Mobile Tools for Agents Are on Their Way, Finally
by Maria Lenhart and Dori SaltzmanThe second in a two-part series.
While mobile technology promises to revolutionize communication between travel sellers and their clients, mobile applications designed specifically for this purpose are just starting to come out of the gate.
There’s an ever-growing supply of travel destination apps that direct smartphone and tablet users to everything from Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam to dive shops on Maui.
But apps and other mobile tools developed for agent-client interaction are rare.
Change is coming
They are unlikely to be rare for long, according to Scott Ahlsmith, president of 23 TouchPoints and former vice president of technology for Virtuoso.
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“The reason agents haven’t flocked to (mobile technology) yet is that the tools they need to be mobile still don’t exist. They will. They’re coming.”
Two breakthroughs in this realm occurred just this fall. One is an agent-customized travel app and the other a text messaging tool for lead generation.
Pocket Travel Consultant
Signature Travel Network launched its Pocket Travel Consultant, an app for member agencies and their clients to use during the planning stages of the trip and while traveling.
The Pocket Travel Calculator features customized trip planning resources, including the ability for agents to create a trip itinerary and send it via the app. Sized for both smartphones and tablets, the app also features detailed destination information, like maps and dining choices.
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Signature’s new app can be customized with an agent’s photo and requires a login from clients. The login feature reinforces the relationship between client and travel seller, according to Karen Yeates, Signature’s vice president of technology.
“The client can only get it through the agent,” Yeates said. “We’ve had great feedback on it – and we haven’t even started to market it yet.”
Mobile product for lead generation
Avoya Travel / American Express launched a text message notification system that enables potential new customers to connect with Avoya’s affiliate agents via their mobile devices.
Designed for lead generation, the system alerts a travel seller when a new customer has asked to be matched with an agent whose expertise fits their needs.
The text message also provides a direct link to the company’s proprietary software AgentPower, where a travel seller can access the contact information provided by the inquiring customer.
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The benefit of the text message notification system is that it takes lead generation beyond the desktop, said Scott Koepf, Avoya’s vice president of sales support.
“Travel agents are not sitting at their desks all day, so this enables them to pick the leads right off their smartphones or iPads, even if they’re at the grocery store,” he said.
“Timing is critical where leads are concerned. We’ve had tremendous feedback on this.”
Avoya made another foray into mobile connectivity last year by making its web-based AgentPower technology compatible with the iPad, enabling affiliates to make bookings and communicate with clients via their tablets.
Agency networks the most likely developers
Other future agent-specific mobile tools most likely will also come from travel agency networks, rather than individual travel agencies, according to Ahlsmith.
A key reason is that agency networks have a greater ability than individual agencies “to foster the communication in the marketplace among the travelers, the suppliers and the advisors,” he said.
“Individual agencies will play with it (mobile technology) and use it to distinguish themselves, but in general there will be more work done by the consortia.”
Costly to develop
Of course, there is also a cost factor that agencies have to weigh when considering their own mobile tech development.
“Mobile is expensive,” said Signature’s Yeates. “It depends on the size of the agency and the level of control they want. Some of our members who do have (in-house tech development resources) probably will take it on their own.”
Tech providers too
There are other players in the mobile-for-agents arena.
One is Revelex, developer of the PowerAgent suite of agency solutions. The company is working on enabling agents to adopt the mobile channel, according to David Goodis, founder and chief executive officer of Revelex Corp.
“We’re launching some really exciting stuff in the new year,” he said.
Initially, Revelex is targeting medium and large agencies with its “exciting stuff.” Development is costly and time-consuming, Goodis explained.
But like most new technologies, this will evolve and adapt, and the price will come down over time.
In the meantime, “we are looking at lower-cost alternatives for smaller agencies,” he said.
See related story, “Mobile: The Next Big Game-Changer for Agents,” Dec. 1, 2011.
Michele McDonald contributed to this report.
