Partnership at heart

APAC has been a region that we have been monitoring to expand our presence into for some time. Whilst we now have an excellent array of clients in Asia, we have never worked closely with our partners in the region.

That changed yesterday. We took the first stride towards the partnership much more seriously and much more visibility in APAC region. We’ve successfully hosted a breakfast seminar with Salesforce for Travel agencies and Tour operators.

We’ve met up with a range of local Tour Operators and Travel Agents. They are not just looking for what’s next in the travel technology but more of how can they realistically serve their customers insure the customers have their dream holidays.

These companies that we have met up are passionate about what they do and how they operate in general. They are also realistic that without adapting onto a new travel technology and more specifically a Travel centric Customer Relationship Management Solution, they may never know their customers needs truly.

A travel technology for all

Most of these agencies are also aware that they don’t have an unlimited budget to keep on top of data security, AI, VR, mobile app and so on. They not only seek for travel software but also for a sustainable partnership. A company like Sugati Travel CRM, which is specialised in technology for travel agencies and tour operators, that can grow with them.

Wowza! is some of the reaction we have got as soon as they see what Sugati Travel CRM can do their businesses and benefits the travel system brings.

We have a bright future in the region. Our local team is going to support every single client nicely in their own time zone.

ATOL Certificate – how your travel software can help

ATOL is a UK’s financial protection scheme that protects travellers while using a UK ATOL holder travel agency. That ATOL certificate is a guarantee for your clients to be protected. That ensures them that they will not lose money if the health of your travel business becomes critical.

What do you need to include in your ATOL certificate?

The first and last name of all passengers included on the trip as well as the PAX. You have to mention what is protected by the certificate, including dates, flight number, airline, hotels, type of room, etc. The details of the travel agency that they have used to book the trip with, have to be mentioned too. Finally, at the bottom of the certificate, you have to add the details of your ATOL number and the unique reference number of the certificate.

Why is ATOL painful for Travel Agent and how automation help you in that process?

As explained above, ATOL certificates must contain all components that make up the trip and has to be really specific. Even if you have a template to follow it’s really easy to make mistakes. You might have to find every single component in a different place. I could be that you find them from your GDS platform, airline suppliers, client’s details or other databases… Everything takes longer when you have to pull each piece of information manually, mistakes are commonly made, that’s for sure.

With Sugati what we do is really simple! We take pieces of information from the booking level and we populate the data automatically into the certificate for you. It’s really helpful and allows you to gain back crucial time.

Also, what’s really cool with automation, is that if there are changes on the client booking: date, number of PAX, airline company and so on, the related information will be changed automatically in the certificate. We can at the drop of a hat change their processes or certificates.

Sugati Travel CRM can take the stress out of this by updating the certificates for you upon request.

With our travel software you have the reassurance that your information will be legally correct, accurate and the format, background colour and text sizes are as required. In other words, we provide you with a stress-free feature that allows you to avoid mistakes. At the click of a button, the system understands the logic behind the booking to provide your clients with an ATOL certificate.

Commons mistakes

As it’s not always at the front of the staff’s mind since it’s only bookings with flights on, it’s easy to forget to send an ATOL manually. Sugati can automate the sending of the certificate. We can also include the certificate with the confirmation email/document when a flight forms part of the itinerary.

Asia Roadshow

Due to popular demand, Sugati team is going to be in Singapore meeting with potential clients.

If you are a Tour Operator or Travel Agent, based in Hong Kong and South East Asia, that sells tailor-made or group holidays, you certainly don’t want to miss our Asia road show. Let us demonstrate how Sugati’s reputable existing clients are using our end to end Travel CRM solution and how it can help you grow your business.

This is an invitation-only event. Please do get in touch for 2 hours consultation and demo slot on 16th January (Wednesday), 17th (Thursday) and 18th January (Friday).

Slots are generally available from 10:00 to 18:00 every day, though some slots have been taken up already.

Thanks

The Sugati Team

Why are regular travel CRM releases essential to your travel CRM software? 

There is always a debate over whether it is better to invest in an ‘off the shelf’ solution or have a bespoke system built for your business. There is no right or wrong answer to this dilemma. We would recommend that whichever option you choose, that you make sure the travel software (bespoke or off the shelf) is regularly updated without any additional cost.

It doesn’t make any sense to opt for a travel technology solution that does not allow you to use a certain section of the system without additional charges. In the process of finding the best travel CRM, make sure you will always benefit from a fully updated travel solution. Whether you want to invest more or not. Whether you have paid a setup fee or you are on a subscription, that element is really important to consider.

Ideally, the travel CRM should be built on top of a technology platform rather than at the back of your website (for example, WordPress). Otherwise, you are missing out on a whole bunch of technology innovation that technology disruptors and your immediate competitors are going to adapt quicker than you think.

It’s about time you stop wasting money!

A system that’s not updated regularly is a travel CRM solution that is losing efficiency and value. This means that, slowly, you will use only a small part of your travel CRM software. Therefore you’ll lose the advantage to your nearest competitors. Using only certain components of your travel technology is like using an old-school travel system. If you opt for a ‘true travel CRM‘, in other words – a powerful technology, what is the point of only using part of it? 

On the flip side, if you are on a system that gets updated regularly, you don’t need to worry about changes. Your ATOL certificate, GDPR preparation, and changes in security certificate updates will be updated automatically. The vendor will ideally take care of everything for you, and come up with efficiency gain features on a continuous basis.

A great travel CRM is a flexible solution

One of the key features that a buyer should be looking for a travel technology solution is flexibility. For example, as you start using the travel CRM system, you may come to realise that it would be great to be able to adjust certain components or elements on the travel system, in order to make it more user-friendly. Having such flexibility would definitely be a great bonus. 

What does user-friendly mean? 

Gone are the days where you need a specific programing language to make changes to the system. If you are speaking to a potential vendor who requires you to invest your time and money in for the below updates, we recommend you seek alternatives. It shouldn’t cost you a body part to be able to do simple things such as:

1. Create a new field
2. Change the page layout
3. Create workflow rules
4. Build reports  
5. Create a dashboard
   

You will say that this approach seems difficult if you are a sales manager, marketing specialist or a financial director. I understand that. Actually, you shouldn’t need to approach developers to do all of these things, and the system should be flexible enough for you to be able to make the necessary changes.

Consider a user-friendly travel CRM solution, and make sure you are able to change everything you need, when you need to change it and how you need to change it. What makes the difference is really how easy you feel the system is to use. 

What about the back office functionality?

In terms of back office functionalities, a great travel CRM software enables you to create simple things that simplify your daily tasks, such as reminders, system-wide prompts, and task management (monitoring the workload and assigning tasks to an individual). These must be out of the box features.

Once again, these things have to be simple for you to change and automate. When choosing your travel CRM technology, ask for the training program. Make sure you are not buying a travel system that you will not be able to use. Your travel technology provider will have to provide either video training or in-person training, to help you start using your dream solution. My advice would be to opt for a technology vendor that provides in-person training. Talking with the technical team face to face and asking questions directly is always beneficial to your understanding.

At Sugati Travel CRM we always ensure we help you to use your travel CRM solution. Since Sugati Travel CRM is based on top of Salesforce, we do provide in-person or remote Salesforce training as well as documentation, and full access to training videos. We look after you before, during and after Sugati setup installation. We help you to become a Sugati expert and make sure you are able to use the system and change things on a daily basis if needed.

Is your travel CRM software’s API connections friendly?

From experience, one of the main problems that our current clients face is the connectivity between the different platforms. 

The travel system must be able to connect to various GDSs such as Multicom, Expedia, Saber, Amadeus and payment gateway providers, for example, Stripe. The travel agency software must also be able to communicate to the accounting system, your map system and the telephony system in place. However, these integrations don’t come at a cheap price and that is what needs to be taken into consideration. 

We actually recommend that you look for a travel CRM that has an ecosystem of partner technology solutions providers, such as the AppExchange by Salesforce. For example, let’s think of your iPhone and various Apps you can purchase or download from the App Store. All that is required from you is to download a new app and start using it. Applications available on AppExchange are similar, in the sense that in a few clicks you will be able to add new features to your travel CRM system. 

But what kind of API shall I consider?

A solution that is designed to be implemented in different business environments is a travel CRM solution that is able to connect to your different business entity. The right solution has to fit your business needs, and you are the only one who knows what kind of integrations you need. However, the following here is a list of basic travel API connexion you would eventually require :

• GDS APIs
• Flights data 
• Car rental
• Public transportation
• Cruises
• Railway
• Channel managers
• Restaurant or Things to do platforms
• OTAs

As the travel industry is changing rapidly and progressively, the API connexions are not obviously used by the current clients of your travel technology provider. However, if you make sure that your new travel CRM software is API connexion friendly, you won’t have any troubles.

Sugati Travel CRM is a fully integrated solution with many technology solution suppliers. Because with are partners with some of them, we always introduce you to the right person in order to help your setup installation. Find out more about our partners and many integrations Sugati Travel CRM offers. 

How can a great reporting tool benefit your travel agency or tour operator?

Now that you have a 360-degree view of your customers, and have set up various automation processes along the customer journey, you should ensure that the system you are onboarding has a booking engine, and that it does not only have a set of prebuilt reports but is also able to generate reports as and when you want them. More importantly, the numbers on the report should be reliable and accurate.

What should your new travel CRM system take care of?

In our experience, we have come across so many user-friendly lightweight systems, where because you just can’t rely on their numbers, you must spot them and try to avoid them manually. On the other hand, there are systems where reports and dashboards can be scheduled to be sent to you or the relevant members of the team. You should be able to produce CAA reports and all other relevant financial and legal reports, along with marketing and sales reports with a few clicks of a button.

Being able to manage your reporting tool yourself and personalise the report figures is indispensable. Various departments and individuals will require different types of reports, including information relevant to their own role. Therefore, it is important for individuals to be able to generate meaningful reports that are both easy to generate and understand. Actually, you will be surprised to hear that a lot of travel businesses are not using, measuring, or analysing their insights. That common mistake is due to a lack of time and efficiency. 

What will these insights help with?

These insights will also be beneficial in helping you to negotiate with your different suppliers. Use your reporting tool to create accurate reports. Show your suppliers the number of travellers you brought to one particular supplier, how much did they spent, how many times a year you are using their services, etc… All these pieces of information will allow you to negotiate as much as you want with your contract terms, payment terms and so on. 

It will also enable you to measure client behaviour, likes and dislikes. Check to see who is going on holidays, what is the best period for you for promoting certain destinations, depending on the age, sex, situation, etc. Gone are the days when you were not paying attention to insights! Basically, you can do pretty much everything: hotel bookings summary, air ticket booking summary, air companies used reporting, etc.

When you start using a great reporting tool your business overview and perspective will become clear and logical immediately. When you start looking for a new travel CRM system ask for a bespoke demo. Ask to see the different values, figures, periods in the reporting tool – things relevant to your travel business. Make sure you can create, measure and send a report with a click of a button.

Make things possible with travel technology 

Without this knowledge about travellers and destinations trends, you could potentially miss some sales opportunities. As explained in this article, one of the things you can now do is deal with the future. Now, with travel technology, it’s possible to predict your sales on your Travel CRM solution. 

Sugati Travel CRM uses a really powerful reporting tool and it is easy to use. We will be pleased to show you a demo of our travel CRM solution if it’s of interest. The team at Sugati is getting ready to help your travel business understand your needs. Request a demo to what our fantastic Salesforce solution for travel agents has to offer.

What is a true understanding of your customers?

Most tour operators and travel agents have gone through the experience of using four or five systems.

The challenge with having a silo system that is you never have a 360-degree view of your customer. This means you will never have a true understanding of your customers. Being able to define a customer profile, categorise and engage with them in a personalised way will not be possible if your website does not talk to your enquiry system. Which in turn does not talk to your booking system, inventory management system, payment system and your supplier management system and so on.

Why is the 360-degree view so important?

Marketing and customer success are really difficult to measure. Even though your team is allocating a lot of time dealing with your clients, making sure they are satisfied with your services and your quality of answers, you cannot beat technology. A great travel designer will follow every step of the sales process and always be curious and try to understand the client better. However, that approach is only practical if you have a small travel agency or tour operator. What about the big agencies? The ones that receive one thousand inquiries a day. How do you deal with managing customer relationships here?

Along the customer journey, you will engage with your client from the inquiry stage, all the way to the post-holiday stage. Traditionally, most of this information is gathered and stored in various systems. Thus, individuals at the company are unable to have a 360-degree view of their clients, creating complications and difficulties operating the business successfully. Having all details and information gathered under one system will allow you to have a 360-degree view of your customers, which in turn will result in an overall enhancement of each stage in the customer journey. Subsequently, implementing an end-to-end travel technology solution that provides a 360-degree view of your customers will enable your business to offer exceptional customer service and client experience.

What’s the result of obtaining a comprehensive understanding of your customer?

• As a result of from great customer data management, your client will enjoy a personalised experience with your travel advisor. With a complete travel CRM solution, your agents will be able to manage the client’s expectation effectively and easily.
• Better organisation? Of course, and gain efficiency with all the information gathered and stored in one place. A new starter coming? No need to ask every single one of your travel advisors. Look at the prospect/client detailed information and take it from there.
• If you are running marketing campaigns or trying to promote some of your itineraries or tours, knowing your clients will become a real advantage. Send personalised marketing messages and different types of special offers to your clients depending on their purchases, profile and interest.
• Analyse your customers’ behaviour and predict travel interest as well as your turnover. Thanks to all the communication and different interactions with your client you can create a scoring system and segment your portfolio. That will help you to target your clients perfectly. 

Is that it?

Of course not. We could talk about 360-degree view benefits for a while… Sugati Travel CRM is the best travel crm solution for the travel trade and we are using our customer insights to help our clients gain efficiency and enhance overall business performance. If you are keen to know more about the different aspects of the travel CRM features and functionality, please feel free to request a first call today. 

The key features of a complete travel CRM

From pure spreadsheets to reservation systems and online booking systems, every travel technology system in the world has its core strengths and weaknesses. There are so many travel systems out there too.

So how do you choose which one is right for your business?

Our Chief Technology Officer talks about eight key pieces of functionality that you will definitely need in your travel agent software.

“From my experience in the travel sector and technology in general, I firmly believe the aspects detailed below are the characteristics of a complete travel CRM.”

Use a platform instead of a product

First of all, your solution has to be web-based. But how do you know that a cloud-based travel CRM system is valuable for your travel agency or tour operators? Click here, for the answer.

A 360° customer view is essential to your sales performance

Secondly, make sure you will benefit from a single customer view. Stop using ten different technology solutions and duplicating the same information everywhere. It’s the time for you to consider the 360° view. Let’s talk about this right here.

Automate your sales process easily

Something else. The automation process will be the way the most effective way for you to gain rapidity and efficiency. But what is a true automated CRM software and how does it contribute to your success?

Measure your figures

What about the reporting tool? Measuring your performance and ensuring that the health of your travel business is great is essential! Our marketing team will explain our own experience on a truly user-friendly travel platform. 

Connect your indispensable solutions to your travel CRM

Are you using your campaign manager tool, your telephony solution, your accounting system or a marketing solution? Are you struggling with all these leads sources? Make sure your travel CRM system is using API connexion. In this article, we aim to demonstrate all the connectivity possibilities available with Sugati Travel CRM.

Flexibility helps your team to be efficient

One of the key features that a buyer should be looking out for in a travel technology solution is flexibility. Flexibility and back office features are essential to your new travel system and we will explain why here.

Artificial Intelligence isn’t for the others, it’s also for travel businesses

One of the last things, I know that Artificial Intelligence sounds futuristic sometimes, but that is what makes the major difference between the different travel technology vendors. Learn how AI is used in travel technology solutions.

There are other versions after the 1.0. Benefit from it!

And, finally, make sure your travel CRM system is updated regularly. And, of course, that you don’t pay for every release! Here is the last blog article you would like to read. Be sure to make the right decision for your travel agency or your tour operator.

I hope my experience and expertise will help your travel business to succeed with travel technology. This storytelling is really important if you are looking to change your current travel software or opt for a travel technology solution. If you are interested in knowing a bit more about Sugati Travel CRM. Request the first call now by clicking here.

What you will love in Sugati Travel CRM…

Knowing for a fact that the number of travel technology solution providers is growing a lot, we need, as a travel CRM platform, to be different and unique. Being unique and saying to be unique it’s such a different thing, don’t you think? What we would like to say, isn’t how better we are from our competitors, but why we make such a difference. We would like to talk to you about how our clients have been seduced by Sugati, what they do actually like in us. By way of re-introduction, Sugati is a bespoke travel CRM designed mainly for Tour operator and Travel agents. Our clients are all different but very similar in a way. Let me explain why just now. Of course, they are different because they are operating in different countries, sending their clients to different types of destinations, selling different types of holidays but they all have something in common;  they found the right CRM technology for their travel business. But the real question is : Why you would love Sugati more than another CRM solution?

1. Our CRM solution is designed mainly for the travel trade

Being able to meet with travel expectations when features are generally applicable for all businesses seems to me to be difficult. We have designed a travel CRM solution to respond to your business needs. Sugati is born from Tin,  passionate in travel and technology. It was evident for him to create a travel CRM solution to respond to years of questions. You are probably questioning yourself about what are the typical travel features that a travel business needs? For your purpose, we have listed down some of the key features you will find in Sugati just right here.

2. Based on top the number one CRM

We are based on Salesforce, the number one CRM in the world. That means that Sugati is a native Salesforce platform travel solution. We are ISV partners, so we benefit from a cloud-based and trusted CRM solution. We are proud to say that Salesforce is powerful and beneficial to you. In addition to Sugati travel CRM features, you will be able to use features form the best CRM in the world.

3. Our team is fun and professional

That is probably the only reason why you would like to join the Sugati ship! Just kidding… On a serious note, our team is passionate, committed and funny! Like you, we create long and trusted relationships with our clients.  Our teamwork makes your dreams work!

4. We are flexible and we look after you

Part of our values, we always try to find the right and best fit for you. We are understanding and are always listening to you. Sugati is a technology solution provider and is growing really fast. When you jump onto the Sugati ship we basically want you to grow with us. Even when we have implemented our travel CRM solution to your business, we always make sure that we support you and train you all along our relationship. Our customer success team, as well as our project managers, will always look after you.

5. You will enjoy a user-friendly interface

Sugati Travel CRM is designed for travel agents and tour operators mainly. We have designed Sugati in such a way that it will make your life easier. We are focusing on customer experience as much as you are and we know that technology is rapidly changing and our designers are constantly working on new ideas to make Sugati even better.

6. Inventive and Creative

Creativity, that is one of the words you should think about when you talk about us. We know that it’s important for you to see the evolution of your travel CRM solution. You obviously want to be able to find new features and functionalities all along your Sugati experience. In addition to our developers’ work, you as a user and partner will get the chance to talk about your own experience. So, why don’t you suggest new automation or features you would like to see in your dreamed travel CRM software?

As much as a travel agency and tour operators need travel technology CRM to gain efficiency, it’s often complicated to realise that. Think about when you create your different itineraries, you send your quotes, talk to different suppliers as well as deal with multiple currencies, that takes a lot of your energy. For us, it’s important that you feel special at Sugati, that you really enjoy the experience with us and furthermore you become really efficient.

We would love to meet up with you and demonstrate to you Sugati. Sugati means ‘Happy Destination’, we are sure we will find the best destination for your travel business.

We are happy to announce to you that we are flying out to Singapore!

Proud of our intuitive CRM system, we are excited to be part of the incredible ITB Asia 2018. Impatient to show to the world what Sugati has to offer to the Travel Trade, our fully integrated CRM for tour operators is ready to go!

With more than 900 exhibitors from over 110 countries, we are honoured to be present this year and meet up with travel companies.  ITB Asia is the travel show that you want to attend if you are a Travel Agent or a Tour Operator looking for the opportunity to grow!

This global travel & technology show is taking place the 17th, 18th and 19th of October 2018 at the Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands. Technology and travel passionate, the Sugati team is getting ready to go! We will be more than happy to chat and learn from your travel business over these three days. 

Celebrating its eleventh year, ITB Asia is definitely the meeting place for the travel trade you want to attend. Whatever your first intention is, this will be the occasion to create new partnerships and new business opportunities. This show simply gathers with the most important players in the region.

ITB is taking place at one of the most beautiful places in Singapore. The event is well-known to be beneficial for travel agents willing to learn more about technology evolution and the latest travel industry trends. With its 200 speakers, you can attend up to 90 conferences. Many topics will be covered for your interest. However, travel and technology are the keywords you’ll hear during this show.

If you are keen to…

• Learn from travel sector including Hotels, Travels Agents, Cruise Lines and the Tourism industry
• Attend an incredible show at one of the most prestigious places in Singapore
• Be up to date on the latest trends and technology for the Travel Trade
• Looking for a growth enabler for your travel business
• Attend many different conferences of your interest
• Meet in person our Sugati team in order to understand how the artificial intelligence can be beneficial to your business

You found the place to be!

Sugati is an incredibly easy CRM for travel agents, exclusively designed for the travel trade. Our mission is to help travel agents and tour operators understand how cloud-based CRM solution can help them to succeed. Our powerful native Salesforce and fully integrated CRM is the travel software you must consider to help you to grow. Registered to the stand B21, you will find Ian, Sugati Head of Project Delivery and Tin, CEO over three days. 

Come by and discover our travel agent software!