A Travel Booking Engine Should Combine Components Easily

Many agents face a complexity of issues and challenges when building vacation packages often making it a time consuming process. Coordinating the various elements such as cruise departure times, flight arrival times, travel distance & time between cruise port and airport (which will vary greatly by Port) can be quite complex with some itineraries. Easy access to local hotel content for any pre or post cruise stay requirements or requests is often a challenge, especially when it involves using different systems or applications. All the elements of a cruise vacation package require precise coordination to ensure a seamless experience for the traveler. Unfortunately, in many cases travel agents are using different methods, applications or devices to research and book each of these package components. Some operations are even set up using product line experts where several agents are involved to complete the booking. A cruise expert will complete the cruise booking before passing it to an Airline expert for the flight arrangements and then a Hotel expert to add any hotel accommodations required.

Today's travel booking engine needs to be designed to allow both agents and consumers to price as well as package Cruises, Airlines, Hotels and other travel products in real time. Many have introduced dynamic packaging modules that take full advantage of their existing connections with various travel suppliers using a client's specific ID with suppliers such as cruise lines as well as airlines, various hotel content sources and even travel Insurance providers. It streamlines the process to book a complete cruise vacation by dynamically combining a cruise itinerary with air and hotel arrangements into a single package. By taking the guesswork out of the equation, agents can serve their customers more efficiently and eliminate errors while reducing the time and effort to complete a package booking. These applications are so simple to use that today's online consumer can even quickly and easily build their own unique package when the booking engine is connected to their travel agent's consumer website.

A dynamic and innovative rules engine can allow clients to drive efficiencies in the sales process by automatically delivering the proper marketing message to agents & consumer users with the ability to preset business rules and adjust a product's selling price using a wide variety of filters. Today's travel booking engine needs to be mobile ready to serve today's consumer and includes other features for traditional B2B and B2C selling channels. There are even a Custom Packaging options available that allow the Travel Agent to price multiple products, bundle them into a package and sell them as packages easily online. By taking the guesswork out of the equation, agents can serve their customers more efficiently and eliminate errors while reducing the time and effort to complete a Package booking.

Choosing a travel booking engine 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 with the content they are looking for can be just as important.

Is Your Travel Agency Software Ready for Today's Consumer?

The fact that travel agent software can be so critical to the success of any travel agency makes the solution an agency owner chooses an important decision. Some travel agents prefer to use an interface provided by the Supplier, while others may prefer to use third party tools that provide a single platform for multiple Suppliers. Deploying a solution that automates processes and increases bookings can be critical to the success of selling travel both via traditional retail sales locations as well as online.

With so many of today's consumers starting their online research using their mobile devices, traditional travel agency owners need to consider deploying an online booking engine. Not necessarily to push the consumer to a self-booking solution, but rather as a tool to capture consumers shopping online at the initial research phase. It is essential that every travel agency manager understand the steps today's consumer takes when researching and shopping for travel and to identify best way to capture these customers while eliminating any inefficiencies in the sales process.

Traditional travel agents who use the various Supplier interfaces available to make reservations are often confronted with the challenge of learning how each system works, creating the need to train agents on multiple systems and a challenge for agency managers. Keeping track of bookings and remembering which systems were used for a particular customer's booking can bring an added layer of confusion. Agency owners may also want to ensure that a consistent marketing message is delivered to both consumers shopping online as well as Agents using a traditional B2B solution.

A single booking platform across all Suppliers is typically the best way to streamline the process into a single work flow while accessing comprehensive content across multiple suppliers. Having travel agents and consumers using a common platform also eliminates any discrepancies between an agent's desktop and what the consumer sees online. Today's innovative third-party travel agent software can provide the opportunity to create a standard booking experience across multiple suppliers for both consumers online as well as the agent's desktop.

The administration and integration of travel agent software can be a critical factor as well. Travel Agency managers need a platform that can help control the booking process and create a common set of business rules to be used across the application. Agency owners need to ability to adjust a product's selling price by a wide range of criteria including Supplier, dates, class of service, distribution channel and more. Pre-defined rules can prevent agent errors and highlight special agency offers while providing a better shopping experience and the ability to shift sales to preferred suppliers. Integration can also provide a more normalized invoicing and payment process with agency accounting and back-end systems, eliminating the need to manually retype this information. Integration can also help streamline the process and understand customer requirements better, especially for repeat customers.

Finding travel agent software that provides the right content, powerful business rules and flexible distribution capabilities is an important decision for any travel agency owner. Finding the right technology partner to work with can be just as important.

Travel Agent Software Can Make The Agent

Booking with a travel agent has always been a great way to find the best deal. Not only is a professional travel agent familiar with the wide variety of different travel products available, they can often get you the best rate, extra amenities and even upgrades. A good travel agent can help with your entire trip including VIP access to local attractions and airport transfers. In short, how satisfied you are with your overall travel experience may depend upon the travel agent you choose or whether you go it on your own.

But like with most professions, the tools a travel agent uses can play a huge role in how successful they are. Travel agent software can vary dramatically when it comes to the content, features and distribution channels they support. Live access to supplier content should be provided to ensure the most accurate availability and pricing is used. A travel booking solution should reduce the amount of time it takes to complete a reservation and automate processes to make it easier for agents and financial staff to manage bookings. Tools that automatically cross check a booking with a Supplier can eliminate costly errors while the automatic export of booking data for integration with external systems can save a tremendous amount of time and resources.

Travel agent software needs to include the business management tools that provide an agency owner the tools they need to adjust a product selling price or deliver a specific marketing message directly to User in the availability display. Targeted promotions and special offers can set your business apart from competition with unique offerings and VIP service and should be easy to set up and define. Display Biasing capabilities can even provide the ability to promote preferred cruise suppliers with preferential placement in the availability display. While optional products such as Dynamic Packaging allow for Users to package and price airline reservations, hotel accommodations, even cruise bookings live using a travel shopping cart. Many dynamic packaging products have been developed as an extension of an existing Booking Engine and take advantage of existing live connections with various suppliers. While custom packaging features allow agents to tailor make a travel itinerary to be sold online to consumers as a Package.

Content Source can play a key role with any travel agent software and not just with packaging engines. Access to the major GDSs, Hotel aggregators, Cruise lines and other content specific to your client's travel needs can be critical in determining how successful your business is! You may even want to consider integration with travel insurance providers for ancillary revenues and added service. For example, ancillary products like a cruise data cache with the latest updates on cruise line pricing and availability can help you develop unique offerings or promote when the lowest price on a particular ship or itinerary is available and give you an edge over the competition.

Finding travel agent software with the right combination of options for your travel business can be critical to your success. Finding the right technology partner can be just as important.

Travel Software Comes In Different Shapes & Sizes

Like most things, Travel Software comes in many shapes and sizes with solutions to fit just about any size travel business or budget. The key is finding the right fit for your business.

One of the areas that travel agent software can vary greatly is in what some refer to as the 'Rules Engine'. Some simply provide the ability to adjust a products selling price, while others go a step further and allow travel agents to customize and deliver a specific marketing message to both agents and customers. The typical Rules Engine used to be rigid and time-consuming to use, but this has changed as technology has evolved. Rather than a limited selection of Rule parameters, some innovative online booking engines offer 20+ filters and rule types, allowing agents selling cruises to choose from options such as on-board credits, rewards points, value adds, discounts, mark-ups, etc. They can be applied individually or combined. The same customizable approach is used with defining price adjustments, giving agents the ability to sets rates, commission levels and more.

The right travel agent software can also improve the entire business process for agents and financial staff. Providing tools to manage bookings like the ability to cross check a booking with Supplier's internal system can eliminate the need to call a Supplier to verify a booking was received and reduce the chances of any errors. Some applications can even automatically double-check bookings through every step of the process. Export of the booking information for use with other critical systems such as CRM and accounting systems can streamline the process and improve the accuracy and timeless of critical financial information.

There are so many travel options in the market today and the competition for customers is greater than ever. Access to content options can make a critical difference, so look for travel agent software that is fast and flexible enough to allow agents to search multiple content sources for the best price. And for increased speed and accuracy, look for applications that Cache data to improve response time and continuously update the cache data for the most up to date information. Quicker response times can help increase your agents productivity and earning power.

Don't miss an opportunity to maximize your sales by expanding the type of products you offer customers. Consider adding the option to include an airline reservation for your customers booking a cruise. Or a packaging engine that uses Air as the base of the transaction and then adds other travel products like hotel accommodations or activities. Travel agent software with packaging modules provide the features and capability to allow agents and/or consumers to make their own vacation package with flights, hotel accommodations, activities and more. You even have the option to create a predefined package with fix components or allow the agent and/or consumer to dynamically package it themselves.

Finding a travel software 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 with the right content can be just as important.

Mobile Clients Require A Mobile Booking Engine

Do you remember the days before mobile phones and handheld devices became part of everyday life? One can almost wonder how anyone survived without them. But like most innovations, they quickly became part of our everyday life and eventually the innovative became the norm. Take a good look around you right now and you'll probably see someone looking at their smartphone, checking their email, social media page or sending a text. Today's mobile devices have become an integral part of our culture and the use of handheld devices is now much higher than personal computers as an increasing number of people booking travel are using a mobile booking engine. Many of us have become addicted to these devices and constantly check them for something new. Mobile devices have become the key method for people to get the latest news, shop for just about anything and even interact with each other.

As the world has become more mobile, it has also become more Global. Travel agency businesses are looking to expand into new markets more than ever. The ability for your mobile booking engine to seamlessly processes cross-border bookings in multiple currencies and languages is key for travel agencies looking to become global retailers. Access to local content can be a significantly important to your success when expanding into new markets, so make sure the technology solution you choose has the content you need to be successful. Even the best technology will be useless without the right content.

'Mobile First' should be the philosophy for all development, not just the front end of your mobile booking engine but also the administration section console. Being completely mobile friendly can be a huge differentiator by allowing Agents as well as Clients to use their tablets, iPads or even phone to book as well as manage bookings. But for those of us who still prefer to speak with a travel agent before making a purchase, don't throw out your call center application. The mobile booking engine you choose will likely still need to support traditional call center bookings (B2B) as well as directly from the consumer (B2C) as well as B2B2C to serve all potential customers.

With the all the time that people spend using their mobile devices, it's no wonder that mobile Apps for travel booking solutions have become a popular way for travel agents to interact with their customers. For example, there are airline booking engines that include an optional Air Mobile App as an optional "add-on". These state of the art mobile apps take full advantage of the powerful administrative features that the booking engine offers combined with the ease and mobility a of using a smart phone or tablet. Or for those looking to simply enhance or update their website so it is more compatible with customers using a Smart Phone or Tablet, today's innovative responsive technology can automatically adjust the layout of the online booking engine display based on the type of device being used to access the website.

Finding a mobile booking engine 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.

Today's Travel Booking Engines Offer Endless Options

The travel booking engine you choose is a key element of your online business operations and needs to support the larger overall company strategy. It is always a good idea to start by reviewing your existing customer base and determine how you might serve them better and offer them additional services. Research has shown that it is usually less expensive to sell to existing customers and avoid to additional costs and resources often required to secure a new customer. Have you considered adding a hotel option for those customers using your air booking engine? What about a packaging engine that uses Cruise as the base of the transaction and then adds other travel products like air, hotel accommodations or activities during or around the Cruise dates. Odysseus clients will now have the features and capability to offer agents and consumers to either tailor make their own cruise/holiday with flights, hotel, activities and more or from a set of predefined trip/package that is tailored by a vacation expert.

How do your end customers prefer to make their travel reservations? This can be an important question to answer to make sure the travel booking engine you choose will provide access to the distribution channels you'll need to serve your customers. Decades ago, a good retail location with plenty of foot traffic and a few Advertisements featuring special offers were enough to drive customers into your agency. The online revolution has dramatically changed the way consumers shop for everything, including travel.

Call center applications are great for providing personalized customer service and many give Agents the tools they need to research the best options and quickly assist customers on the phone or sitting at their desk. Some customers prefer to research options online and then call and speak with an agent to confirm their arrangements, while others like to research and book their travel arrangements at their convenience. It is all about consumer choice today and your business has to be ready with a travel booking engine ready to serve customers how and where they want. If your customers are like most, the application you choose will likely need to support B2B, B2C as well as B2B2C to serve your clients.

After you determine the content you'll need to include and the distribution channels you need access to, it's time to consider your technology options. Will a simple "white label" booking solution work for you or does your business need something a little more customized? Do you need to work with a host agency or an air consolidator for some or all of your products or do use plan to your own agency credentials with the Supplier? What about the ability to adjust a products selling price or include a value add offer along with a hotel reservation or cruise vacation? There are countless technology providers offering different types of solutions for your business.

Finding a travel booking engine 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.

Travel Agent Software Needs Complete Content

Have you ever started to research plans for a trip or vacation in the middle of the night and you wanted to confirm all aspects of your travel right then and there? The travel booking solutions available today make this completely possible. Thanks to cutting edge technology innovations, confirming your travel arrangements no longer requires endless visits and/or phone calls with a travel agent. Today's online travel agency provides consumers the ability to research and book all aspects of their trip themselves with all the benefits of using a travel agent.

Selling travel online is not just for the large online travel companies that dominate the market. Today's travel agent software can be easily customized to support an individual agency's own unique "Look & Feel" and serve as an easy to use online booking engine for travel agents and consumers alike. These web-based applications are designed to automate processes, increase revenues and reduce time and effort required to complete a transaction. Many are hosted by a technology provider with the headers, footers and style sheets customized to match the agency's look & feel to provide a seamless online experience for customers. Complete customized versions are also supported where an agency can change the complete layout and flow of the booking engine if they desire.

Live access to content is provided to be sure the most up to date availability and pricing is used. Travel agent software typically uses an agency's specific ID when communicating with suppliers like an airline. But airline reservations are not the only travel product that you can book on line. Hotels have been making their content available online as well for years and cruise is one of the fastest growing areas in online travel today. Improved technology combined with the fact that more and more people are taking cruises for the first time has made booking cruises a huge opportunity for online travel businesses. As cruise lines constantly add new ships and new itineraries, it is important that any solution include all the important information about the cruise line an ship as well as detailed cabin descriptions linked to media files & rich content such as cabin photos, ship images and deck plans to assist in the shopping process. Similar to air, the cruise booking engine should use live pricing and availability during the search and booking process as well.

Today's state of the art travel booking solutions include the business management tools needed to control pricing and related marketing messages. Revenue management tools should provide the ability to adjust a product's selling price, highlight value add offers in the availability display. Applications should be designed to meet the unique requirements of Global Marketplaces and easily handle multiple currencies as well as multiple languages. Travel booking solutions should include flexible & fully scalable online reservation engines that can easily grow with your business while maintaining your unique identity.

So whether your clients are looking to book an airline ticket, reserve a hotel room or even plan that perfect cruise vacation, the right travel agent software can help you serve them quicker and easier. Finding the right solution for your online travel business will play an important role in determining your success. Finding the right technology partner may be even more important

Online Travel Solutions Revoluntionize The Reservation Process

Online travel booking applications are one of the biggest benefits that the internet has provided the travel industry. These online booking solutions have revolutionized the way the entire travel industry interacts and conducts business with customers. Today, anyone with access to the internet is just a few clicks away from being able to research and book their own travel arrangements. The travel booking software available today has automated and customized the entire booking process while providing comprehensive and innovative solutions for different segments of the travel industry. There are solutions to book travel available today that will automate the shopping and booking process for any travel component including Airlines, Hotels and even Cruise Lines.

The airlines started this trend years ago by automating the process for travel agents to sell flights by launching their own booking engines for travel agents. By using an airline booking engine, travel agents were able to greatly improve their productivity when selling airline tickets and provide better service to their customers. Travel booking solutions have been evolving ever since, constantly adding new features & functionality as well as new product lines such as Hotels, Ground Transportation, Travel Insurance and even Cruise Vacations.

Applications that are easy to use and contain the information a travel agent or consumer needs to research the options available are critical to success. For example, finding the right hotel based on an individual’s specific needs is an important part of planning any trip, but can be overwhelming with so many options available. To help simplify this, many hotel booking engines integrate links to media files & rich content to assist with selecting the right hotel property during the shopping process.Online cruise booking engines allow anyone to quickly research and book cruise vacations with many containing detailed ship and cabin descriptions as well as photos to help in the shopping process.

These easy to use online booking engines are built to automate processes and reduce the amount of time it takes to make a booking and can have agents selling quickly with minimal training.Some booking software can also extend booking capability to an agency’s website, allowing customers to research and book travel when and where they want, while still receiving the benefits of using a travel agent.

With so many options available in the market today, it is important to choose the solution that is right for your business. Some things to consider include the type of products you plan to sell (i.e. airlines, hotels, cruise, etc.), the source you plan to secure your content from (i.e. GDSs, Consolidators, Direct, etc.) and the ability to protect your brand identity. You will also want to consider which selling channels you plan to use (i.e. B2B, B2C, B2B2C ) as well as any future expansion plans you may have for your business.

So start using an online Travel Agent Software solution and revolutionize your reservation process, both you and your customers will be glad you did.