Travel advisors today need to offer curated, personalized experiences for their clients while also embracing scalable, efficient systems that help them work faster and smarter. While no easy task, advisors are finding success in using the right technology for their businesses, all the while remaining real to clients by understanding their needs as individuals.
“Technology complements what we do, but it could never replace the human connection,” say Kody and Kristina Gear, managing partners for Preferred Travel & Company in Naples, Fla. “We take great pride in building a relationship with the client and learning what they like and dislike to ensure a positive experience. Technology allows us to keep track of these details.”
Melissa Krueger, CEO of Classic Vacations, stresses that “the best advisors use technology to enhance — not replace — their personal touch.” She adds: “Technology should serve as a bridge, not a barrier, to personalization. The key is to provide clients with seamless access to information while ensuring that behind every digital touchpoint, there’s an advisor ready to deliver the tailored, high-touch service that defines true luxury travel."
Jamie Anderson, agency owner of Travel & Cruise Desk in Lake Oswego, Ore., estimates that of their leisure clients, “60% prefer a combination of online, phone and in-person communication, while “25% still prefer a fully traditional, over the phone, or in person high-touch approach,” and “15% prefer fully online interactions with maybe one phone call to get started.”
He adds: “The key is adapting to the preferences of the client and using technology to enhance service while maintaining the personal connections that set us apart.”
Fernanda Barrence Mutz, CEO and co-founder of The Trip Boutique AI, an AI assistant for travel agencies, stresses that “technology is no longer optional; it has become a core driver of success. For travel professionals, the right tools don’t just streamline operations, they unlock new growth opportunities. Their product is their time, so by automating time-consuming tasks like booking management, invoicing and follow-ups, agencies can free up valuable time to focus on what truly matters: delivering exceptional service.”
Michael Schottey, vice president – Membership, Marketing and Communications at ASTA, puts it simply: “Advisors should use as much time as they can to sell themselves — the idea that they are the most trusted way to provide travel in an increasingly confusing marketplace. Any tool that allows them to spend less time on ‘other’ stuff is gold.”
Choosing Key CRM and Itinerary Management Solutions
When it comes to finding the right tech tools for your business, David Chait, founder and CEO of Travefy, which offers business operations software for travel advisors, says “no two advisors or agencies are alike, so the most essential technology and tools will vary based on individual business needs.”
Diane Petras, CTIE, president of The Travel Institute agrees. “Technology tools are critically important to advisors’ success but what is ‘best’ really depends on the size and scale of an advisor’s organization as well as the resources they have available, internal or external, to support technology integration, training and more.”
Chait says that “the key is introspection. Advisors should analyze their processes to identify where they spend the most time, where bottlenecks occur, and where potential risks exist. With that understanding, they can implement technology that directly addresses those challenges and streamlines their operations.”
He adds that “certain tools are indispensable. Advisors should leverage solutions that enhance efficiency, such as CRMs with workflow automation; sales-focused tools like trip management software; and secure, PCI-compliant payment solutions to protect their business.”
Krueger suggests “online booking engines streamline itinerary management and provide real-time availability, while CRM systems track client preferences and past trips for enhanced personalization and back-office support. Itinerary management tools help maintain brand standards and ensure consistency across bookings.”
Petras sees today’s CRM tools as “extremely sophisticated and well-integrated with many other tools, which puts critical data and tasks on one platform that can be accessed from anywhere.” She adds: “Some CRM platforms combine travel preferences with back-office data so that advisors can more easily spot trends and create targeted marketing messages that grow business. Some include itinerary builders, schedulers, reminders, GDS and supplier booking integration and other tools that all lead to time savings, efficiency, deeper insights and improved communications.”
The bottom line is that CRMs help advisors access knowledge about their clients at their fingertips. “When advisors combine travel preferences with historical booking data, they gain a much broader understanding of the client,” says Petras. “While preferences can turn out to be wishes, historical booking data is reality, so it opens the door for a deeper conversation to learn about likes and dislikes of past trips, while also discovering new sales opportunities.”
The Supplier Platforms’ Impact on Agency Sales and Client Service
Technology should be a part of the supplier relationship as well.
“When choosing a supplier, advisors prioritize a seamless booking platform and strong planning support,” says Kody and Kristina Gear. “The platform should enable advisors to search, quote, and book with ease while allowing for personalized trip details.”
Anthony Tucker, vice president, Digital Solutions & Business Intelligence, at Classic Vacations says that “digital booking tools are proving to be real time-savers for our advisors.” He continues: “By providing immediate access to these tools online, travel advisors are able to concentrate on what truly matters: delivering that high-touch, personalized service that only a human can provide.”
Tucker adds: “A supplier’s booking platform is more than just a tool — it’s a window into how smoothly advisors can work with them. It reflects the supplier’s commitment to efficiency, flexibility and innovation.”
Anderson agrees that supplier technology is very important. “Over the years, I've seen first-hand how bad technology or ease of booking impacts our agency's sales with specific suppliers,” he says. “Whether it is consciously or subconsciously, advisors sell the products that are easiest for them to understand with interfaces that allow them to better service their clients.”
The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Best Practices and Cautions
Schottey, who uses “AI almost every day to make things easier for myself” says advisors should be using AI and to “stop putting it off.” He continues: “AI is definitely a potential threat for the advisor community, but it also has incredible potential to make life easier for all of us and help us create more time for the things we do that matter.”
Just over 40% of travel advisors are aware of and have used generative AI platforms or tools, with younger advisors more likely to have used genAI, according to Travel Weekly’s 2024 Travel Industry Survey in partnership with Phocuswright by Northstar. One-third of travel agency owners or managers have used AI to create marketing or website content, says the survey.
Kody and Kristina Gear “lean on AI to assist with wording and developing content for various marketing initiatives. It provides a starting point and then we can tweak to sound more warm and human.”
Anderson’s agency incorporates “AI-driven tools for research, inspiration, and content creation, ensuring efficiency in marketing and client engagement.” He stresses that “this will never replace the human element, but it allows us to more efficiently use our time in the right area.”
AI is used with a “couple of rules” at Anderson’s agency including “never ask questions you don't know the answer to (or that you don't verify before sharing) and never directly share anything that is created by AI with a client; everything has to be proofread and edited.”