Travelocity Business president Ellen Keszler said call support for her division's clients initially would not be sent to India as part of a new deal involving the rest of Travelocity
(BTNonline, Feb. 11), because "corporate customer relationships are more complex, they demand different types of services, such as VIP, and even some types of consulting. Travelocity Business is still relatively new, and we continue to build out its services and offerings. At the same time, we need to continue to drive down our costs and there's no question that outsourcing is a proven way to do that, so as things develop, we'll consider it."
Keszler said Travelocity Business clients would continue to be handled from a San Antonio call center, which will lose 50 of its 750 positions to India. A Virginia call center that employs 250 people, but does not support the business travel unit, will be closed later this year.
She said the San Antonio center is catching up to TQ3 Travel Solutions in St. Louis in terms of mid-office and reporting functions for corporate clients. "We're replicating all of the capabilities" in St. Louis, which handles fulfillment for some of T-Biz's largest clients as a legacy of GetThere's Fulfillment Service Option
(BTN, Aug. 13, 2003). She said T-Biz would continue to work with such fulfillment partners--noting that deciding which to use is up to the customer--although "our preference is to do it ourselves."