Super-Regional Agents Purvey Proprietary Tech Tools

<B>Super-Regional Agents Purvey Proprietary Tech Tools</B>

By Megan Hjermstad

Even as more third-party tech providers come online and partner with agencies to bring their products to market, several traditional super-regional agencies are developing and supporting software to provide more control, customization and cost savings for corporate clients.

Among the most visible travel management companies in the category are Garber Travel, Stevens Travel Management, Total Travel Management and VTS Travel Direct.

Harold Stevens, president of New York-based Stevens Travel Management and its sister company Insight Data, said his is one of the few smaller agencies that still develops its own automation. "Everyone thinks that's crazy," said Stevens. "Over the years, we spent so much time and money, it is worth it. Others have similar products, but they are not customized for the way we do business."

Stevens began developing technology 10 years ago, when "I realized if I could come up with software products, I could build business more rapidly," he said. Stevens' product, the Insight Agency Productivity Tool Box, is a base front-to-back product line that increases agent productivity by eliminating manual tasks with scripts, automated PNR completion and screen-pop technology.

"The impact is on the agent at the time of booking," said Stevens. "If a client calls, the screen-pop feature tells the agent about negotiated fares, travel advisories and if the destination requires a passport or visa. It all happens without the agent doing anything. We have built in those kind of tools throughout the system."

Stevens said the product allows agents to do faring outside of the GDS. Profile information also is kept off-host to allow easier and more consistent access to company and traveler data. "Every agency has a problem with how many times the agent enters the GDS," he said, which is reduced by doing work outside of the system. The company also offers T/Res, an off-host pre-travel database with remote access via T/Access and Insight Data Retrieval System, a desktop management reporting system that provides consolidated data in queryable reports and graphs.

VTS Travel Direct has taken a similar approach to developing most of its software internally. "If a client says they need to have a certain feature, and it makes sense to do that enhancement, we have the control to develop it," said Leslie Lafferty, vice president of Internet services and products for VTS Travel Enterprises Inc. "If we buy another product, we are very limited in what we can do."

The New York-based agency's proprietary online booking product, DirectLink, allows travelers to access a database of negotiated fares, schedules and availability for airlines, hotels and cars to book, change and cancel reservations. VTS, which has been developing Web products since 1997, has a team of full-time dedicated programmers. "For us to have them as employees allows for total control over programming priorities, and we are not at the mercy of an outside company's schedule," said Lafferty. VTS has 90 corporate clients using DirectLink generating more than 18,000 transactions per month. In addition to offering products to its own clients, VTS is marketing them to other travel management companies.

The company's reengineered data reporting software will be included in the DirectLink package or can be purchased as a stand-alone product. DirectData compiles daily information from the GDS and produces standard and ad-hoc reports downloadable via the Web.

But Lafferty said the most exciting new technology is on the agent desktop. VTS recently launched its new Agent Desktop solution, which sits on top of the Apollo system and simultaneously gives the agent access to negotiated net hotel rates. "The technology leaves virtually no room for the agent not to book within policy," Lafferty said. "Corporate clients with negotiated hotel rates could load them into the Agent Desktop to ensure they are getting the right rate."

Other agencies have opted to concentrate on developing a particular type of software. Boston-based Garber Travel Service Inc. has focused primarily on supporting and enhancing its reporting package, GarberMagic 2000. The product, which first was released in 1989, was re-released in the 2000-compliant version in November of 1998. Executive vice president Joan Kaplan said developing the product in-house definitely is cost effective. "The programmers who work with us are on a contract basis, so we are able to use them as consultants on an ad-hoc basis," said Kaplan. She added that enhancements based on corporate client feedback are made regularly.

MIS manager Andy Knox said the primary advantage of in-house development and support is: "If you go to a third party, you can't get changes and bugs fixed. If there is a bug in a report, we can get it fixed in a day, and make major changes in a couple of weeks."

Garber also had "developed other Internet systems, but found that we didn't have the budget, staffing and applications to be competitive," said Knox. "We continue to develop GarberMagic because it still makes sense." GarberMagic receives a data feed from the back office that is returned in a weekly ARC-audited report. The product also can provide daily pre-travel data that can be used for exception reports. "It is really dirty data," said Knox. "It is good for a variety of purposes, but not accounting. I don't trust this info because people constantly are making changes."

Garber in April launched a Web-based version of the product. Knox said that version will bring on smaller clients that didn't have the volume to warrant MIS support. "For years we supported a desktop application and it was a lot of work to maintain," said Knox. "Putting it on the Web is so easy for clients to access, and we are maintaining one database, not 50."

Meanwhile, Troy, Mich.-based Total Travel Management is in the final development stages of its global travel portal, Travelligence, with plans for its first beta test in 1Q 2001. Travelligence will provide its corporate clients with multiple Internet airfares while bypassing the GDS. Travelligence accesses the Internet using an intelligent switch that directs clients to the appropriate airline Web site, which will provide them with the lowest available fare based on their specific preferred vendors and travel policy. Once directed to the lowest fare, the software then automatically will apply the appropriate corporate discount.

"As we try to drive down the travel expenditures of our clients, we have to be able to provide them with low-cost alternatives," said Linda Garback, president of Total Travel Management. To that end, TTM also has developed CoPilot II, a self-booking tool that interfaces with multiple GDSs to allow the traveler to book according to specific policy.

TTM created an HTML-based profile database, which enables agents to centralize data collection and update profiles. It also has the GDS connectivity necessary to support accessibility during the res process. Travelers can update client-specified information in their profiles. "In the future, in determining if we will develop software solutions in-house," said Garback, "the decision will be based on the project requirement, cost, timeliness and availability from an outside vendor.