Clarity in the Integration Age
When it comes to travel and technology, the recent past has been extremely confusing.
Sure we are used to change and can "deal with it", but for a while there
it was hard to tell who was working with whom, which companies would make
it and just how to sort it all out.
Fortunately, things have cleared quite a bit and while all is not set in concrete,
there are many points we can rely on:
- No one company will do all the technology for us - we need to choose
the pieces that work best for us and work best together.
- The GDS's are re-inventing themselves and will have a different role
going forward than they did in the past. Count on them to power many
booking engines, but don't count on them as the single solution for
everyone.
- Agents will book using websites - suppliers are just making it too attractive
not to.
- Integration systems - ClientBase's Live Connect that integrates your processing
systems with web-based booking engines make business more efficient
and better.
- Agencies must market - and while there are great content and technology
allies to help, agents must learn the role of CRM and establish unique relationships
with their clients.
Best-of-Breed - Integrated Solutions
Part of the good news and clearing of the confusion is how companies today define
what they do (compete as best-of-breed in their specific niche), but then make
sure they best integrate or work with other integrated solutions.
For example, supplier Web sites designed for agent bookings that are not integrated,
require agents to type all log in, agent and then client and passenger
data into the booking engine. And then, worst of all upon completion,
manually enter the information in something as clumsy as a GDS passive
segment in order to manage and account for the reservation. Websites integrating
or using Live Connect are getting much greater agent participation as
it is faster, easier and more efficient to use such an integrated website.
Another example is integration with marketing content. Agents today know
they must reach out and market to their clients. Several Web sites exist
with great marketing content or promotions that agents can send to their
segmented clients. And, having the electronic integration between the
database system and the marketing content Web site makes it as simple
as pressing a button to actually send out the selected personalized promotion
individually to targeted clients.
Future
The past has been a bit confusing, but the future seems bright and clear as
technology companies learn to better integrate or work together. The net
results being superior, easier-to-use and more effective technology for
agents to use.
Thanks for reading.
Lee
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