Here at PEAK 15 we’ve never been big believers in technology for technology sake. The tour operator industry has always been about people at the end of day. It is those personal relationships that build trust and loyalty with your customers. So it is understandable that many are reluctant (or at best conflicted) by the promise of using software to automate certain activities in your business. The peril is that doing so could cause you to lose that personal connection with your customers.
We believe it is key to take a balanced look — not at how software can eliminate people but instead how it can free them up to actually spend more time building relationships with your customers, travelers and suppliers. Take, for example, collecting payment from customers. Purpose-built software such as PEAK 15 is able to understand the nuances of payment terms and conditions in our industry such as the fact that payment must be collected at booking for certain pieces such as airfare or travel protection and send reminders and alerts internally or directly to the customer. For customers that opt-in, there is even an auto-pay feature. This allows your customer facing teams to spend less time chasing payment and more time getting them ready and excited for their trip or thinking about their next trip.
Another aspect of this balanced approach is to acknowledge that not everything can or should be automated. There will always be exceptions to any rules or processes you define and people need to be inserted when those exceptions occur. Booking cancelation policies is a good example. When a customer needs to cancel a booking a person is in a much better position to learn why they are cancelling and possibly change their mind or offer a solution that is better for everyone.
PEAK 15 has been helping our community navigate the promise and peril of automation for over 15 years. Reach out to learn more about how we can help your organization.