More than half of Americans and two-thirds of leisure travelers say taking time off to travel is more important than ever. As well, the World Travel & Tourism Council recently announced that the United States is the globe’s most powerful travel and tourism market at a record $2.36 trillion.
As travel heats up, advisors will become even busier to meet the growing demand. Add to that increased consumer requests for more personalized itineraries and services, and it’s clear that agencies need technology to stay competitive, productive and efficient.
The digital transformation market – where businesses shift work procedures using technology to grow client value – will surge from $911 billion to $3.3 trillion by 2030, predicts research platform MarketsandMarkets. With sales models changing and new solutions, apps and platforms popping up, it’s important to cut through the noise. Agencies need robust systems that streamline processes and elevate the client experience – while boosting the bottom line.
Simplify workflow and enhance the customer experience
As consumer demand to work with a professional travel advisor continues to grow, agencies are grappling with how to provide clients with a high level of service, says Nicole Mazza, chief marketing officer for American Marketing Group in Oyster Bay, NY. AMG includes TRAVELSAVERS, NEST and The Affluent Traveler Collection advisor networks.
The answer? Leveraging travel agency technology that automates routine tasks like researching trips, creating a blog post or booking a safari – saving hours of work each week.
“This way, an advisor can focus on duties that really raise the bar in terms of customer satisfaction,” says Mazza.
With today’s all-in-one booking platforms enabling advisors to tap into a wide range of inventory and real-time pricing for hotels, flights, cruises and tours, itineraries come together quickly, and booking is a breeze.
Advisors can then customize travel plans by using a customer relationship management tool to track client interactions and preferences – storing information to book future trips based on past travels.
Other helpful solutions include Google’s Business Profile Optimization service to help clients find and connect with advisors quickly. And generative artificial intelligence allows advisors to research travel and create marketing materials in minutes instead of hours, explains Mazza.
“Being able to write everything from emails to newsletters to social media posts more efficiently with AI tools means advisors can focus on what they do best – creating that all-important human connection with their clients,” she says.
Maximize your talents, not your number of work hours
Technology is crucial to today’s travel advisor’s success, says Mazza, and as it rapidly evolves, the ones who adopt pioneering tools and learn how to use them will come out ahead in a crowded marketplace.
“Most advisors don’t have enough hours in the day to manage more clients – let alone market to them effectively – and with so many responsibilities, advisors need all the tech assistance they can get to work more efficiently and devote the lion’s share of their time to their priority: client service,” she explains.
Streamlining the workflow was a priority for Brent Savin, chief operating officer of Crafty Getaways in Miller Place, NY. “With the right tools, technology helps in many ways. For example, during the booking process, it allows us to send quotes and invoices, and accept payments,” says Savin.
For the company’s website, Savin’s team uses OnlineXpress – a comprehensive platform featuring customizable templates, mobile responsiveness, built-in SEO, lead capture forms, automated email campaigns, call-to-action buttons and social media integration – all designed to engage clients and generate business.
“We connect it to our email marketing and social media to gain more leads,” he says. “We also use technology for our weddings and groups – we will create an app that allows all the guests to book their rooms and sign off all terms and conditions.”
Map out a plan
Sorting through the endless options on the market can feel overwhelming if you’re not tech-savvy, notes Mazza, so start by figuring out where the pain points are in your specific business.
“Consider the size of your agency, the types of travel you specialize in, and the types of clients you work with: What do you want help with – booking? Client management? Marketing? Make a list of must-have features versus nice-to-haves, which will help you narrow down the possibilities,” she says.
Do your research, beginning with finding out what technology is included in your affiliation. If the tools you’re looking for aren’t available through your consortium, you might find discounts through your network.
“Because the technology is customized for affiliated agencies, it will often be a great choice,” adds Mazza.
Ask other advisors or agency owners for technology recommendations, and review vendor websites. Many offer a free trial to test the product before having to sign a contract.
“Check how easy the software is to use, whether it works well with your existing systems and if it can scale with your agency as you grow,” she advises.
Savin notes that while it can be challenging to integrate new tech solutions into your business, the rewards are well worth it. “It takes a long time to roll out, since you do not want to have delays in your business and you want to make sure you have everything you need so you don’t have to rely on the old tech, but the biggest impact is being able to give your staff an easier process and give your clients a more streamlined booking process from the first meeting until they return from their trip,” he says.
As for how best to navigate the dizzying array of solutions out there, Savin suggests advisors do their due diligence. "The biggest pain point is there is not one single system that can do all the jobs we need to do. Searching online and talking to other agents about the platforms they use are the two most common ways to find new tech. And by going to different travel industry shows, I have met some great vendors as well,” he says.
“Not every piece of tech is right for every business. Do your research and have them provide demos for you. Every business is unique so make sure the tech fits you and your business.”
And for agencies wary of jumping into the fray, Mazza suggests pairing up with the right partners.
“We provide our affiliated consultants with 1:1 training and support, webinars and easy-to-access online information so advisors can make the most of our wide-ranging tech offerings,” she says.
Travel advisors seeking a competitive edge can leverage travel technology solutions designed to provide their customers with on-demand communication, customized services and enhanced experiences.
American Marketing Group’s pioneering technology solutions help drive sales growth and boost advisor success
With an in-house technology team creating proprietary tools that make selling and marketing travel products easier for its affiliated advisors, AMG continues its long history of innovation. Its goal? To provide its advisors with a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace. Some of its solutions include:
• AI Connect
This tool can elevate an agency’s digital marketing efforts by automating personalized content creation, increasing online visibility and engaging clients.
“In a survey of our advisors, we found that 68 percent have used AI already or want to try it. Our new AI Connect tool is giving them that opportunity, providing smarter, faster ways to create polished marketing content,” says AMG Chief Marketing Officer Nicole Mazza.
“With AI Connect, advisors can easily produce materials such as social media captions, blog posts and landing pages that align with their agency’s brand voice.
“AI Connect integrates exclusive offers and deals from our preferred partners. This allows travel advisors to create tailored content that highlights these exclusive opportunities, making their campaigns more compelling and effective in converting leads into clients.”
• tripXpress
With this full-service booking solution – free for all TRAVELSAVERS and NEST affiliates – advisors can search, customize, build and book trips in one place while enabling for automated, customizable client communications. Inventory includes more than 160,000 hotels, plus cruise and flight information, and an opportunity to earn higher cruise commissions while adding hotels and insurance to a trip.
“Our tripXpress platform is an invaluable time-saving resource for advisors,” says Mazza.
“Our cruise platform – offering access to 24 cruise lines – enables deep linking of itineraries, allowing advisors to embed links into online marketing materials such as blog posts and emails that take the consumer straight into the booking process, maximizing opportunities and enhancing engagement.”
New tripXpress enhancements include being able to pull live information into passive bookings for real-time updates and an improved consumer experience with a user-friendly layout.
• Cryptocurrency Acceptance
American Marketing Group companies can now use its proprietary tripXpress platform to process crypto transactions – an expanding opportunity in the travel industry that few businesses have tapped into.
“Our networks are the first in the industry to accept cryptocurrency, which is a $2 trillion market,” says Mazza.
• OnlineXpress
Agencies can establish a strong online presence by using this comprehensive platform to create and manage a sleek, personalized website designed to showcase their brand and services while generating more sales leads and driving customer loyalty.
• Social Connect
Promote agency news, offers or other content by tapping into the power of social media. Advisors don’t need to create their own content — this easy-to-use platform helps them share messages, graphics, images and videos across various social networks. Captions and visuals are all customizable to an agency’s brand.
• Other tech tools
AMG is elevating its online advisor portals with a streamlined home page that displays all marketing offers and campaigns. This makes it easier to find information all in one place. AMG’s affiliates also receive a custom-branded URL at the agency or advisor level to instantly direct consumers to promotions and offers.
For more information on AMG’s technology solutions, visit http://sales.travelsavers.com.