By: David J. Wardell

© 1992 By: David J. Wardell.  Reproduction or redistribution in any form without written permission is strictly prohibited.

For many, the measure of sophisticated travel management is fast becoming a question of whether there is a computer busily checking reservations after an agent is finished with them—thereby guaranteeing high-quality customer service and error-free reservations.

Contrary to the views of some, there is not (or should not be) any question as to whether these systems really work; clearly they do and unquestionably people value their service.

What is less clear is the role electronic auditing systems really play in travel management and upon what basis their success should be measured.

Here are a few suggestions for understanding this technology and what it can do for you:

• "Automation" is fundamentally irrelevant to low-fare searches or reservation auditing.

The travel management company’s role is to deliver services the customer wants at the best possible price. Whether this is accomplished purely manually or with technological support shouldn’t concern the customer greatly, as long as the end product is satisfactory.

• "Quality control" is not the issue—customer service is.

A moment’s reflection shows that it is a little strange to promote the building of quality control auditing technology.

What one is really saying is that a computer is needed to intercede in the reservation process because agents can’t get their work right the first time.

• Never forget that "the best tool is no tool."

It is far better to eliminate a problem before it arises than to develop a tool to correct it afterward.

Travel agents must work in a CRS environment; there is no practical substitute providing efficient access to the same quantity and quality of travel information, nor is there likely to be.

Unfortunately, a CRS carries with it the legacy of 30-year-old designs that are poorly organized and difficult to operate.

As the scope of the CRS database continues to expand, the information it contains becomes ever more inaccessible—simply because of volume, if for no other reason.

While automation is not a prerequisite to "good service" delivery, there are undeniable productivity benefits available through its appropriate application.

In some ways, a computer can manipulate a CRS database more efficiently than a person because it doesn’t mind repetition: it never gets tired and it doesn’t forget the procedures you want it to follow.

When the goal of technology’s involvement in the reservation process is correctly defined as supporting customer service delivery. Some of the highly structured tasks can be handed off to the computer to support (not replace or correct) the agent.

Low-fare search is a good example. Based on what a customer’s needs are, a computer can methodically search a CRS fare-and-rules database for a practical alternative.

That improves both agent productivity and accuracy.

Involvement with the CRS is the key. Evaluating a good low-fare search or other computerized reservation support tool means understanding how effectively it interacts with the CRS and CRS data, more than the mathematical contrivances or supplemental data bases some people believe should be important.

Simply relying on the CRS fare search programs alone to find the best rates is unacceptable because, of themselves, these programs do not consider enough variables nor perform a thorough enough search of the fares data base.

This does not, however, mean that either their fare computation processes or data bases are inadequate.

I have spent a great deal of time studying the composition and use of CRS fare data. While everyone can identify some situations where CRS faring systems have failed to perform, on the whole it is not clear that the massive effort required to re-engineer these functions independent of the CRS is balanced by equally large benefits.

Reservation auditing and support tools can be important parts of effective service delivery. Understanding their best use and limitations is quickly becoming a competitive necessity for every-one involved in commercial travel.