travel tech insights

Two earlier posts addressed topics closely related to the subject of this blog: one covered the reasons why travel software-as-a-service (Travel SaaS) is an attractive technology model for companies in the this industry; the second discussed how the travel industry is using process automation to eliminate unnecessary costs from back office operations. This blog ties those two subjects together by presenting compelling reasons why travel companies should take a close look at cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. 

If your travel booking website has abandonment issues, you’re in good company: according to a recent SaleCycle survey, 81% of visitors to travel industry websites left without completing their booking activity.  With no similar surveys reporting contradictory findings, having to live with a high percentage of abandoned online bookings appear to be an inescapable reality for the foreseeable future. You’re also in good company if you find yourself asking, “Isn’t there any good news on this subject?” 

With continuing consolidation, intense competition and a global economy seemingly unable to break free from lackluster growth, there is relentless pressure on travel companies to discover new ways of: differentiating from competitors; marketing with better results; developing even more innovative services; and strengthening customer loyalty. Since all these endeavors cost money, smart companies begin by identifying and eliminating needless expenses. One of the overlooked places to uncover monetary – and productivity - leaks are manual workflow activities that can be optimized with back office automation.    

There are several audiences for this question and at least as many possible answers. The audience which likely first comes to mind is the business person - finding his seat on an early Monday morning, then monitoring connection times as he makes his way home on Friday.  Invisiblein that mental picture is a second audience: the traveler’s corporate travel policy. Then there is a third one – the corporate managers responsible for the execution and outcomes of that policy.  It’s impossible for any travel agency to arrive at a good answer to the question unless it thinks in terms of managing travel rather than simply arranging travel.  

The question isn’t whether or not your travel agency has workflow problems - because every agency has room for improvement in this area. The question addresses: what are your travel agency workflow problems; are they serious or minor; if serious, are they urgent or deferrable; if urgent, how are they impacting the organization – and how should they be prioritized and addressed?