SOUTHLAKE, Texas, Feb 08, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Travelocity Business(SM) today announced a new-and-improved version of its agent desktop technology designed to help its agents deliver even faster, more efficient service to travelers. Based on detailed feedback from Travelocity Business agents, the new version provides a more intuitive interface, better streamlines the workflow process, and simplifies the number of screens an agent must access to service a traveler.
The agent desktop also incorporates several new automatic functions into the offline environment that emulate processes that occur during an online booking, ensuring that corporations receive the same consistent service, regardless of whether a trip is booked online or through an agent.
“Our goal as Travelocity Business agents is to help our customers be successful at their own businesses by making corporate travel a smooth and easy process,” said Suzanna Runcorn, executive and international travel consultant at Travelocity Business. “The new agent desktop will greatly enhance our ability to focus more attention on the traveler while simultaneously reducing call times. That’s really what being a full-service corporate travel agency is all about — customer service!”
Benefits Travelocity Business customers can expect as a result of refinements to the agent desktop include:
— More timely flight information and updates — Travelers will now find out about potential travel issues such as weather and flight delays more quickly. A new process automatically routes these updates directly to the Travelocity Business agent desktop. Agents in turn can more proactively help travelers explore alternative travel options.
— Quicker upgrades — Travelers that call agents for assistance will now receive upgrades even more quickly. A new pop-up screen automatically appears on the agent desktop during the booking process to notify the agent if a traveler qualifies.
— Faster assistance with international travel documentation — Travelers will receive speedier assistance with international travel needs as information about visa forms and other international travel requirements are now integrated into the agent desktop.
— Better reporting & tracking — Companies that require specific authorization codes to reconcile travel activity will benefit from a new quality control procedure within the desktop. Similar to online processes, the automated feature confirms that all relevant data has been entered before an offline booking can be completed. This ensures that final reports consistently and accurately reflect each company’s special corporate travel requirements for both online and offline bookings.
— Enhanced loyalty program tracking — Special enhancements to the desktop help ensure that a traveler’s loyalty IDs for air, car and hotel programs are integrated into their final itinerary for credit with key suppliers. The improved ID tracking also helps facilitate activities such as the pre-arrangement of car rentals, so that travelers can avoid waiting in long lines at the rental counter.
“Travelocity Business agents teamed up with our product development group to help us create an improved agent desktop based on their extensive knowledge of the corporate travel industry,” said Kathleen Petrovic, vice president of Global Operations at Travelocity Business. “What better way for us to stay committed to constantly enhancing the customer experience than to make it easier for our agents to service travelers.”
The new agent desktop has been rolled out to the Travelocity Business service center in Southlake, Texas, and will be rolled out to all other service centers over the next month.
About Travelocity Business
Travelocity Business is a full-service corporate travel agency that helps companies easily manage travel and reduce costs, while providing more choices to travelers. Travelocity Business combines the savings and convenience of online with the full service of dedicated agents available 24/7 who typically answer the phone in 20 seconds, and within 60 seconds guaranteed (see site for guarantee details). Companies can cut travel costs through flight deals, Web fares, hotel discounts and reduced service fees — with average business airfare savings of 35%(a) or $185(a) per trip.
Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE:TSG) is a world leader in travel commerce, retailing travel products and providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at http://www.sabre-holdings.com.
Travelocity Business combines the expertise, service and travel choices of Travelocity(R) with corporate experience gained from serving more than half of the Fortune 200 companies. For more information, companies can visit www.travelocitybusiness.com.
(a) For Q1 2005, the average ticket price for Travelocity Business
travelers was $347 compared to the industry available average
airfare of $532 (NBTA "Changes in USA Network Airlines' Domestic
Fares" -- February, 2005). Both the Travelocity Business study and
the NBTA study compared U.S. domestic business roundtrip airfares
in identical top business city pairs.
SOURCE: Travelocity Business
Vollmer Public Relations Mary Kate Smither, 972-488-4790 marykate@vollmerpr.com or Noel Bilodeau, 415-932-1292 noel.bilodeau@travelocity.com
