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Remote working for travel agency

• It existed long before Covid-19 forced companies to send their
employees to work from home and to teleconference on Zoom. The
ideal image of “remote” work is to jobs and careers that can be
performed from anywhere, especially a secluded cabin in the woods
or bungalow on the beach with a mojito and a breeze. Employees in
the travel industry often already work in their dream destination, but
they can easily still complete their work remotely from any
destination now. The travel industry is in a unique position during
these unprecedented times to leverage remote work as it is more
widely accepted by today’s professionals now. 
For example ,Travel agency employees
often :
• Book flight and hotel travel for users and support change requests
• Receive and resolve customer questions and issues and track them in Zendesk (internal support system)
• Look for customer posts and activities on the Web and Social media and respond to them
• Contact users by phone to interview or answer support requests
• Test new versions of the app (Android / iOS)
• Be involved on our social media (could be both answer on the user's questions and look for the
interesting SMM ideas)
• Create content for our FAQ (both text and video tutorials)
• Identify, research, and correct ticketing errors
• Help with the English spellcheck and keep our posts with the same style
• Be involved in the management of the quarterly Meetups (Customer Events)
• Other duties as needed
Remote working images
1. Slack:

• Slack provides an easy-to-use chat/channel communication tool that can keep

everyone connected with a user-friendly interface.
• It can integrate with other products such as G Suite, Dropbox, Adobe Creative Cloud,
and more. Fun Slack bots boost morale by giving birthday reminders and team
reports. 
• It is hard to imagine a remote team that is communicating without using Slack.
• Even its tagline, “Where work happens”, speaks about its indispensability in project
management.
• Slack is present in both mobile and web versions, allowing its users to collaborate
and coordinate from wherever they are.
• It’s affordable price and practical features make it a great communication choice for
many remote software development teams.
Slack images
2. Zoom:

• Zoom is a video conferencing tool that is exceptionally lightweight

and integrates directly into Google Calendar.
• Even though it does have options for messaging, Zoom is mostly
known for its high-quality video calling.
• With a free plan, you can get 40 minutes’ worth of conference time.
And with a pro plan, you are entitled to much more, including webinar
hosting features, which can be great for your online marketing efforts.
• One of the features that users find most useful is video recordings. You
can use these recordings to create educational videos or document
common procedures. 
Zoom images
3. InVision:

• InVision is undoubtedly the most comprehensive suite of design

software on the market. With a 4.5 out of 5 rating on both G2 Crowd
and Capterra, and an 8.5 out of 10 rating on TrustRadius, it’s no
wonder remote teams like Treehouse, Help Scout, and Trello love
using it.
• Real-time collaboration is an essential part of the design process. 
InVision Freehand is a digital whiteboard that allows you to wireframe
, plan, design presentations, and give and receive feedback, between
designers but also in conjunction with other stakeholders.
InVision
4. GitHub:
• Designers and developers may be different breeds, but it’s essential
that they work together to produce quality digital products.
• From hosting and reviewing code to managing projects to building
software, GitHub is ideal for remote team collaboration. It’s also the
highest rated platform for developers, with a 4.7 out of 5 G2 crowd
rating, 5 out of 5 Capterra rating, and 9 out of 10 TrustRadius rating.
5. Trello:

• By visualizing what needs to get done and aggregating feedback from

the whole team, Trello helps remote teams increase their
productivity.
• One secret to its success might be the fact that Trello doesn’t
require so much information that it becomes a time suck. In other
words, it’s ideal for fast-paced startups.
• Trello’s simplicity makes it extremely flexible, resulting in hundreds of
unique ways to use the software. For example, Help Scout’s support
team uses it to keep track of product issues, updates, and requests.
Trello images
6. Dashlane:

• Remote team collaboration often requires sharing access to the same

tools. It’s no longer safe to manually store your passwords in a
spreadsheet on your computer, which is where password managers
like Dashlane come in. Not only do they keep you safe, but they also
make it easier for team members to log into essential tools.
• While LastPass was the most commonly used password manager used
by the remote workers we talked to, Dashlane has the best reviews,
with 4.7 out of 5 on G2 Crowd, 4.5 out of 5 on Capterra, and 8.7 out
of 10 on TrustRadius.
Dashlane images
7. Google Drive:

• With a 4.6 out of 5 rating on G2 Crowd, 4.5 out of 5 rating on

Capterra, and 8.6 out of 10 rating on TrustRadius, Google Drive takes
the cake, which isn’t surprising considering that Drive integrates
seamlessly with other apps within G Suite.
• “Google Drive helps us communicate and collaborate with our
Member Advisory Board of 78 members, who are currently getting
more involved in our product roadmap and creation of internal web
pages. It also helps us keep up with their feedback regardless of the
time-zone difference. This is how we co-created Content Boost.”
Googledrive images
8. Zapier:

• By connecting your favorite apps together and moving data between

them automatically, Zapier helps facilitate a strong remote work
culture.
• With 1,000 apps to choose from and a user-friendly interface, you can
eliminate hours of tedious labor in just a few clicks. Zapier has a 4.5
rating on both G2 Crowd and Capterra, which suggests that the
company stays true to its promise: Zapier makes you happier.
• Bonus: You can now share your workflows with your teammates.
Zapier images
9. World Time Buddy: 

• Geographically distributed teams often find it difficult to schedule

meetings that work for everyone. World Time Buddy does the work
for you. Simply add the locations of your teammates and then drag
and drop the slider to find a good time to meet.
• The only downfall? The free version only allows you to coordinate
between 4 locations. That said, the annual plan is super affordable.
For unlimited locations, it costs just $60 per year.
World time buddy images
Digital transformation strategies for travel
agency
1. Personalization as a crucial element of your travel business

• Personalizing packages and offers based on customer preferences becomes a piece

of cake with the innovative technologies like big data and cloud computing. At the
same time, personalization is a synonym for success. For instance, micro travels that
offer less hectic itineraries and are focused on a particular interest are a perfect
personalization example. By means of deploying big data that assists in providing
valuable insights into the travellers’ habits (e.g., favourite destinations, airline
preferences, snack choice), travel companies now can significantly boost the overall
level of their customized offers. 
• On the other hand, mobile apps send out personalized emails to engage travellers
and maintain them informed with the latest trends in the travel industry.
Personalization is expected to play an even more crucial role in the travel industry in
future as delivering relevant information and content for bettering user’s experience
becomes a focal point of the digital transformation strategy.
2. Cognitive Computing is not a science fiction anymore!

• Describing travel preferences about your dream getaway and getting detailed
recommendations tailored on the basis of your past travel behaviour is not a
crazy fantasy from your favourite movie! We are getting to the point when a
computer would book your entire package including airline tickets, hotel
accommodation, entirely based on your profile features and past experiences.
• Cognitive Computing, a break-through self-learning system that works via
voice recognition, data mining and natural language processing to replicate a
human brain, is highly likely to makes these steps possible in the nearest
future. Still hard to believe? Just ask Siri about the weather conditions in your
town, and you’ll realize that we already have a precursor of cognitive
computing next us!
3. Global mobile presence

• As the Travel Flash Report by Criteo informs, over 1/3 of the world’s population use a
mobile device to book a hotel room. Free mobile connectivity is a must for many
users, both Wi-Fi and 4G. Internet connections are offered now in most hotels,
restaurants and airports. The technology goes even further: some chains are already
offering their clients devices throughout their hotel stay as a courtesy. Thus,
the Casual Hoteles chain offers the Mobile Pack service, which includes a device with
Wi-Fi connection, portable battery, and selfie stick, free to customers who book
directly on their website.
•
Mobile connectivity turns into a rigid requirement rather than a luxury element.
Customers expect seamless mobile experience when they travel, from planning
through the travel itself, during their stay in a chosen accommodation to the post-
travel special offers.
4. AI, Chatbots and IoT integration

• Today, the tons of information are provided via 

AI-powered applications and technology, so that the guests could access the
information at any time, from any device. Even more, they get access to the voice-
activated chat bots to open the curtains, set the alarm, or order meals, without ever
talking to a live person. For example, Marriott has been using AI-powered chat bots
at over 5,000 hotels to do things like make reservation changes, check on account
balances or redemption vouchers.
• Since numerous devices get connected to the Internet of Things (IoT), it makes sense
that the travel industry would begin to leverage that data to improve the customer
experience. The more they know about their guests, the better they can satisfy their
needs. If the IoT data reports that a customer has visited their resort every year for
the last couple of years, it can automatically send a message proactively asking the
guest if they’d like to make another booking this year.
5. Focus on data

• Data is a true protagonist of today’s digital transformation. Travel companies capture and
store massive amounts of data. During every step of the travel journey they collect data such
as customer data, flight paths, transactions. The rewards of data use include an ability to
make more informed decisions, learn about customers and competitors, improve the
customer experience and increase revenues.
• When used effectively, this information can reveal which services customers use most and
which are the least popular ones.At the same time, to maximise financial results, hotels need
to know how to sell the right product to the right customer and at the right moment. As for
the internal data, such as past occupancy rates, room revenue and current bookings, it can be
combined with external data (e.g., information about local events, flights and school holidays)
in order to more accurately predict and anticipate demand.
• As a consequence, hotels will manage prices and room rates in a more efficient way,
increasing them at times of high demand, in order to maximise the revenue that is generated.
6. Reputation

• The fact that guests can book instantly also means they can share
their opinions instantly via Facebook, Instagram, TripAdvisor... That’s
why technology has pushed hotels and restaurants to focus even
more on providing quality customer service. Whoever wants a superb
review, needs to take care of the level of experiences they render to a
customer. While the ultimate goal is to deliver a better customer
experience, it is vital to understand that you need to deliver the
“right” customer experience to the “right” people.
7. Virtual Reality

• Whether it’s a hotel property or a tourist destination, guests can take a look without even leaving
their living room via virtual reality. The goal is to offer a preview of what guests will experience. This
isn’t being done on a widespread scale yet, but some major operators are offering guests the chance
to experience at least a snippet of their travel experience—offering a great option to get an 
incredible pre-experience for those planning a visit to a faraway destination.
• To illustrate, Navitaire, an Amadeus company, is creating a travel search and booking tool allowing
potential travelers to visit a destination, select an airplane seat, and examine rental cars — and then
pay for the entire trip — all within the virtual reality space.
• Due to digital transformation strategy and other business transformations, travelers, as well as
people working in the industry, could notice remarkable and positive changes that forever alter how
people manage their trip-related needs driving digital transformation in the travel industry. It’s
more than clear that the tourism companies that do not undergo a digital transformation process will
lose competitive edge and become obsolete.
• The time has come to embrace the changes and adopt the cutting-edge technologies. For a better
more connected world. Here. Today. Now. Your company can change the world!
Monitoring and productivity tools for
travel agency
Monitering tools Productivity tools
• EmailAnalytics • Global Distribution System (GDS)
• ActivTrak
EmailAnalytics

• First up, there’s our own EmailAnalytics (#biased, I know, but hear me out
😃). It’s unique from all the other tools in this list because it offers email
activity tracking, which isn’t available with any of the other tools.
• And with email being the primary source of communication for remote
workers, it’s a fantastic way to measure productivity.
• EmailAnalytics visualizes your team’s email activity, like how many emails
they’re sending and receiving, their average email response times, and even
their busiest times and days of the week.
• With this information, you can easily see how busy your employees truly
are, and how quickly they’re communicating with clients, leads, customers,
vendors, and each other.
ActivTrak
• ActivTrak is an employee monitoring software with a free version that
supports monitoring up to three users. With it, you’ll be able to track
activities like website visits and app usage, and apply content filters
and other controls as well.
• The paid version includes even more advanced features, like USB
device detection and security audits.
Global Distribution System (GDS)

• A global distribution system (GDS) is a computerised network system

owned or operated by a company that enables transactions between
travel industry service providers, mainly airlines, hotels, car rental
companies, and travel agencies. The GDS mainly uses real-time
inventory (e.g. number of hotel rooms available, number of flight
seats available, or number of cars available) from the service
providers. Travel agencies traditionally relied on GDS for services,
products and rates in order to provide travel-related services to the
end consumers. Thus, a GDS can link services, rates and bookings
consolidating products and services across all three travel sectors: i.e.,
airline reservations, hotel reservations, car rentals.
Key security concerns for travel agency
• For companies, one of the biggest challenges of managing a remote
workforce  is creating a secure digital environment, especially when
the company doesn’t control all aspects of the physical environment.
Most employees use their own internet, which makes them
vulnerable for everything, and that’s what these tools need to be
secure, with the right password control and two-factor
authentication.
•  You need a good password manager, identity provider, and tools like
GoToMeeting, Rescue, and LastPass to give you peace of mind.