Electronic ATOL invoicing takes off
Agents and operators are expected to make huge savings on their administration costs with the introduction of electronic holiday booking invoicing.
Almost half of all invoices between ATOL-holding tour operators and agents – approximately 12 million – are expected to be sent electronically next year.
The Civil Aviation Authority gave approval for e-invoicing to replace paper-based invoices for all ATOL holders a year ago. The CAA previously required ATOL holders to issue hard copy invoices to travel agents and clients.
It is estimated more than 25 million invoices pass between UK ATOL-holding operators and 7,500 agents using surface mail.
The ‘big four’ operators – First Choice, Thomas Cook, MyTravel and TUI UK – have signed three-year contracts to use the e-invoicing service along with more than 20 other ATOL holders.
Others are expected to adopt the system prior to the peak booking period in January in an effort to cut down on administration costs and to speed up the invoicing process.
The service centrally manages the delivery of invoices on both a next day and real-time point of sale basis and provides a central archive of documents for the six years required by the CAA.
Mark Donkersley, managing director of the UK arm of US software house AXS-One which is supplying the e-invoicing solution, claimed that operators can save “a minimum of 50%” of their current costs.
Agents do not pay for use of the AXSPoint electronic document system but can benefit through improved point of sale by handing invoices over to customers before they leave the agency; the use of e-documents to email invoices onto customers; electronic reconciling of invoices; and online archiving of invoices.
A version of the system has been in use with Brittany Ferries for two years and has recently been taken on by Stena Line.
Report by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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