Insight Vacations and Trafalgar Tours have launched a pioneering joint communication programme ?e-partners?, designed especially for agents.
p>Insight Vacations and Trafalgar Tours have launched a pioneering joint communication programme ?e-partners?, designed especially for agents.A first for the UK travel industry, the programme is designed to build loyalty, add value to the booking process and create stronger relationships between clients, their travel consultant and their chosen holiday company.
The operators say that as more and more tour operators focus on driving their direct sales, Insight Vacations and Trafalgar Tours are bucking that trend by putting its full support behind the travel trade, investing heavily in new technology to help give them the competitive advantage.
Focusing on repeat customer relationships, the new programme enables the operator to send out timely personalised co-branded information to customers but ensures all communications are directed back to the agent that made the initial booking.
Initially trialled on 10 key partners, E-partners is now available to any agent who produces more than 10 bookings with the operator or books through its online booking engine.
Paul Melinis, sales director at both Insight Vacations and Trafalgar Tours saud: ?Escorted touring clients are loyal and this technology will help develop long term relationships with them. Our repeat business is high so with the right customer management the earning opportunities are excellent. We?ve worked hard to introduce something that helps the agent and improves their customer service, but takes the work out of it for them. The customer will have an enriched experience with their agent but this will be driven by us. It?s a win, win situation ? the agent owns the client at all times.?
E-partner travel consultant benefits include:
Additional Client Services ? Reminders and important information will be sent out on behalf of the agent, enriching the travel experience for their clients
Joint Client Communications ? Providing clients with key information and keeping them engaged from start to finish, whilst always directing them back to the agent and increasing their repeat business
Client Marketing Information ? Ideal for driving proactively, agents will receive timely feedback on clients? tour experience from the end of tour questionnaires, plus details of their future travel desires and intentions, enabling them to follow-up for future sales whether its an escorted tour or not. This gives travel agents the opportunity to sell all their products within the timescales requested by the client.?
Past Passenger Brochure Leads ? Agents will be notified when one of their past client orders a brochure so they can contact them.?
Increased Efficiency ?A weekly summary report to keep agents on top of their bookings, plus details on which clients have completed their online check-in.
Once angents have completed their online check-in either with Trafalgar Tours or Insight Vacations they will be sent co-branded useful information pieces before and after their tour including:
A thank you for booking note; a welcome on tour letter offering invaluable travel tips as they prepare for their journey and a welcome home note to extend clients travel experience and ensure they contact you to book their next holiday.
Melinis adds: ?We have already had some successful results from e-partner and I expect to see more in the coming months, it comes into its own when clients return and as more and more agents start using it, I?m confident the results will be very positive. At present, some multiple agents are unable to use this technology due to their own constraints as it does require internet access and each consultant to have their own individual email address, but we are working closely with them and a solution is very close.?
Agents can sign up at www.tltc.com/ePartners
