Improving Your Clients Travel Experience

Many travelers seem more interested in the opportunity to take "selfies" than seeing the actual sights they visit. A simple "drive-by" of a local tourist attraction or the next shopping opportunity is what many of today's travelers end up doing when they visit a new destination. A good Travel Agent can transform a simple trip into an experience that dreams are made of and help create the experience of a lifetime.

The first step in improving your clients travel experience may start with upgrading your travel agent software. To start, you will need an application that allows your business to serve customers the way they choose. You will need access to multiple channels including Business to Business (B2B) for those consumers that still like to speak with a travel agent call center to discuss and book their travel arrangements. For consumers shopping online, you'll need an easy to use Business to Consumer (B2C) online booking engine, but make sure it is a mobile ready so you can easily serve today's online consumer via the device they choose, including their smartphone.

Next, make sure you are offering your clients complete service. If your agency falls short in serving all your customer's needs, you risk them going to a competing travel agent or online travel agency that does. Your travel agent software should include the ability to not only book a client's airline reservation, but select a seat for themselves or request a special meal. Be sure to include the ability for clients to research and book accommodations such as a hotel room as well as purchase ancillary products like travel insurance.

You'll want applications that allow you to easily define business rules and create promotional offers and specific deals for your clients. Choosing an online booking solution that has the flexibility to quickly define business rules using a wide variety of criteria can help you customize special offers quickly and easily.

Your online booking engine should have detailed descriptions and links to media files to assist both your agents and online consumers during the research and shopping process. Pictures depicting room accommodations, hotel public areas, restaurants, etc. should all be integrated into the booking engine. Descriptions of hotel amenities available and local activities and attractions can also be quite beneficial and improve the overall shopping experience.

A mobile booking engine can help improve the experience by taking full advantage of access, content and powerful features that an online booking engine offers and combines this with the ease and mobility that using a handheld device provides. It can clearly make the difference when it comes to serving the increasing population "addicted" to their handheld devices which they use for just about everything.

You will also want to build and maintain your own brand identity with an online booking engine that provides you the ability to quickly and easily customize the "Look & Feel" to match your own branding, including unique headers, footers & CSS.

Whether you are looking to improve the overall travel experience for your existing customers or looking to attract new customers, flexibility can be key, Flexible & fully scalable travel agent software that can help you expand and grow your business can be important to your success, but finding the right technology partner to work with can be even more important.

Open Up New Horizons

The advancements in air travel over the past 50 years have changed the world. The popularity of Airline travel has exploded as more and more people travel and are exposed to different cultures. It seems like the more someone travels, the more likely they are to understand and appreciate what different cultures can offer. Air travel opens up new horizons for individuals and creates a better understanding of what different cultures have to offer. A good travel experience is the best way for people from different cultures to embrace one another, making the world a better place for everyone in the process.

Early versions of the airline reservation system were the first tools used by travel agents to make flight arrangements during a period when the travel industry was experiencing explosive growth. Today's flight booking software can not only help book a flight but it can also assign a passenger's seat, select their meal preference and even track a passenger's frequent flyer mileage. Just as air travel can open up new horizons for any human, many of the advanced online booking engines available in the market today can open up new horizons for your travel business.

The introduction and rapid adoption of the internet as a marketplace selling just about anything has certainly opened up new horizons for those selling travel. Retailers now have the ability to promote and sell their products and services online anytime during the day, regardless of what day of the week it is. With one of every three adults being what is referred to as "Millennials" by the year 2020, your airline reservation system must be designed to provide the flexibility to serve these consumers how and when they choose. This is generation grew up connected online and they are the largest users of social media and mobile technology by far today. As a result, today's travel software must be mobile ready and designed to provide the flexibility to serve consumers how and when they choose.

With competition selling airline tickets as tough as it is, it is important that the flight booking software you choose to use has the administrative features you'll need to properly manage your business. You'll want to be able to quickly and easily adjust a product's selling price and include value add offers to make sure you are always providing the best value for your customers. Quick and easy access to reporting tools will help you easily track your business can help identify areas for improvement or potential new opportunities. The ability to quickly and easily extend the reach of your booking engine so it can be used by affiliated agents and websites may also be something for you to consider.

It is best to start with a review of your current business processes and look for areas for improvement and opportunity. Your flight booking software should be easy to use, help you increase your revenues while reducing the time and effort required to complete a transaction. Finding an airline reservation system with the right combination of options for your business can be a critical decision. Finding a technology partner that will help you open up new horizons for your business can be just as important.

Competing in Today's Mobile World

The internet has changed the way that the world shops for everything from personal items to travel. The fact that consumers can easily shop online provides retailers with the opportunity to sell whatever products or services they offer anytime of the day, any day of the week. An online retailer virtually never has to close.

It is estimated that one of every three adults will be what are referred to as Millennials by the year 2020. This is generation grew up constantly connected online and is by far the largest users of social media and mobile technology today.

As a results, today's travel software must be designed to provide the flexibility to serve consumers when and how they choose. It should protect your brand identity and provide you with the tools you will need to properly manage your online business. You'll want to look for a mobile booking engine to allow your travel business to serve customers via multiple channels or devices. While the traditional Business to Business applications will still work for those consumers who like to speak with a travel agent to discuss and book their travel arrangements, many of today's consumers prefer shopping online.

Millennials grew up interacting with each other via text messages and email as well as social media giants like Facebook and Twitter. They not only use today's mobile technology to interact with each other socially, but they also use their handheld devices to make a significant number of purchases online.

For this group, you'll want an easy to use Business to Consumer (B2C) online reservation system that includes a mobile booking engine. All signs indicate that the general population will increasingly use their smart phones as more and more people become connected via their handheld devices. Mobile technology is becoming increasingly important for any business looking to reach today's consumer.

Some consumers prefer to use various different devices to research and eventually purchase products online. For instance, some may start their initial research using a handheld device, but switch to a Laptop to complete the purchase. Others will choose to use their handheld device exclusively and will need access to a mobile booking engine in order for them to complete their purchase. Your business needs to be ready to serve these customers when they are ready regardless of the time of day and your application must be accessible via the device they choose to use.

A mobile booking engine takes full advantage of access, content and powerful features that an online booking engine offers and combines this with the ease and mobility that using a handheld device provides. It can clearly make the difference when it comes to serving the increasing population "addicted" to their handheld devices which they use for just about everything. Finding an online booking solution with the right combination of options for your business can be a critical decision. Finding a technology partner that will help you reach today's mobile consumer where and how they shop for travel can be just as important.

Why it's Important to Drive More Hotel Bookings

There are several great reasons to include hotel reservation system as part of your travel agency's overall selling platform. While some of the more obvious reasons such as the positive impact ancillary commissions for hotel bookings can have to your bottom line can be quite compelling by itself, there are several benefits to incorporating a hotel booking engine into your sales process that you may have never thought about.

Think for a minute how much competition there is out there ready to serve your Clients and take their travel dollars. There are countless airline websites, hotel websites and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) dominating the market to name just a few. All these different players compete for your clients' travel dollars using various channels and special offers with many providing "one stop shopping" to serve a customer's complete travel needs. The service and convenience that using a single source for all travel has become so widespread and popular that many customers now anticipate this "total service" from their travel agent. If your travel agent software falls short and does not include access to a hotel reservation system to help you provide your clients with everything they'll need on their trip, you may risk loosing their business altogether to a competing travel agent or online travel agency that does.

Maintaining the loyalty of your customers will also have a significant positive impact on the success of your business. With so many players competing for travel dollars, strengthening your relationship with customers and creating strong customer loyalty is more important to your business than ever. General wisdom tells us that it will cost you a lot more to acquire a new customer than to maintain a current customer. Keeping your customers happy and serving all their travel needs such as providing them with access to an online hotel booking engine could be key to your success in maintaining their loyalty.

The risk of loosing a customer to a large online channel can also be countered by the unique service and expertise that only working with an experienced travel agent can bring. Maintaining a close relationship with your Client's and offering the "special personal touch" that only a trusted, "live" travel agent can provide is an excellent way to compete with the giant Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and reduce your risk of loosing customers to them.

A professional travel agent often knows how to ensure their clients get special VIP treatment upon arrival and can be a valuable resource when finding the right accommodations at the right price. They often have special reduced pricing with specific hotel properties and/or access to unique amenities upon your client's arrival which are not offered or available to the "average" guest. Working this type of VIP service angle can often help you provide that personal touch and improve your clients' overall travel experience. A hotel booking engine that allows you to easily highlight or promote when or where special offers are available can be critical to offering special deals to your clients as well.

Finding the right hotel reservation system can be an important decision for your business, finding the right technology partner to work with can be even more important.