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Agent 2.0 community predicted
Sunday, 08 Dec, 2009
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Many travel agents are wasting as much as a quarter of their time on jobs that technology could take care of, a study claims
A customer survey on time wastage in UK travel agencies by Amadeus found that nearly half of agents questioned believe that up to 25% of their time is spent doing tasks that could be completed with greater ease and speed through an increased use of automated processes and technology.
Travel agents spend up to 80% of their time processing bookings across both the leisure and business travel sectors.
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.
Little time is left for dealing with customers as agents are busy making the initial information search, booking, and itinerary amends, through to the final ticket issue and the general administration that supports these processes. According to the study.
Amadeus predicts a growing ‘Agent 2.0’ community that is keen to harness the power of new technology to enable greater customer focus.
But with agents still doing tasks that they believe could be eliminated through increased process automation, adoption is not at the level it should be.
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, Amadeus says.
UK marketing director Elaine Seeto said: “Agents may not be using the services and software on offer to their full advantage.
“By using technology to gain instant access to information, time spent trouble-shooting is reduced, leaving agents free to focus on customer service.”
Flexibility and the capacity to focus on customer service will be critical in the face of tough competition as businesses try to bounce back from the recession.
“Intuitive technology and process automation are not limited to support products,” added Seeto.
She cited Amadeus Fare World as increasing productivity by allowing agents to compare different fare types – low cost carrier fares, consolidator fares and published fares – in one search.
“In short, from the initial search to the ongoing support offered, if business processes are simplified agents will have more time to spend with their customers.”
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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