travel tech insights

Nick Ostdick

Recent Posts by Nick Ostdick:

3 Ways Travel Agents Benefit from Database Mapping

Think about the idea of a closet organizer: A device with a pre-built structure where you can easily view, store, and retrieve any number of clothing items from shoes to gloves to hats. A closet organizer not only helps you keep your closet space neat and tidy, but it also helps you know at any given time what clothing items you have on hand, in what condition, and what items you lack and may need to acquire given the time of year.

The way a closet organizer helps you assess your wants and needs for clothing functions very similar to  continuously cleaning and mapping their content databases for travel agents. Much like how your organizer keeps you up to date on your clothing inventory, content database mapping is a critical function for agents to ensure updated, accurate information about the products and services available from suppliers and for customers. Continuously mapped databases also ensures travel agents won’t miss out on the latest and greatest offers from suppliers, book inaccurately allocated hotels or accommodations, or be bogged down by slow search response times in their booking engine, travel ERP suite, or other technologies.

Topics: back office automation travel back office Databases Static databases Content mapping content matching

Why Your Travel Company Needs a Travel Booking System

You wouldn’t drive around an unfamiliar neighborhood or city without a map or some kind of GPS device. Not only could this result in confusion and frustration, but it could also result in more concrete, tangible consequences such as lost time, increased fuel costs, and undue wear and tear on your vehicle. To successfully navigate new areas, you need a powerful mapping system to get you where you need to go as fast and efficiently as possible.

Much the same can be said for why travel companies need a powerful, integrated travel booking system. Because the travel industry is  built on responding to disruptions (inclement weather, environmental events, or other delays and cancellations), travel companies must be agile enough to handle these and other temporary breakdowns in calculated, efficient ways to retain customers and continue operations in as normal a way as possible.

Topics: Travel Management Company travel booking system Booking engines Travel booking engines travel companies

5 Stats That Paint A Bright Future for Travel Agents

132,00. That’s how many travel agents were in operation in the United States in 1990, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). By 2014, that number had dwindled by half to about 71,000 and the projections for the next ten years indicate a continued decline by about 12 percent. On the surface, these statistics would seem to spell doom for traditional travel agents who are facing increasingly intense competition from online travel agencies, development of new technologies like mobile apps, and other user-driven sites like AirBnB.

Yet, these stats don’t fully represent the value and potential for growth travel agents pose within today’s global travel industry. With today’s modern traveler placing a greater emphasis on unique travel experiences, individually curated tours and activities, and a person-to-person connection in researching and completing travel bookings, traditional travel agents are actually uniquely positioned to expand their footprint and reach more customers than ever before.

Topics: online travel agency travel agents travel agencies

Why Travel Companies Need An ERP Solution in 2017

Today’s travel companies often find themselves in the same scenario as companies within a host of other industries: The prospect of having to do more with less.

Because the 21st Century travel industry demands travel companies operate with greater agility, flexibility, and visibility, travel companies are constantly tasked with increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing the overall customer experience in order to remain viable and competitive. With such a crowded field in today’s travel landscape, travel companies  can find themselves struggling to navigate the wealth of options, methods, and modes when it comes to increasing the efficacy of their products and services.

This is where a travel ERP solution is an important value proposition for travel companies as they strive to multi-task and work faster and more efficiently. The capacity of a travel ERP solution to automate workflows and back-office tasks, and fast, accurate invoicing and documentation reduce headaches for travel companies by streamlining once manual, time-consuming activities. This provides travel companies with greater visibility and responsiveness across each touch point of the value chain.

Topics: travel erp travel erp system erp system 2017

5 Stats About the Current State of Corporate Travel

If there’s one segment of the global travel industry that has continued to show potential for growth and development during the last five years, it’s corporate travel. As more countries emerge as hubs of international business and the global business community continues to align, the sheer number of corporate travelers and their impact on the travel industry has been a truly disruptive force pushing travel companies to modernize their practices and tailor products and services to this new breed of traveler.

In today’s travel industry, numbers don’t lie. Facts and data points are taken as gospel when evaluating the strength of the travel industry and what industry trends may have the biggest impact on what the travel landscape looks like six, nine, or 12 months in the future. For example, a recent survey from the Global Business Travel Association projected the total revenue generated from international business travel would reach  nearly $1 trillion dollars.

Topics: Business Travel Business Traveler Corporate Travel 2017