Why Travel Agents Need to be Mobile

Congratulations! You worked with other agencies for years, built your skills, industry knowledge, and connections to exceptionally high levels. Now, you are your own agency – and your only employee. You are a travel professional.

Last week was exceptionally challenging. Your most important client entrusted you with preparing a major travel package. She needed to make a series of business presentations at several international locations. And at the very last minute, she asked you to do additional bookings for her family to join her midway through her travels. They would finish the last leg of her business travels together and enjoy a family vacation.

Being a mobile travel agent in a travel-centric world

You began building your client’s extensive travel itinerary at the start of the business day in your office. Using Travelport Galileo GDS (Global Distribution System), you began assembling the reservation data on your desktop PC.

The TTS Web Agent, part of the TTS’ suite of products and services, enabled you to evaluate the travel options and book the reservations your client required for her business trip.

See also: TTS Web Agent is A New Tool That Allows You to Access Your GDS from Home

At 10:00 AM, you had an appointment to make a presentation about travel agent mobility to a group of colleagues. Following the presentation, you checked your smartphone and linked to your current project via Travelport Mobile Agent. The data you’re been working on in the office was also on your smartphone…what a relief! All the information you retrieved and the changes you made to your client’s travel arrangements were safely and seamlessly stored on all devices. Back at the office, you resumed work at your PC. You forwarded your client’s itinerary and all travel-related information to her smartphone and email. She confirmed that all was in order and texted back to you to complete all bookings. You left the office for the day, confident that you could easily access any and all information related to your client’s travel from your mobile devices.

Changes after hours, out of office

Two evenings later, your client texted you about adding a family vacation to the itinerary. You were out of town and had only 48 hours in which to pull this next travel project together. You had to work on the run. This particular evening, you worked from your iPad, on your Travelport Mobile Agent, to plan and execute all the changes to your client’s itinerary. The GDS enabled you to work in real time, with continuously updated reservations information for all transportation, hotel, and now special tour events.

See also: The Story behind Travelport Mobile Agent, a great mobile app dedicated to Travel Agents

Not as easy as it sounds

Your client is typical of people who are increasingly travel-centric. They expect their travel agents to provide cost-effective, timely, and creative travel solutions as fast as possible. This expectation can only be met if you are flexible and willing to creatively utilize the devices and technology of the travel industry that are available to you.

The scenario described here is a basic illustration of how using sophisticated technology and mobile devices can help you be an effective travel agent. But the truth of it is that being a mobile travel agent requires more than technical skills. You must also be skilled at communication, organization, thinking quickly and creatively. Like your devices, you must be in synch with your skills and resources.

Products and services such as those from TTS are part of the tools of your business. They enable you to combine all of your skills and work with your clients anytime, anywhere. You are an accomplished mobile travel agent. That’s why your clients appreciate and rely on you.