29 July 2008

Savvy agents know how to survive

by Dinah Hatch

So this month weââ¬â¢ve seen the likes of Utell and justtheflight.co.uk launch their mobile-phone friendly sites and BA announce it will have an application on the sexy new iphone.

But a report was also released in July that reveals that although many corporate travel buyers say they are aware of the potential of the mobile phone when it comes to travel, very few have harnessed that power and bought into the technology.

So whatââ¬â¢s going on? Is it simply a case of the industry getting ahead of the game and patiently waiting for the consumer to follow? Not if those people queuing at six in the morning on high streets across the country waiting for their shiny new iphones are anything to go by.

These consumers know only to well the advantages of viewing the internet properly via mobile and they are voting with their wallets.

The intangibility of travel as a product means it has always been an ideal commodity for online purchase and the last 10 years or so has shown this to be the case as the public took to buying flights, hotels, packages then dynamic packages like ducks to water.

So doesnââ¬â¢t it follow that we are likely to fall in love with buying on our mobiles just as quickly now the technology is there?

Justtheflight.co.uk chief executive Brian Kelly described the use of mobile internet via smartphone an ââ¬Åâœexplodingââ¬~ one and described the fact that he was one of the first to market as meaning the ââ¬Åâœopportunities were endlessââ¬~. Someone should tell those corporate travel buyers.

Itââ¬â¢s easy to get caught up in the fast-moving world of etravel but its worth mentioning the outcry from Travelmole readers this month when we posted a story about a study by user experience specialist Foolproof which revealed that the public used high street agencies as little more than brochure pick up spots.

Agents were quick to point out that for many this was simply not their experience ââ¬' with people still queuing across their shop floors to sit down and talk about their holiday plans with real life counter staff.

There will always be those who canââ¬â¢t see why anyone would waste their Saturday morning on the high street when they could be booking at home with their feet up, a coffee in hand and a confirmation email in their inbox before lunch.

But as most good agents know, their secret weapon is knowledge, be it about a destination, best routings or how to get the tastiest deals off the web and anyone planning to make a booking even more slightly complicated than a simple ABA journey is still more likely to want some hand-holding while they do so.

This explains the popularity of technologies like LiveAssist which offer punters immediate live access to a travel consultant as they make an online travel booking and is in effect a perfect synthesis of whatââ¬â¢s best about good old fashioned agents (their expertise) and the web (convenience).

But savvy agents have known for years that merging their skills with the opportunities for marketing, customer base building and improved customer service that the internet offers is the key to survival and growth.

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• Air Asia Led the Way
  
  

  For years the Indochina carrier AirAsia has offered hand/cell phone reservation facilities. The system is simplicity itself with uncluttered menus leading users through the whole process through to the issuing of the check-in number. Assistance in real time can be economically achieved by using Skype. A Skype icon is posted on each appropriate web page and, when activated, the user is connected to the duty agent. The big benefits using Skype is that (1) it is free; (2) Agents can respond when working out of the office, say, at home.

  By Jon Hewson, Thursday, July 31, 2008