The technology that can help you convert more enquiries into bookings
Katherine MastersUpgrading to a dynamic system that allows agents to pull together image-led and content-rich bespoke quotes has paid dividends for Northern Ireland’s Oasis Travel, explains project director Scott McCabe
Since Oasis Travel started using a bespoke system to send out high-quality, dynamic quotes, the Northern Irish independent travel agents’ conversions have increased by 23%.
Project director Scott McCabe says the business was keen to move away from bland, uninspiring quotes that were just words and numbers.
“We were looking for a way to improve our quotes, using them to help people feel more invested in their holiday purchase,” McCabe explains.
The company worked with the travel technology platform, TProfile, on a quote system, which can be populated with videos and images, and using API links, pulls in additional information from third-party suppliers, such as cruise lines or hotels. Quotes can be emailed, sent via WhatsApp or SMS, to suit the client.
He reveals the agency invested a “significant amount for us” in the upgrade, and the increased level of conversions has shown it to be a worthwhile investment.
“We’re due to celebrate our 40th year next year, and this year has been our best year ever, so we’re in a good position financially,” he says.
A WINNING FORMULA
The new quotes were rolled out in March this year, starting with the agency’s Portfolio brand, which offers private appointments for high-end luxury bookings.
“Early on, a team member fed back that a client had made a US cruise booking, for which he’d sourced a few quotes, and the level of detail we’d supplied in our quote – about the ship, the ports, the pre and post-cruise hotels, enhanced with images and videos – had made all the difference and secured the booking for us.”
The quotes have been most effectively used by the part of the Oasis team that deals purely with online enquiries as they have more time to pull them together. A chat function enables clients to feedback about the quote, for example, changing the budget or requesting different room types.
TECHNOLOGY EMBEDDING
For now, API links pull through third-party content. However, McCabe says there is flexibility to go down a more user-generated content route, with Oasis Travel staff encouraged to take their own videos on fam trips. He adds that the beauty of working with a specialist such as TProfile is benefitting from their technology upgrades and support systems.
Despite the overall positive feedback, he says it’s not for everyone, and there’s no mandate expecting all quotes to take this format. “Some staff and clients like the old ways of working, and sometimes we just need to give the clients what they want,” he says. “But all you need is an email and a browser, and once clients actually see it, they are impressed.”
These dynamic quotes are part of a deep dive into the customer journey by Oasis Travel, looking to harness technology where appropriate. While McCabe would like to develop an Oasis Travel app for ticketing and documentation and wants to explore the potential of chatbots using artificial intelligence, he is aware of the need to embed new ways of working in a slow, measured way: “We are grateful Oasis is so busy with bookings, so we don’t want to unleash too much too fast and over-whelm our staff. They still need to do their core jobs while learning the new technology. It has to be done right.”
And he stresses that while technology can be a powerful aid, Oasis will never forget that human connections are more important: “We will always blend technology with the ability to speak to a human,” he says. “It’s the relationships we’ve built with customers that underpin our business,” he says.
Need to know
Bhav Taylor, head of sales, explains how agents can make use of TProfile
What packages does TProfile offer for agents? All our packages include our main components: customer relationship management (CRM), quotes, email templates and business tools. We’ve designed the packages with a tiered approach based on the number of licences for individual agent users. This lets us appeal to audiences including independent agents, homeworking organisations, call centres, online agents and multiple retail agents.
What dynamic content can be added? Our system allows for dynamic inclusion of rich content from images, destination content and video footage, including destination, hotel and cruise videos. And agents can also add their own videos and images and further personalise quotes to share their own unique experience with clients.
The system allows clients to respond in real time through a feedback functionality. Agents find that this enables them to interact with the client when they are looking at the quote, and it also allows them to confirm bookings out of hours.
What’s the average set-up timeline? We have been able to execute go live the same day. Typically, though, it’s 48 hours. This includes building a bespoke branded version of TProfile. Training normally takes an hour, and we run updated workshops and after-sales calls to ensure clients are getting the most out the system.
TProfile is a self-serving platform which allows agents to tailor their tone of voice through our business tools, which are critical in ensuring our trade clients can differentiate their offering.
Why should agents invest in this type of tech? Our partners find that conversion rates improve significantly on the quality of the quote and speed of delivery. First, there is a significant reduction in the time taken to create high-value quotes and second, the professionalism of the solution and interaction with the clients has improved the enquiry-to-booking window.
There’s also a sustainability benefit, as the TProfile system is paperless. And its cloud-based set-up allows agents to work from anywhere in the world.
After a while, TProfile starts to pay for itself and is no longer a cost to the business but an investment.
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Katherine Masters
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