New MSC Booking System Aims to Support North America Expansion

To support its expansion in North America, MSC Cruises will roll out MSC Book, a new booking engine for travel agencies.
 
Ken Muskat, executive vice president of sales, PR and guest services, said the platform is already in use in Europe, the line’s largest market, but it is being tweaked and customized specifically for North American agents.

MSC’s former booking engine – MSC Online – was “pretty basic” and lacked the interactive features of the new system, Muskat said. It also has not kept up with the line’s growth.

Strong growth
“We are growing so tremendously,” Muskat said. “We have seven new ships coming between 2017 and 2022. One of the first will be coming to North America for year-round Caribbean cruises.

“We can’t get away with a mediocre system anymore.”

Although MSC has operated in North America for nearly a decade, the Italian line has offered mostly seasonal services and is not as well known by U.S. consumers as some of its competitors.

“Agents know us, but we’re just now reaching U.S. consumers,” Muskat said. “We’re the new kid on the block.”

MSC plans to raise awareness with a new television ad campaign and boost its agent support with the new booking system.

Enhanced searches
MSC Book will allow agents to search by price range, destination, departure date or embarkation port. Users can also search for a client’s MSC Club loyalty status by name or by MSC Club number.

The system allows the comparison of prices, dates and itineraries for up to three cruises on a single page. The information can be printed or e-mailed comparison to clients.

Staterooms can be selected via an interactive deck plan that allows travel agents to browse by deck and position. Agents can quickly see availability for the category selected. Stateroom photos, layouts, detailed descriptions and videos are provided.
 
A booking can be completed in just a few steps: selection of cruise and up to five staterooms; finding flights and hotels; adding pre-paid services such as spa treatments, shore excursions, specialty dining and beverage packages, and checkout.

Agents can save itineraries as favorites for quick viewing, and they can receive a quick quote or option at any point during the booking process. The confirmation and e-tickets can be printed and/or e-mailed to the client.

The MSC Book also will provide commission and other accounting reports on an improved dashboard.

Most of the functionality was simply unavailable on the old system, Muskat said.

Training agents
Over the next few weeks, the cruise line will work with agents in New York to wrap up any last-minute modifications. In June, it will take its show on the road.

The 18-city roadshows—scheduled for June through September—will focus on training agents on the system.

“The system is nice and simple. It’s point and click,” Muskat said. “It doesn’t require much training.”

Nevertheless, MSC will support agents with webinars and online videos in addition to the roadshows.

The 18 cities are Albany, N.Y.; Atlanta; Baltimore; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Dallas; Detroit;
Fort Lauderdale; Houston; Long Island, N.Y.;  Lancaster, Pa.; Miami; New Brunswick, N.J.;  Orlando, Fla.; Scranton, Pa.; Tampa, Fla., and West Palm Beach, Fla.