Ahead of Ambassador’s exciting new launch, head of distribution Nicola Harper sat down with Travel Bulletin to explain why now was the perfect time to develop the new portal for trade partners
Coming online this autumn, the brand-new trade portal represents a significant advancement in the way agents can search, book and manage Ambassador sailings.
“At Ambassador Cruise Line, we are passionate about delivering the very best support to our valued trade partners – who are incredibly important to us. Therefore, we wanted to provide a best-in-class platform that replaces multiple systems with one single trade portal that is quicker and easier than ever for our agent partners to use,” Nicola stated.
Agents are the backbone
Today’s announcement marks the start of a phased rollout ahead of the portal becoming available to all Ambassador trade partners in September. Over the coming weeks, Ambassador will work with high street agents, homeworkers, independents and consortia to help create user accounts to ensure every agent has secure access to the platform from day one.
The new portal was created with the backbone of four key pillars: speeding up the booking journey, bringing previously separate systems together, making campaigns easier to access and creating a platform capable of growing alongside Ambassador’s expanding trade business.
Nicola said, “Our trade partners are the backbone of our success and we are on a journey of mutual growth; as we continue to grow, we are committed to evolving our trade support systems to ensure that our agents continue to feel seen and supported by us.”
The portal will become a one-stop-shop for agents as it combines cruise search, booking management, live campaigns, trade incentives, training, downloadable marketing assets, ship visit requests, and business support all into one platform.
“Agents can also look forward to having their very own secure account on the new Trade Portal. The individual, as opposed to shared agency, logins will allow agents to enjoy features such as a personalised dashboard displaying useful information such as the latest campaigns and agency-specific offers. It will also make it easier for us to acknowledge, support and celebrate the trade partners helping us to grow on an individual level.”
What does the trade need?
Ambassador has worked alongside its trade partners and specialists at ROL Cruise to ensure the portal reflects the way agents actually engage with the materials, resulting in a product that has been built around the needs of travel agents at its core.
“Every aspect of the new trade portal has been informed by extensive research and trade partner feedback, including from the specialists at ROL Cruise who have helped us to refine the platform through months of testing. Therefore, we are confident that agents will love the new platform and be more confident than ever when booking a sailing with Ambassador Cruise Line.”
“Our trade partners are the backbone of our success and we are on a journey of mutual growth; as we continue to grow, we are committed to evolving our trade support systems to ensure that our agents continue to feel seen and supported by us.”
The phased onboarding programme will begin today following the announcement. Ambassador is inviting trade partners to submit user details to trade@ambassadorcruiseline.com before the trade portal is introduced across its network in September.
