tickets,”
he explains.
At the end of the day,
mobile technology is critical
in any travel company’s
overall technology
solution, maintains Claude
Vankeirsbilck, chief sales
and marketing officer for
Tourvest Travel Services.
“It’s about listening to the
consumer’s needs, whether
corporate or leisure, and
responding adequately to
these needs. Those that
respond with solutions
will prosper in the years
to come.”
Stay one step ahead...
TRAVELLERS have become
increasingly savvy as they
have access to a large
number of devices and
products, says George
Harb. If the travel agent
wants to keep their edge,
they need to be able to
outsmart the client.
“While an agent is sitting
with a customer looking
for a hotel, it is likely the
traveller is also checking
on their mobile devices on
apps such as TripAdvisor
or SeatGuru to validate
the accuracy of the advice
the agent is giving them.
The traveller has access to
more data and information
than ever before. As such,
Travelport technology is
developed to ensure we
provide agents with access
to the information they
need to stay one step
ahead of the traveller,”
he says.
Harald Eisenächer, senior
vp Sabre for EMEA, agrees
and says that by deploying
technology services, travel
agents can get ahead of
their competition in the
South African market. He
advises agents to analyse
what their clients are
doing online to identify
trends. “Big data is the
differentiator for the
future.”
Harald says: “As
the world gets more
complex, it’s important
for technology to become
more flexible. As such, we
are changing our approach
by opening our platform
to outside innovators
to develop application
programme interfaces.
This is one way in which
innovation helps manage
and contain complexity.”
The opportunity lies with apps
THE development of
mobile travel apps is
a flourishing niche in
South Africa, according
to Melissa Storey.
“Mobile apps provide
an important avenue
for travel companies to
deliver excellent customer
service and develop
strong relationships with
customers.”
It is therefore not
surprising that most travel
agencies and consortiums
have started to explore
the possibilities of
developing apps for their
customers. Wally Gaynor
says Club Travel has
recently partnered with
a technology company to
develop an app that allows
corporate clients not only
to book flights, hotels, car
hire and even Uber but
also to authorise and get
authorisation for travel, and
to scan and record their
expenses while travelling.
“These features enable
them to get reimbursed
for spend while they are
still travelling. We feel it
will be a game changer in
corporate travel.”
Travelport is also
increasingly investing in
apps for the traveller.
George Harb says
Travelport’s consumerfacing
product, View Trip,
is constantly evolving to
meet traveller demands
and to allow for the
seamless interaction and
exchange of information
between the traveller and
the travel agent. “For
example, allowing an agent
to ‘push’ tailored traveller
suggestions to the traveller
while they are on their
trip, such as things for the
traveller to see and do, and
restaurants to visit, etc.
Tech tailored for agents
ALTHOUGH most mobile
innovation is directed at
the traveller, travel agents
can also benefit from the
mobile revolution with
GDS technology providers
developing mobile systems
aimed specifically at travel
consultants.
George Harb says
Travelport has been
developing mobile
applications for the travel
agent for many years. “As
devices evolve and become
‘smarter’ with faster 4G
networks and the open
platform, the opportunity
and demand to develop
applications for the travel
trade has never been
greater.”
According to George,
Travelport Mobile Agent
has revolutionised the way
agents work by allowing
them to access the travel
commerce platform at any
time and place. “In the
past, if a passenger had an
issue, an urgent booking
requirement or wanted to
change their flight out of
hours, the travel consultant
would need their PC to
make these changes. If the
agent was not in the office
or at home, this created
huge complexity for them to
provide efficient customer
service and limited the
service offering the agent
could provide.”
George says the fact
that travel agents can
access the GDS on their
mobile phone means they
can offer new levels of
customer service while
also having huge flexibility
in how they work. “We
have instances of agents
who are out hiking or on
safari accessing our travel
commerce platform to
assist their customers.”
Sabre’s ‘Red Mobile
Workplace’ is another
solution that enables travel
agents to book and manage
travel for clients wherever,
whenever.
Service providers have
welcomed the development
of mobile apps for travel
agents saying this means
their business is open
through the travel agent
24/7. Melissa Storey says:
“First Car Rental is busy
with certification for Sabre
and Travelport. This will give
travel agents, worldwide,
real-time access to First Car
Rental’s booking portal and
vehicle rates and services.”
News Flash
Earn new commissions!
TRAVELPORT recently
announced that the
Ingresso Entertainment
Tickets plugin is now
accessible to travel
agents via its pointof-sale
technology,
Travelport Smartpoint.
The plugin provides
agents with a simple
way to earn new
commissions by adding
theatre, attraction and
sightseeing products
worldwide to the travel
bookings they make
through Travelport
Smartpoint.
Did you know?
The latest version of Travelport’s Smartpoint product will be released
next month.
