Choosing a System 2008/09 Travel Technology Guide
Choosing a System
Mike Cogan, Partner, Equinus
For much of my career there were just a handful of travel systems. Airlines had powerful
reservation computers and distributed seats through the GDS. Tour operators had
reservation systems, some developed from the airlines. And travel agents (in the UK) had
viewdata and maybe an agency management system to record bookings and pay
suppliers. All fairly straightforward and choosing a system was usually a matter of price.
Then along came the Internet and soon everyone needed a website. Any old site would
do as long as it didn’t cost too much and didn’t need much attention. Oh how things have
changed!
Tour operators are now offering components alongside pre-packaged holidays and agents
are becoming tour operators. The business model is converging and so too is the
technology. Attracting online consumers has become a business in itself and having any
old website isn’t good enough. Choosing a travel system now requires careful research
and planning. There are lots of suppliers with good systems, some offering flexible
payment plans that link charges to usage. Price is no longer the key issue. Today it’s
more about choosing a system that will help increase conversion rates and reduce the
cost of sale and fulfilment.
So what should one be looking for in a business system and how should one go about it?
The first thing is to write down what will be important for your business, today and for the
next 3 to 5 years. Do you have a website and do you want it to offer online booking?
This applies as much to travel agents as tour operators. What about brochures? Do you
want website visitors to download all or part of your brochure? Do you need a shared
content management system that can be used to create printed brochures and support
your website, displaying text and images alongside an availability search?
Will you need GDS integration? Do you sell through travel agents and do you need
viewdata or a secure travel agent area on to your website? Do you want to offer some
form of dynamic packaging? If so, which component suppliers will you be using? Will you
be taking allocations or connecting directly to the suppliers selling system? Do you need
a flight engine that will search for seats from no frills airlines and other airline websites?
Do you have net airline net fares and where will these be loaded? I could go on and on
and the list can be exhaustive. But this is why it’s so important to get these requirements
down on paper.
Once you have documented your key requirements, start compiling a list of suppliers.
The Internet is a good source of information and there are online and printed guides. Ask
around and invest some time at specialist events, such as the Travel Technology Show
and WTM.
Next write to the suppliers, either by email or post. Introduce your business and describe
what you are looking for in a system. List the functionality that must be available, such as
GDS integration, postcode lookup, card processing, viewdata etc. Then list any optional
or later items, such as a content management system or website booking. Finally ask for
a written response including an indicative price and a client list, all to be provided within a
reasonable timescale.
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