4 | Winning In The Tech Era As for the specific challenges facing travel advisors… 1) Staying Current with Pricing Changes Whether it is airfare rates skyrocketing, hotel pricing flexing based on market availability, or cruise line inventory changing the pricing, it has become very difficult for advisors to keep pace with changes to prices Couple that with the fact that it is easier than ever for consumers to obtain prices on their own, either directly from a supplier or through an online travel agency (OTA) Advisors must always know what the prices are for the various vacation options that might interest their customers How tech helps: Agency groups and host agencies offer tools to assist travel advisors Host agency franchisor Cruise Planners ® is one such resource “We can use technology to re-check prices on more scheduled intervals in order to determine if the price a customer paid is the current, best price offered Once we detect a change, we can inform the advisor of the difference, which empowers them to either take the action to re- price or to use the difference in price to upgrade travel for their customers,” says Brian Shultz, chief information officer, Cruise Planners THE GREATEST CHALLENGES FOR TRAVEL ADVISORS… AND HOW TECHNOLOGY PROVIDES VIABLE SOLUTIONS (continued on next page) The greatest challenge for travel advisors today is that they are extremely busy meeting the needs of their clients, and they often do not have enough staff, so they need strategies and tools to be more efficient. While travel advisors are experts in travel, they also must manage everything in their businesses on their own (especially those who are entrepreneurs and/or home-based), from preparing itineraries, handling customers, branding and marketing, to administering finances. During peak seasons or emergency situations when the workload is elevated, these tasks can become especially difficult to keep under control.