Tourgenie

A good travel agency relies on good 'Software for Travel Agent'

Author: G Vijay Iyer
Date: 2020-04-07

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We live in an era where technology is advancing at a more rapid pace than at any time in history. Technology today has permeated through every aspect of the travel industry, just as it does in every other part of our lives. Things that people used to need to do themselves can now be done by software and computer systems, and this certainly holds true for the travel industry too. So it comes as no surprise that software specifically designed to streamline and improve travel management and to help travel agents is now similarly ubiquitous.

Regardless of whether you want to be an independent travel consultant or start your own big travel company or a small travel startup, it’s simply easier than ever to sell your products and services worldwide. To put this into perspective, if you are going to run your own travel agency or travel-related business, you need to have good travel agency software or software to meet the needs of your travel business. Now travel business is a very large space and can range from ticketing agents to travel agents who do tour bookings to travel transporters too. Here we will look at travel management software specifically for travel agents.

Features and benefits of a travel management software

Historically, companies designed travel programs and policies with only the bottom line in mind. But now travelers have more power, more access to information like never before and have completely flipped the way the travel industry has been functioning, on its head. In the bad old days, for travel agents to get customers was easy. You had a fixed package, a few destination choices and little information. The traveler with little or no access to any information otherwise, would be at the mercy of the travel agency. Speed of response, quality of service, and professionalism was not even expected.

Today, the average travel agent providing a less-than-delightful travel experience effectively encourages travelers to look for better options. So it is imperative that any travel company looking at long term survival must up its service quotient and provide up-to-date, easily customizable, flexible and novel travel experiences in order to engage the new age traveler. Investing in travel management software enables you to stop wasting time and resources by simplifying the complexities of quick and effective responses, as well as increasing credibility in the eyes of the traveler by communicating in an orderly and visibly organized way.

A travel management software, can help you automate redundant and time-consuming steps to achieve better outcomes for the company itself, and for travel managers, whose job takes them away from office and home.

Here are a few points on how a good travel agency software affects your business and which a travel agent should consider before investing his hard-earned money in such software:

It must increase business efficiencies

A good travel management should be a solution to all the key challenges faced by travel agents like controlling misplacement of enquiries taken manually, tracking of ongoing queries and of course keeping customer data at their fingertips. It is a broadly useful tool that is equally valuable for travel agencies and tour operators, as well as travelers themselves. Such software can help you achieve business efficiencies in two key ways: saving time and saving money.

Saving Time

A good travel agency software is a single, one-stop source for planning, booking, and itinerary management. By aiding processes such as itinerary creating, customizing, and tracking queries, travel solutions help save significant time and help the agency employees focus on more valuable tasks, such as follow-ups. Customizing itineraries becomes a breeze, handling customer interactions becomes a piece of cake.

Saving Money

We know that the travel industry is fairly seasonal and the longevity of an employee is therefore short and often seasonal in nature too. Keeping this in mind, we understand it is a challenge to constantly spend time and effort in training and then re-training new joinees as old ones leave. Again a lot of information and communication becomes person-dependent. In the case of attrition or ill-health, a gap gets created. A travel agency software that can keep a history of all customer interactions therefore helps save lots of money by making your business process dependent.

Saved traveller profiles and information make it easy to provide a more personalized service to returning customer and becomes the first rung of good customer relationship management.

Trends in Travel Management Software

Large travel agencies often have their own proprietary travel software that their corporate clients can tap into. Most of the large DMCs (Destination Management Companies) have their own software. Large aggregators with many travel agent partnerships also use custom-designed, dedicated software tools.

But most small and mid-size companies (and many large entities as well) are starting from scratch in do not have any software they rely on. These companies instead, still rely on age-old ways of doing business with little or no technology in place. Again there are some who know they need software but cannot afford to build a travel management software for themselves as it is quite an expensive proposition. Such companies should look to the marketplace for travel management software that can improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of their business.

With the advent of cloud technology, today travel management software is easily to find and the best part is that such software is now more affordable than ever. With monthly and annual subscription plans, travel agents can easily sign up for such software services.

There are countless software available, with more coming on the scene regularly. Some of these software tools address just part of the travel puzzle. Sometimes, it is enough to have software that does not have everything. It makes using it simpler and does not burn a hole in the pocket either. But you need to know what best fits into what you need.

How to Choose Travel Management Software for your Business

A successful travel solution is vital for any travel agency’s future. Investing in travel management software can improve your entire travel experience, functionally and financially. In order to get maximum ROI, though, you’ll need a product that serves both travelers and travel agents well.

In Conclusion

The best travel management software will be a tool that’s as flexible and growth-oriented as your own company, so it can serve you well now and bend and stretch with you as you grow. Remember, though, that no one knows what the future will bring. Ultimately, you want the best overall value – not only tangible benefits but improved travel management experience for administrators and travellers alike.

TourGenie Travel Management System

The TourGenie Travel Management System is an exciting travel software to keep all your customer information at your finger-tips and handle enquiry management from anywhere and at anytime. With this software: