Customer relationship management (CRM) isn't new and (usually) isn't sexy enough to regularly make the headlines, but having CRM technology in place is a critical part of business management. CRM tools are software platforms that assist with managing customers and sales data as well as tracking client interactions to streamline processes and automate administrative tasks.
Over the years, various CRMs designed uniquely for the travel industry have emerged, each with its own twist on workflows and marketing. The upside of this development is that travel advisors have many choices about what service they ultimately use. The hard part is sorting through all the options.
The Power of CRMs for Data Storage and Automation
When Rosie Stermer, owner of Pegasus Travel Advisors, started her travel advisory business, she kept customer details, itineraries and quotes in Excel spreadsheets. After six months, it became clear she needed to make a change. "There was a lot to evaluate," she said. "I ended up asking my customers for feedback on how a CRM could assist with the input of information."
Stermer added that implementing a CRM was a learning curve, but she's using about 70 percent of the services now. Here are the key tools she takes advantage of:
- Securely storing customer details, including payment and identification information needed for booking
- Automating some of the administrative work she needs to do in advance of trips, including deposit reminders, requests for passports and sending communications to clients in advance of departure and return dates
- Comparing and corralling information on cruise ships and properties worldwide to personalize trips
- Using live training and webinars to learn about CRM features and how to use them with her clients
At first, Stermer identified two possible options — Travel Joy and Tess. From there, she created a small test group of trusted clients and had them try out the front end of both systems. "I assumed they'd pick Travel Joy because it has a larger focus on branding, so it's prettier," Stermer said. "But in the end, I got better feedback for Tess. That clinched the decision for me because I also liked working with Tess. The workflows and the tracking were what I wanted."
"There are a lot of little things that make life easier," she said. "For example, it'll tell me when we're a week out from deposit payments coming due. So I'm not doing that manually anymore. Or it will send out a welcome home email to my clients when they return from a trip, adding some personalization."
The addition of a CRM to Stermer’s workflow allowed her to emphasize the relationship with her clients instead of being bogged down by administrative tasks. A smoother process and extra time back in the workday allow Stermer to focus on business development and engagement.
Smoother Workflows Allow for Relationship Building
Terri Coon, founder of Hyland Travel, an affiliate of Andavo Travel, agrees. Automation with the ability to add personal touches is important for staying on top of business relationships and administrative work that could easily fall through the cracks. Coon uses Travel Joy.
Within the same system, Travel Joy tracks critical business information, such as customer details, payments, invoices and marketing efforts.
On the front end, customers will see a uniform, branded experience that allows them to pay deposits, see itineraries and helps them get everything together for trips ahead of time. On the backend, travel advisors can customize workflows to fit their individual needs.
"I like that it is mostly a workflow system,” explained Coon. “I was interested in trying to become more organized.”
From Managing Itineraries to Risk Management
Kim Goldstein, president of Journeys Travel, added that her CRM has helped with group management. Goldstein has a significant destination wedding business, which requires interacting with the entire wedding party and managing a variety of itineraries. She relies on Vacation CRM to do just this.
Vacation CRM has helped Goldstein with various business tasks:
- Providing reporting to brides and grooms about who has booked into their group
- Setting reminders for participants about key points in the itinerary
- Tracking received (or unreceived) quotes
- Outreach to inform clients if they’ve missed a quote or other pertinent information
“Every time we book a group, several reminders are added to the booking automatically. That’s been helpful for me and my team and the groups we manage,” Goldstein said. “We can also use this for quote management and tracking referral sources.”
Nadia Sparkle, president of Travel With Sparkle, also relies on Vacation CRM to manage her groups and embed risk management in her onboarding process. “One thing I like is that the client enters all their information and then reads and agrees to my terms. I’m not managing all the information on pieces of paper. That way, if there is an issue, I can go back and say, ‘This is how you entered the information’ – it protects the agents,” she explained.
Sparkle adds that being able to automate some of her marketing and administrative tasks is helpful as well. “We still reach out and build the relationships with our clients, but the automation adds a level of consistency,” she said.
Larger Agencies Lean Into Customizable Tools
Hosting agencies face a similar set of issues when evaluating CRMs. Hosting agencies maintain relationships with many individual travel advisors and must be able to manage that and provide add-on services like booking support.
Ali Moffitt, marketing manager for Andavo Travel, uses ClientBase, one of the largest travel-focused CRMs. These are some of the key assets she cites that benefit her business:
- The tool is highly customizable and can be used as part of a suite of other technology services
- ClientBase also works with major travel networks like Virtuoso, which Andavo is part of
- Advisors can use the network database for marketing and evaluating trips and properties
This compatibility has made ClientBase popular with both hosting agencies and travel advisors.
"We like that it is multi-functional and has credibility in the marketplace," said Moffitt. "From a user perspective, it's easy to use and secure, which is important for us. There are marketing options that our advisors can use, and it works with all the big databases like Virtuoso, which is helpful.”
Moffitt noted that cost is another key factor. "We're constantly evaluating our technologies to make sure they still work for our advisors and us," she said. "No one system is going to check all the boxes, but we want to be able to provide solutions to our advisors that help them manage their businesses effectively."
Cadence Travel, another hosting agency, is undergoing the same evaluation process. John Knob, senior director of brand and communications at Cadence, noted that the travel industry is getting more complex, and working with advisors requires more customization. Cadence uses Salesforce to manage its multiple travel-related business lines and client relationships. Advisors that work with Cadence can choose their own CRMs or use Salesforce.
"For us internally, Salesforce made more sense than going with a CRM that is segmented in a particular way because of how many different things we're doing. That said, an individual advisor may not need something of this scale and cost."
A Tool for Growth and Success
Knob says that for Cadence and the advisors they work with, CRMs can help with business management and growth. "The automation is key — it helps us manage touchpoints and helps us to stay on target or identify areas for improvement." But, he added, the software will never fully replace personal relationship building, which ultimately drives the travel industry.
"The ‘C’ in CRM to us is our advisor community," he said. "They're building the relationships and maintaining them, and while software can help, travel is still a people business. The relationships aren't going to come from marketing emails; it's about how advisors leverage tools to provide value."
Originally featured in the Spring 2023 issue of The Compass magazine.
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