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Technology Innovation in the Travel Industry

Technology Innovation in the Travel Industry

by | Oct 25, 2018 | Business Applications, Headline

 

“Innovation is the calling card of the future…”
Anna Eshoo

The world is on the move. A report by World Tourism Organization (WTO), estimates that by 2030 a global population of 8.5 billion people will take approximately 2 billion international trips. People are travelling more than ever, further than before, and faster!

The travel industry has had to transform itself to adapt to this shift. The basic unit of the travel industry, the travel agency, has had to forge itself afresh from the agent of ‘yore’ to a forward-thinking, innovative travel partner of the modern age. The biggest catalyst for this reinvention has been the emergence of a savvier consumer. One driven by passions, influenced by and adaptable to whims and trends and who is harnessing the power of technology.

The modern traveler has more control over their travel. Technology has bridged the gap between those with information/experience, and those seeking it. The modern traveler is leveraging this tool, search engines, social media, aggregators and apps.

The modern traveler wants a more personalized, tailor-made travel experience. With content that speaks to individual needs. Their demands cut across conventional travel and tour packages where. For the most part, the modern traveler is calling the shots. He is a master negotiator; he does his homework on every aspect of travel. The travel agent is no longer dictating the terms. He is now a travel partner expected to facilitate the traveler’s needs.

Technology as a Tool in a Travel Agency

Like any tool in any other profession/industry/craft, wielding the right technology, the right way and harnessing it’s potential to the maximum makes all the difference. You would be hard pressed to find a business process that has not and cannot be digitized or automated. While technology has made all this possible, it is constantly adapting to consumer needs and trends.

Adopt Environmentally responsible travel: “…I’m am Green…”

Technology gave us a paperless environment. The world is embracing eco-friendly, sustainable, renewable, recyclable, green business practices more and more. No more paper airline tickets, boarding passes and hotel vouchers. E-tickets and E-vouchers, QR codes and NFC. The new traveler abhors waste and will pay more to save the planet and reduce his carbon foot-print. Technology allows us to buy and check-in online. No need to commute for this. Airbnb’s beat a hotel in that the running costs for the owner are lower, and the experience is more ‘home-like’ & cheaper for the traveler.

Adopt Cost and Time saving practices: “…Click-Click-Cash…”

Online transactions mean we save time otherwise spent commuting to the travel agency. The traveler saves time and money that they could very well put back in the travel package. The agency too no longer needs to set up shop at every corner up every street. This means a leaner staff, lower wage bill (medical, insurance, benefits etc.) Running costs are lower for the agency so they can afford to offer their customers discounts.

Diversify. Language is no longer a barrier: “…Hello World…”

The modern traveler no longer considers language a barrier to selecting a travel destination. Technology exists that allows for easy translations of text in books, speech, signs, etc. This means the travel agent can offer up any destination as a choice the customer.

The travel agency would be wise to market itself with packages covering regions beyond the usual destinations. The more off the beaten path, the better. They should also build capacity to handle clients from these destinations too, because they are coming.

Offer a Seamless Experience: “…From Hero-to-Home…”

The modern traveler demands a travel experience devoid of interruptions. There are apps to notify them how long their cab will take, they get mobile alerts when their flight is delayed, they have directions to their hotel from the airport, seaport before they set off. They expect that bus or airline ticket to be a guarantee that everything has been put in place to ensure their safe and comfortable travel experience. And should any glitches arise, the turnaround in solving them should be fast. Only way this is possible is by maintain contact with the traveler at all times. Not just to fix problems for them, but also to gather feedback from them concerning their experience on real-time. The traveler is left to do the most important part of the process. Enjoy a worry-free trip.

By designing a platform that provides real time information on flights and other travel arrangements, travel agencies can help business travelers save time.

E-Commerce: “…a moment of silence for fanny packs… : -\”

Electronic payments are fast taking over commerce. They are safer, more reliable and faster. Online banking, money transfer apps, mobile payment platforms, all these and more should be modes acceptable and embraced by the modern travel agent.

Partnerships with financial institutions to assist their clients do business with them is a definite plus. Build a secure platform for online commerce with customers, and you will keep them. The technology for this is mature; tried and tested.

Unique & personalized Experiences: “…hello dream tips…”

4IR is rapidly changing the tourism and travel industry. Consumers are in the driver’s seat and they are flexing their power by dictating terms and imposing their tastes and needs. Travel agencies are faced with better informed consumers, with more power and with higher expectations in relation to what they expect from providers.

“Everything is personal these days.

Technology has allowed us to seek out customizable travel experiences as opposed to going for prepackaged ones. Search engines, aggregator websites, internet bloggers and critiques with their reviews and insight. There is a vast pool of information about almost every imaginable travel destination and experience out there.

Millennials want their experience to be as unique as they are. There are real-time reviews on Websites and people get to post their genuine experience regarding their travel experience. The Agencies online presence can incorporate these via social media platforms and websites.

Connections: “…networks & partnerships…”

Social media is a tool of both trade and lifestyle. Leveraging this for business is no longer just a good idea. It is a requirement. Apps to connect the destinations to the agency and the traveler help track and gather feedback necessary to make smarter and more accurate/relevant decisions. Reputation translates to revenue. Shares, Likes, Follows, Tweets-Retweets, Hash-tags, Live etc. are the new currency. #travelenjoyrespect

Artificial Intelligence, albeit still relatively new, will assist with the creation of feedback loops allowing travelers to comment and rate different aspects of their trip, thus improving future experiences. Watch out for Blockchain technology too and its potential to revolutionize the industry by providing better data communication.

Big data for those that can process it is a gold mine. Access to more and more information about the tastes and activities of travelers at destinations, recognizing trends in the seasonality of demand, and other key factors of tourist behavior are fundamental in the development of product linked strategies. A travel agent and or service provider can use it to better understand trends, predict outcomes and develop more personalized services for their clients. The processing and management of Big Data by smart destinations helps to enrich the visitor experience and compete more effectively.

A recent report from the World Travel and Tourism Council and Travelport revealed that business travel accounts for $1.3 trillion of global travel spending annually, and is set to rise at 3.7% per annum over the next ten years.

One key reason for this impressive growth has been the industry’s adoption of pioneering technology. Leverage this market with some after-work leisure travel and you are a travel partner with vision.

“A dream will not become an innovation if there is no realization…” Ciputra

In a wrap, travel agencies have to adapt to the modern traveler by harnessing modern technology and looking out for emerging ones. Then use these tools for intelligent data gathering and management, analyzing the market in real time, studying and predicting travel trends, adapting business processes to change in the shortest time, all these practices are vital to stay afloat in the new travel world.

Property Management System For Commercial Property Managers

Property Management System For Commercial Property Managers

by | Jan 22, 2018 | Business Applications, Press Releases

I once went to a building in Nairobi town to look for an office space to rent. At the main entrance, I found guards who directed me to the property manager’s office and on the door there was a plate that read, “We deal with honest money only; gold, silver or shekels”. Because I was very much in need, I inquired if there are any tenants whose leases are about to expire at the end of that year 2017, and how much rent a square foot would cost? The office holder responded that the offices would be vacant when the property owner says so and the rent depends on your relationship with him as well.

A simple survey of investors with property in Kenya found that two out of five self-managing landlords interviewed had experienced tenants defaulting on rent. It also found that landlords who used Property Managers to manage their relationships with tenants faced fewer problems.

In our society today, property managers handle an array of responsibilities that come along with this business, more importantly minimizing vacancies in rental properties and ensuring that landlords receive the maximum return on investment while helping the rental business run more smoothly.

Commercial property management for retail, industrial and office space have distinct needs from residential properties. An effective property management software such as this offered by Dewcis Solutions Ltd would help property managers create detailed financial projections, automatically calculate rent increases, create recurring charges for each tenant and communicate critical leasehold notices in time, among other things.

These days, the ability to always be connected to the Internet, ease of use and technological advancement are among the primary reasons why automation is the key to business. Our property management system exploits all these three elements and enables property agents to access the solution online from any location, which reduces the operational costs and enhances the flexibility of management.

One of the fastest-growing trends in the Kenya market today is the ability to accept payments online. With the rapid growth in the number of online transactions and purchases, tenants expect an automated cashless payment system such as what is implemented in our property management software to be an integral part of the hosted application.

A comprehensive and commercial-oriented accounting application inbuilt within our property management software, can drastically reduce the amount of time spent calculating figures at the end of each month and thereby boost efficiency and freeing up valuable time for other essential tasks.

The reason to pen this write-up could not be more obvious, which is to encourage adoption of our state of the art property management software; to improve speed and quality of service, manage costs, improve tenant satisfaction, and ensure quality and safety in equipment and the property itself. While our property management solution provides the tools and insights needed to do just this, we have gone a step further to elevate your business above your competitors by incorporated SMS and email notifications of various critical lease related actions to keep you, your tenants and landlord compliant.

 

 

Open Source Technology

Open Source Technology

by | Feb 13, 2017 | Business Applications

Open source technology is an often-misused term; too often, users  think open source is synonymous with free. With the relatively recent rise of the Internet’s influence on production and development of software, open source has become a popular vehicle to obtain widespread use and support of some very popular software titles.

When youthful developers think of open source, programming becomes a form of art much less a painting and more like creating music by harmoniously working in collaboration towards a common objective with few licensing restrictions and more freedom to grow.

When companies think of open source, these days they think “business agility,” a quality they increasingly value above all others in the fast-changing marketplace.

The ability to create new applications quickly, reliably and economically is drawing businesses big and small to open source and emboldening them to use it for ever-larger projects, IT practitioners say.

Companies large and small have taken to open source as a way to increase collaboration, reduce development costs, provide a friendly platform for their products, and sell services. Billions of dollars of value has been created based on this simple structure. The adoption of open source software has become a cultural phenomenon. The basic facts regarding the growth of the open source movement are amazing.

Open source technology has spawned an open source culture among programmers and developers who embrace the open source philosophy. Many open source initiatives begin to spite the large corporations who dominate the markets with expensive, complicated, and over-commercialized software. In fact, many Linux developers are committed to producing software that rivals or even surpasses the flexibility and compatibility of such software giants as Microsoft, Apple, and IBM.

Most money made from open source software comes in the form of support for the software technology and its many additions, add-ons, and modifications that often ensue. Although most open source software is available to download free, license remains with the original creator of the software and does not transfer to anyone regardless of any modifications, improvements, or add-ons made to the open source software. Although free to download, the software is not free in the sense that the end user can do whatever he/she wants to it including selling it.

Cost savings may be only part of open source’s allure, but it’s still a big part, no matter what size the organization.

Enterprises have always customized packaged software such as ERP applications, except now, with open source, that customization is less expensive.

Conclusion

Although open source software is often free to download and use, open source licenses rarely transfer any ownership of the software to the end user or developer. Open source is not limited to software. Open source philosophies have been applied to everything from medicine to soft drink formulas. The result is higher commitment and even cult status among the developers and users of open source technologies.

 

5 IT Essentials for a Small Business

5 IT Essentials for a Small Business

by | Jan 23, 2017 | Business Applications, News

Dependency on information technology (IT) by organizations has progressively increased as a strategic competitive advantage. If properly planned, developed, and managed, IT can bring about greater efficiency in organizational operations, better working environments, and effective decision-making processes.

Small businesses definitely benefit from technology as it stretches their limits from a larger client base to better service delivery and much more.

The basic IT requirements to kick start small businesses are;

Mobile Phone/Tablet/Laptop

One of the great truths of small business is that you often don’t tend to have much time to mind the business. Often you will need to visit customers or be out of the office to actually do your job. That time on the road cannot afford to be wasted; so being able to take your work with you via phone, tablet or laptop is a tremendous boost to your productivity.

This is important as it gives you access to the Internet to communicate with clients while you do research and backup your valuable data. With these gadgets, you can have Antivirus and malware protection software’s installed to ensure security.

Business Email/Number

Having a Dedicated business email address and number is very important for any start up business. The importance of these is potential clients who are looking at your services on your website being able to reach your business through emails for more information, or to place an order.

Your thin staffs are also going to be emailing clients as well; therefore reliable email service is the critical communications piece in your new business plan.

Website

Today, very few consumers turn to the Yellow Pages for business information. Instead, they rely on search engines like Google, Yahoo or Microsoft. Meaning if your company is not online, you don’t really exist. Your website is a virtual business card for it not only supplies consumers with sought-after information like contacts, directions, hours of operation and areas of expertise, but it also conveys the image and spirit that sets you apart from the competition. Keep your site simple but concise.

Social Media Profile

In addition to your website, it’s increasingly important to establish your firm’s presence across social networking services like Facebook and Twitter. Social networks enable businesses to share information on upcoming deals, specials and events by communicating directly with customers already interested in what they do. According to research, businesses now market their services and products via social media, exploiting the free microblogging platform to promote goods and services, and even when introducing direct sales initiatives. Blogs are trendy and many readers get redirected to your site over and over again.

Office Suite

 One of IT essential for a startup business is an office suite. The application allows one to easily view, edit, and create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, convert to PDF, and manage your files all with the most feature-rich mobile office solutions available.

In addition to producing documents, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations with a distinctly professional flair, a comprehensive office suite solution should integrate calendar, address book and e-mail management functions, simplifying communication with colleagues and clients alike while also streamlining your daily workflow.

In as much as professional office suites licenses are prohibitive, the Internet is awash with free to download applications that would start someone off.

 

In conclusion, starting your own business can change your life forever. It can free you from a dull and unfulfilling job and by taking advantage of the Internet; small businesses gain the flexibility to work at home, in an office, or shared workspace. Being an entrepreneur allows you to set your own hours, choose your staff, and pursue the career path of your dreams. By exploiting the various opportunities presented by use of technology, it also means making more money and having fun at the same time.