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Travel agent overview
(for tour operators)
How to setup travel agents, affiliates, hotel concierges etc.
Background
TourCMS provides a powerful set of tools to work with travel agents, web affiliates and hotel concierges
In your TourCMS account, travel agents are set up in Travel agent manager. These are YOUR travel agent records and you can configure how you like to. This data is not shared with any other company (including the travel agent themselves). However there is also an additional aspect that we call the TourCMS Marketplace. From the travel agent's perspective, this enables them to just have one travel agent account and then deal with multiple TourCMS suppliers in a consistent way. You do not have to use the TourCMS Marketplace but it will benefit you if you do
Connecting to a travel agent via the TourCMS Marketplace
The control of a connection is down to you, the supplier. Travel agents cannot start selling you without an action you have made. The primary action is to connect to a travel agent.
You can create a connection:
- By inviting them from an existing travel agent record in Travel agent manager. IF they already have a TourCMS Marketplace account (determined by email address) then rather than inviting them, you can just connect there and then.
- In response to a request for a connection from a travel agent (normally you will receive an email and will click on a link in the email). You can disregard the email if you like, they won't be able to email you again (so you won't have constant email from the same company).
- By searching for an agent in the TourCMS Marketplace section and then connecting (this is least useful, unless you know they are there).
To break a connection, find their record in travel agent manager, go to Manage (in TourCMS Marketplace), and remove the connection.
Connection permissions
Generally there are 3 permission levels to choose from when making a connection:
1 - Sell only (No booking access)
They can sell your products but they won't see how successful they are.
Ideal if you are joining up with an advertiser where you are paying a fixed fee per year (rather than on success).
2 - Summary statistics (For affiliates)
They can sell your product and see a top level summary of how successful they are.
e.g. they can see a summary of booking details such as booking dates, lead customer name, sale value, commission earned etc.
This level is designed for website affiliates who need to know how they are doing but are not part of the bookings transaction hence you don't want to over disclose personal consumer information to them.
3 - Full booking details (Just on own bookings)
Full access to booking and customer records for bookings they have generated.
However they still won't see your profit margin nor suppliers used.
Designed for travel agents who probably have the customer information already as they gave you the booking in the first place.
On some screens (where new travel agent records will also be created), level 3 connection permission has two options - retail travel agent & trusted travel agent.
Travel agent types
There are 4 top level travel agent types. The top level distinction is who will pay for the booking. If the travel agent is merchandising the transaction, then they should be set to either a retail travel agent or a trusted travel agent.
Retail travel agent (Trade sale - the travel agent is responsible for paying for the booking)
If the booking is for a value of 100 and the travel agent is on 10% commission the travel agent will pay 90
Ideal for retail travel agents who must pay at the point of booking (like customers do)
These travel agents will take the same deposit settings as direct customers
Trusted travel agent (Trade sale - the travel agent responsible for paying for the booking)
If the booking is for a value of 100 and the travel agent is on 10% commission the travel agent will pay 90
Web bookings will be immediately confirmed EVEN without payment
Lead customer (Customer will pay - but net of any commission due on the booking)
If the booking is for a value of 100 and the travel agent is on 10% commission the customer will pay 90
Lead customer (Advertising tracking or web affiliate style agent - customer will pay the full value)
If the booking is for a value of 100 and the travel agent is on 10% commission the customer will pay 100
and the travel agent will subsequently be paid 10. Ideal for web affiliates and hotel concierges
Commission vs net rates
TourCMS supports both net rates and travel agent commission
With travel agent commission, if you have a 100 USD tour and give 10% travel agent commission, the travel agent will pay a net balance of 90 USD
With net rates, you will distribute the tour at 90 USD and the booking will come into TourCMS at 0% commission
Travel agent login
There are two main methods of adding a travel agent login
Firstly there is a simple travel agent login at the start of the out of the box booking engine. This is quite simplistic but may help for some situations. Secondly, via the TourCMS Marketplace, we have a shared travel agent login area: More information
We are working on new travel agent login capabilities. Contact us for details
Reports
Unpaid commission and uncollected balances can be found within the money (sales ledger) section
Most operational reports also include information about unpaid balances (so you can collect on the day, perhaps). However, if there is an unpaid balance from a trusted travel agent (that you are billing on a monthly basis perhaps), this information is not on the operational report (as you won't be collecting on the day)
Configuration summary
Retail travel agents
These should be setup as agent owing the balance, retail travel agents
The TourCMS Marketplace travel agent login is probably the best way to get them to book with you. They can also see previous bookings and commission too
Most retail travel agents are fine using commission (and therefore paying net balances). For day tours, deal with retail travel agents as you would a direct customer - if they don't pay, they don't get the booking
If you wish to track to individual members of staff within a retail travel agency, we suggest they put their name in the agent reference field. The alternative is to create a retail travel agent account for each member of that agency's staff.
Retail travel agent can be grouped into consortiums via the agent group system. This enables reporting etc by group (not just by agency)
IF you have bookings with deposit / balance (e.g. multi day tours tend to do this), and you want the retail travel agent NOT to have to pay up front, you can turn on, in channel manager, credit card settings, that Pay later is shown. You can set this so it is only shown for travel agents (not customers)
Hotel concierges selling day tours
Hotel concierges tend (for obvious reasons) to be local to the tour operator. Hence there is a greater level of trust and you may let them book without paying (at point of booking). i.e. you would set them up as a trusted travel agent. This will let them book a confirmed booking immediately
Sometimes hotel concierges want to pay the full retail price (so they can give documentation to the customer). Sometimes they want to pay a net price (or receive commission). The API has 3 values - the amount due now, the retail price and the amount due ever - so you can build logic to support this (if you are building an API powered booking engine for hotel concierges).
Web affiliates
Web affiliates drive web traffic to you website - generally for 5-8% commission. The customer books directly with you (and the web affiliate is not party to the transaction).
The product widgets are perfect for affiliates (or they can access the API and put your tour information into their site themselves). ONCE YOU ARE CONNECTED to an affiliate, you can create widget javascript for them (OR they can, in the travel agent login). This will track clicks and conversion from those clicks.
TourCMS works on a first click principle (hence helping travel websites that work in the inspiration phase). The cookie is on the TourCMS domain and lasts 1 year
Further information (including an affiliate sign up form you can add to your website)
Lead generators
Some companies just want to send you leads. Set them up as affiliates and then point them in the direction of the enquiry create API method. They will then be able to put enquiries straight into your account. If you manually create a booking from the associated customer record, they will be notified AND commission will be allocated (as appropriate)
Large online travel agent (OTA) companies
You would probably work with these using NET RATES. Additionally, set them up as trusted travel agents
We are working with a number of OTAs on direct importing of bookings into TourCMS (and OTAs pulling live tour descriptions, images, dates, prices & availability)
More information
- Marketing ideas (A good background read)
- Marketing knowledge checklist
- Travel agent commission
- Net rates