While just a few years ago travel agencies also focused on booking services, they now offer an all-round consulting service and use new technologies to put together safe, efficient and relevant travel offers for business travelers. In this post, we will look at travel agencies in a changing business travel landscape and how they have adapted to stay relevant in the digital age through personalized offers.
What do travel agencies do?
Travel agencies act as private retailers that provide travel and tourism-related services on behalf of hotels, airlines and travel providers. The primary role of travel agencies is to act as intermediaries and sell travel products and services on behalf of suppliers.
Business travel agencies ensure that business travel is safe, efficient and cost-effective for a company. A business travel agency is an organization that must have appropriate accreditations authorizing its agents to sell and ticket domestic and international travel.
Evolution in the business travel world
After the Covid-19 pandemic, it took a little longer for business travel to resume. There were also many other factors, such as: the safety and willingness of business travelers to board a plane, customers’ interest in in-person meetings, the value of attending a conference and whether a virtual conference platform can replace the respective business trip.
As a result, business travelers currently have to expect much higher flight and room prices. And the following trends and developments can be observed in the industry:
The changing role of travel agencies
The travel industry is becoming increasingly digital: online booking sites and virtual tours are significantly changing the experience. While nothing can completely replace visiting a destination in person, new technology is making planning and executing trips easier in many ways.
Digital travel management platforms play an important role when booking business trips. Comparing thousands of flight, hotel and car rental options in one place makes travel planning much easier. There are also customized customer offerings to expand the experience for corporate customers. Contactless mobile check-ins and keyless room entry could soon become mainstream.
What is the traditional role of travel agencies in business travel?
15 years ago it was still quite common to book business trips through a personal travel agency. They acted exclusively as an intermediary partner for bookings. In this case, often business travelers might have used physical travel agencies to get advice and relied solely on the information provided by the travel agents as the use of the internet was not as frequent or they would have done all transactions over the phone.
Changes in the industry
There have been some changes in the business travel industry in recent years. Due to the changing business travel landscape, travel agents have had to redefine their role to stay relevant. They are by no means just booking agencies, but have developed into comprehensive travel partners. Travel agencies now act as consultants, negotiators and planners and are usually available to customers with 24/7 customer service.
Impact of technology on travel agencies
The impact of technology on travel agencies is felt in a number of ways. Customer service is becoming increasingly focused and personalized. Technology provides the data agencies need to streamline operations, reduce costs and increase revenue.
Travel transformation is about moving faster and creating the flexibility to recognize and respond to customer needs better than ever before. It’s about making customers happier and ensuring that sales increase and companies become profitable.
Although too many companies in the industry still struggle with outdated organizational structures and the old way of thinking and doing things, it is time to change and modernize and the introduction of a travel management platform provides the right foundation to meet the new demands to do justice.
How travel agencies manage business trips today
Business travel agencies are increasingly using digital and more technological options to make bookings for their customers. This is all about all-in-one solutions and personalized experiences.
Rise of online booking platforms like GetGoing
The global market for online travel booking platforms is currently booming and is expected to grow significantly over the next 10 years.
Now more than ever, travel tech is an essential part of business travel. Whether it’s your favorite flight app, an app that helps you beat jet lag, a flight app, or a travel management platform like GetGoing that you can access even while you’re traveling, travel technology is a must; it’s without a doubt one of the most important companions on a business trip.
Focus on personalized travel experiences
Personalization makes the booking process easier for your travelers. You probably want choices, but without being overwhelmed by them. Personalization ensures balance. Bookers are given many choices, but can narrow down their options based on company-specific information, personal preferences and colleague data.
A personalized travel management platform can also integrate travel policies into travel recommendations and flag hotels that fall outside the travel policy. In this way, the platform helps your travelers avoid bookings that do not comply with a company’s travel policies.
Leveraging technology for effortless travel management
The use of modern technologies makes the booking process for business trips much easier. A handy tech travel planning platform like GetGoing will help you simplify the process. After you create an account, you can book all travel options such as trains, rental cars, flights and hotels in one place.
As an admin, you can set price caps and rate rules so you can ensure your employees’ travel arrangements stay within budget. You can also automate your company’s travel policies to ensure everything goes according to plan and you’re on top of everything.
In addition to GetGoing, you can also use helpful technical apps such as Google Maps, ride-hailing services such as Uber or Free Now, a currency converter and a translator app for your business trips. While these apps aren’t designed specifically for business travel, they do help business travelers stay on top of their journey.
The future of travel agencies in business travel
More and more business travelers want personalized service and convenient technology. There is a big opportunity here to give travel agents and small travel businesses more affordable inventory, websites, digital payments and other tools that can be afforded by a travel management platform like GetGoing.
Trends in the travel industry
A trend that was already observed before the pandemic is solo travel. More and more entrepreneurs are traveling alone. The “experience economy” is huge in the travel industry. In the coming years, fewer and fewer people will probably be satisfied with everyday leisure activities on their business trips. As with almost all businesses, technology offers seemingly endless possibilities in the business travel industry.
Strategies for being on top of business travel
In order to stay up to date as a travel agency for business trips, it is advisable to keep an eye on industry reports and study results. Attend travel industry conferences and events to gain insights. Network and learn from your colleagues. Use online resources and forums for real-time updates. Also work with innovative partners to implement new practices.
How travel agencies continue to develop
As travel agencies move away from traditional booking services toward all-in-one travel management offerings, the focus is increasingly on personal, value-driven travel experiences. This is where strategic partnerships in the industry are important.
Travel agencies have evolved from booking agents to customer advisors who provide comprehensive and thoughtful recommendations. With the introduction of fees and online access to information via the Internet, the travel agency industry has increasingly had to take on an advisory role when dealing with customers.
Final thoughts about the role of travel agencies in business travel
As you can see, business travel agencies have managed to adapt to the changing business travel landscape and stay relevant. By focusing booking services on personalized experiences and advice and embracing new technology, travel agencies have been able to establish themselves as informed advisors in the new digital world.
Online tools can help your company provide only the best service to your customers and welcome new technologies like AI and digital business travel management platforms like GetGoing with open arms.