8 | Winning In The Tech Era Technology supports each phase of the customer journey in assisting travel advisors to help their clients plan and book travel, including customer intake, marketing and promotions, bookings, follow-up, and re-engagement. As new travel tech becomes available that automates the most tedious and time-consuming parts of a travel advisor’s job, it frees them up to focus more on bolstering client relationships and serving as a true advisor to help elevate their travel experiences. Technology can be a travel advisor’s greatest business partner when properly utilized. Cruise Planners’ Shultz explains that “the needs of each customer differ from one to another For busy travel advisors, the idea that they are researching options for one customer, while quoting another, while booking another, and servicing yet another customer, is essential to operating successfully Technology is important in supporting every phase of the sales process so that the agent can complete each task, for each customer, as efficiently as they can “For example, in the past, capturing customer information at an event or show was extremely time consuming and fraught with errors Today, however, we can use dynamic customer intake forms that put the onus on the customer to provide their information, all while automating the data entry During the quoting phase, as another example, use of tools to quickly find and generate a price in real-time, takes the effort for the advisor way down as they do not have to spend nearly as much time researching websites or calling vendors Once booked, many systems will send automated follow-up emails to customers, reminding them of important information regarding their upcoming vacation Each of these tools, or systems, are designed to allow advisors to focus on relationship-building rather than the minutia associated with researching and data entry.” Hajyousif sums up the power of tech in marketing travel: “We are able to create, track, rate, and market throughout the entire client journey Our tech uses a funnel process that markets various destination options, tracks which destinations clients choose, tracks their demographic data, proposes trips within their desired location and price point, follows up with various ticklers, links them to booking engines, processes their bookings in a turnkey manner, and retains them as clients in the future through additional marketing campaigns” Furthermore, he comments that, “marketing through social media platforms, creative campaign software, and improved funnel/journey outreach programs has improved our ROI (Return on Investment) and CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)” Technology also supports travel advisors in providing better service to their clients, while increasing the agency’s profitability Hajyousif points out four ways this is accomplished: First, “technology has expanded our ability to provide deeper inventory of pricing, vendor options, and sourcing third-party/direct connect suppliers to reduce distribution costs In the end, the clients are getting better pricing, and we are providing more efficient services” END-TO-END TECH TOOLS SUPPORT THE ENTIRE CUSTOMER JOURNEY (continued on next page)