As part of its initiative to become the most efficient corporate travel agency, Travelocity Business(SM) today announced that it has developed and deployed new software…
As part of its initiative to become the most efficient corporate travel agency, Travelocity Business(SM) today announced that it has developed and deployed new software in its traveler service center that further helps it deliver the best travel experience at even lower costs. Travelocity Business is the only major online corporate agency that has built and now owns all of the end-to-end ticketing and fulfillment technologies required for enabling and managing travel reservations, called Travelocity Business eFulfillment.
The new Travelocity Business Mid-Office software, part of the eFulfillment suite, helps minimize the need for additional human intervention by automating routine but important tasks required after a traveler or an agent has booked a trip, such as confirming the itinerary and flight segments, ticketing and invoicing. Mid-Office enables Travelocity Business to deploy customers more quickly based on their unique requirements, while offering the lowest possible cost structure for processing and servicing bookings. Costs per transaction are 50 to 90 percent less compared to outsourced models typically used by agencies today based on Travelocity Business research.
At Travelocity Business, we have analyzed the mid-office environment and reshaped it based on the needs of our customers, said Scott Hyden, general manager of Travelocity Business. Owning the mid-office process allows us to better service our customers while decreasing the cost of doing business.
Over the past year, Travelocity Business conducted extensive research to identify the most widely-used corporate requirements and best practices for mid-office functions. These processes were then built into a new configurable format that makes it quick and easy to implement new customers and modify processes for current customers. Examples of commonly requested modifications include changes to billing or invoicing processes, or the introduction of new codes for company tracking. In contrast, agencies using outside vendors have to wait for time consuming and costly custom programming to meet these customer needs.
Both offline and online bookings are routed to Travelocity Business Mid-Office, and currently more than 92 percent of those transactions are processed with no need for agent intervention. The use of technology like Travelocity Business Mid-Office enables Travelocity Business to charge customers service fees as low as $5 for online bookings and $20 for phone bookings, significantly less than traditional agency fees.
Travelocity Business Streamlined Traveler Service Center
Travelers can make online or phone bookings with Travelocity Business. Travelers who choose to book trips online via Travelocity Business select from an easy-to-use display of air, car and hotel options that reflect company policy via their company intranet. When travelers call a Travelocity Business agent to make a booking, they are prompted to enter a personal code. The call is then routed to an available agent, and a screen pops up simultaneously on the agent`s computer desktop that includes traveler details, enabling the agent to provide faster and more personalized service.
Both offline and online transactions are booked through the Sabre GDS and routed to Travelocity Business Mid-Office, which automates tasks such as confirming the itinerary and flight segments, ticketing, invoicing, customer notification, refund processing and unused ticket tracking.
Once the trip is ticketed, transaction data is then captured by the Travelocity Business back office systems for billing and reporting purposes. Online travel reports also are created that provide customers with up-to-the-minute travel information.
After ticketing, the system automatically monitors the trip and notifies the customer of any changes. Travelers also have 24/7 access to Travelocity Business agents for any changes or assistance needed while on the road.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
