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2 things Travel Agents need to be in order to satisfy travellers of tomorrow

"The future sounds so far, but yet it's only a day away." "Being prepared for what's to come starts right now." "I will prepare and some day my chance will come."

“The future sounds so far, but yet it’s only a day away.” “Being prepared for what’s to come starts right now.” “I will prepare and some day my chance will come.”

Okay, I’m officially out of motivational future quotes. Seriously though, push the corniness aside and they all have a really good point about the importance of preparing for success.

For Travel Agents, this means getting ahead of your competitors and knowing what you need to do and/or be in order to cater to the traveller of tomorrow.

One way consultants can do this is by paying close attention to their friend and foe – technology.

Sabre recently released a report on three areas tech will most impact the industry in the coming years, and a couple of these just happen to be things Travel Agents can also prepare to offer.

So here it is, two things Travel Agents need to be in order to satisfy travellers of tomorrow:

 

Trustworthy

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Here’s what we know about today’s traveller, they trust the Internet but they also don’t trust the Internet. They’re keen to make a couple of small travel purchases via the net but when it comes to large, complex (and highly commissionable) trips, they’re not 100 percent certain.

This isn’t going to change anytime soon. In fact, according to Sabre, trust is and will continue to be in “low supply”.

Consultants can take advantage of this by being as honest and open with customers as possible and ensuring they receive “authentic’ service and “authentic experiences”.

 

Available 24 hours

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You’re either going to hate this one or claim to already be as available as you possibly could, but are you available 24 hours yet?

We don’t mean working round-the-clock, accepting calls at hours and willing to drop everything and work, but are you available to your clients 24 hours online yet?

More and more large companies such as Tigerair and FCM are staying connected with their clients, even at the latest of hours, through automated device systems called Chatbots. These systems are programed to answer questions, solve problems and give clients the feeling of being heard at whatever time they’re sitting in front of a computer and planning their holiday.

This keeps the company front-of-mind for the client and can tap into those impulse buys.

What are you doing to offer a similar kind of service? You may not be able to afford a 24-hour system like a Chatbot but you could set you Travel Agent Facebook page to send an automatic response to clients who get in touch? Or maybe it’s as simple as having a website where travellers can scroll through your latest deals and book with a simple email.

READ: How to deal with people who seek advice & then book online

READ: Why do people seek consultants’ advice & then book online?

What are your tips for Travel Agents?