As the travel industry evolves, so do the travel management tools. They’re getting more advanced, sophisticated, and… honestly, there are just more of them everywhere! With so many options available, it’s important to know which types of tools are essential for your travel business.

In this article, we highlight travel agent booking tools, CRM systems, expense management solutions, and communication channels! Read on to explore which travel management and booking tools are key to help you grow in today's travel landscape.

Understanding travel management tools

Think of travel management tools as your assistants: they help you stay on top of the booking process, manage client information, track expenses, and more. Some benefits of using them are:

• Saving time by automating repetitive tasks: A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool can send out automated trip reminders and marketing emails, so you don’t have to do it manually.
• Accessing high-quality, updated information: By using booking tools like Bedsonline’s travel booking platform, the Booking Engine, you can compare hotel, experience, and transport options. Besides information updated in real time, you’ll access the platform’s competitive rates.
• Making personalised recommendations: Travel agent tools often include personalised recommendations in line with current travel trends. Bedsonline’s Insights tool, for example, can suggest relevant hotels, seasonal offers, and high-demand tours.

Bedsonline: A comprehensive travel booking platform

Bedsonline checks various boxes as a must-have travel management tool: it’s user-friendly, offers an extensive portfolio, and has a competitive commission structure. Here’s what you can do with it:

• Access hotels, experiences, and transfers in one place: You have over 250,000 hotels, 16,000 experiences, and 500 car rental options at your fingertips.
• Manage your bookings easily: With our online self-service tools, you can manage hotel bookings, make special requests, and modify your reservations at any time.
• Rely on pre- and post-travel support: Our dedicated Help Desk supports you throughout the process, whether you’re adjusting a last-minute change or helping clients during their trip.
• Enjoy exclusive discounts and promotions: No need to spend hours negotiating deals on your own. Our expert teams source the best deals, including discounted packages, early booking bonuses, and seasonal offers.
• Set flexible commissions: Adjust your commission based on the client’s budget. Or offer high-end products and group trips to maximise your commission.

• Get personalised growth recommendations with Insights, our search and recommendation tool: Insights gives you data-driven recommendations based on travel trends and seasonality, as well as your booking history.

   

This powerful travel booking engine is exclusive to Bedsonline agents - so register your travel agency today to start maximising your revenue opportunities, streamline your daily responsibilities and boost your growth with this intuitive booking platform! 

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Essential travel management tools for agents

Below, we rounded up the four most common types of travel agent software, with use cases and examples.

Travel booking software

With client expectations rising, you’ll need a booking platform that’s both user-friendly and offers a broad portfolio. Ideally, you’ll have hotels, experiences, transport options, and car rentals on the same platform to offer more comprehensive packages.

Travel booking software examples: The Bedsonline Booking Engine! Access hotel comparisons, travel experiences, easy-to-use search tools, and extensive filters.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems

CRM systems help you store client preferences, track bookings, and stay on top of payments. Having all these insights in one place means you’ll see when your clients tend to book more and which products are selling best. You can then tailor your packages or even focus on a niche to develop your business.

CRM software examples: For small businesses, free CRM software like HubSpot CRM or Bitrix24 may be enough. Larger agencies may want to consider a CRM tool with more advanced features, such as Salesforce or Zoho CRM.

Travel expense management tools

With expense management tools, you can track commissions, monitor invoices, and forecast revenue with much greater accuracy. This helps you plan ahead for seasonal fluctuations or see which services are most profitable.

Expense management tool examples: On Bedsonline, you’ll find an e-billing tool to manage your invoices. Depending on your company’s size, you’ll also want to use accounting software like QuickBooks, TravelWorks, or Xero.

Communication tools

One of the most important travel agent skills is effective communication, which also involves using the right communication tool at the right time, to suit each customer. Phone calls are great for urgent updates or lengthy discussions, while email works better for sharing documents. Messaging apps, email marketing software, video conferencing tools, and scheduling apps are also common among travel agents.

Communication tool examples: Beyond popular messaging apps like WhatsApp, you might use Mailchimp to send out newsletters, Zoom for video consultations or itinerary walkthroughs, and Calendly to schedule appointments.

Strategies for effective selling in today’s market

Combine tech tools with your expertise to sell more effectively. Here are some tips:

Be creative with technology

For tools to work well, you’ll need to know how to use them effectively. Take Bedsonline’s recommendation tool, Insights, for example.

Insights gives you destination and travel recommendations based on your market, booking history, and real-time data. Naturally, some travel products will be a better fit than others. Instead of picking one and calling it a day, spare a few seconds to use the tool’s ‘Save,’ ‘Anchor,’ and ‘Discard’ features. These tell the algorithm which products are relevant and which aren’t, so you’ll get better recommendations each time you use Insights.

Use data and analytics

Check the data and analytics on booking behaviours, seasonal peaks, email open rates, conversion rates, and other insights. This way, you can create tailored packages and data-driven travel marketing campaigns.

Personalise, personalise, personalise

As travellers expect more personalisation, we observe a new travel trend: hyper-personalisation. This trend is all about using advanced technology and data to improve customer experience. Experiment with hyper-personalisation by identifying patterns with AI, implementing chatbots for customer service, or offering virtual tours of hotels before the stay.

Travel tools make your job easier

Take a moment to assess your current travel management software; are they helping you check all these boxes?

✔️ Save time

✔️ Work more efficiently

✔️ Help you offer the right travel products your clients need

If not, it may be time for an upgrade! Start by signing up on Bedsonline - we have a great Booking Engine and a smart search and recommendation tool. That’s already a few boxes checked for your travel management system!

But why else might you benefit from being a Bedsonline partner?

• Generate more income – as a result of exclusive discounts and rates, streamlined booking process, and customer support.
• Sell easier – thanks to integrated cross-selling and up-selling functionalities built into the Bedsonline travel booking platform.
• Provide what your clients want, when they want it – with intelligent campaigns and recommendation tools like Insights.

• Accommodate shifting customer demands – with constantly updating tech based on feedback from our partners, and expanding functionalities, like new filters to allow quicker, more timely selling based on customer requirements.

   

If you’re looking to boost your success, sell more, and delight your customers with an expansive portfolio and a trustworthy partner loved by 50,000+ agencies worldwide then why not join the Bedsonline network?

Register your agency for free