Day Two of Ten – Understanding tech trends in travel

How can travel agents avoid the time spent on processes – freeing time to increase customer interaction?

Nearly half of all leisure and business agents spend 25% of their time doing tasks that could be completed with greater ease and speed through an increased use of automated processes and technology.

According to a recent Amadeus study, leisure and business travel agents currently spend up to 80% of their time processing bookings.

From the initial information search, booking, and itinerary amends, right through to the final ticket issue and the general administration that supports these processes, little time is left for customer engagement.

Nearly 30% of those questioned agreed that they spend too much time searching for the best available fares and rates, time that could be reduced by the implementation of technology already in the market.

As the economy starts to show signs of recovery, it is critical for agents to focus on customer service, not business processes that have limited impact on customer experience, retention and growth.

This demand is reflected in the study with over 65% of respondents committed to offering improved customer service if they had more time.

As a result, Amadeus is predicting a growing Agent 2.0 community that is keen to harness the power of new technology to enable greater customer focus.

NB: This How To is authored by Tim Russell, UK and Ireland MD for Amadeus.