Development of CRM systems for tour operators, travel agencies, and tour companies

The travel business is characterized by dynamism: rapidly changing trends, unstable demand, seasonality, and a high level of competition. In the chaos, leads disappear, bookings are duplicated, and customers receive outdated information. For successful work, you need to automate processes, quickly process customer requests, analyze the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, personalize offers, and keep convenient records of bookings. All this is possible with CRM for a travel agency.

Are your managers still looking for a client in a list with hundreds of contacts, answering calls, and trying to remember to enter a new application in Excel? Ordering the development of CRM for a travel business from AVADA MEDIA means forgetting about the mess in management and taking your business to the next level.

What is CRM for travel companies

CRM for a travel agency is a customer relationship management system that helps to organize all the business processes of a travel company: from the first contact with a client to the end of their trip and subsequent performance analysis.

Imagine this: your travel agency receives dozens of inquiries every day. Managers are torn between calls, social media, mail, and instant messengers, trying not to forget a single customer. Reservations are lost, customers don’t receive timely responses, and marketing campaigns are running blind. As a result, profits are lost, reputation deteriorates, and stress levels rise. This is how a company that has not automated its work with CRM for tourism works.

CRM systems in tourism create many opportunities for effective business management:

• automate business processes (accounting of applications, booking management, payment control), so that managers work faster, minimize errors, and customers receive quick service;
• increase the level of service and customer satisfaction by providing instant access to the history of customer interactions, prompt resolution of issues, and a personalized approach based on the history of customer requests and preferences;
• increase sales through personalized offers, automatic travel reminders, and effective lead management;
  integrate with external services such as payment systems, booking services, social networks, and support services;
• optimize the work of staff – thanks to CRM, each employee clearly knows their tasks, and management can track and control the implementation and efficiency of work;
• reduce costs by automating routine tasks, optimizing workflows, and reducing the risk of errors;
• improve analytics through detailed sales reports, analysis of travel demand, and forecasting of seasonal fluctuations. Travel agents can track sales dynamics, plan promotions, adjust promotion strategies, identify weaknesses, and make informed decisions.

Companies that have implemented CRM in tourism act quickly, confidently, and without mistakes. All inquiries are collected in a single interface, managers see the history of interactions with each client, and automated processes reduce the time spent on routine tasks. Competition in the tourism industry is high, and those who lag behind in the implementation of digital solutions are doomed to lose customers.

Functions of a CRM system for travel agencies

A CRM system for a travel agency is not just a program, but a reliable tool that can take on numerous tasks, such as:

• formation and management of the customer base – storing contact information, history of interactions and bookings, preferences and reviews, customer segmentation by various criteria;
• accounting and booking management – integration with hotel and airline booking systems, tour search, automatic order confirmation, synchronization with calendars;
• marketing activities – creation of email and SMS newsletters, personalized offers, analysis of the effectiveness of marketing campaigns;
• detailed reporting on the company’s performance, sales analysis, and customer behavior;
• financial control – automated invoicing, payment accounting, integration with banking services;
• automation of communications – integration with chatbots, SMS newsletters, and email campaigns.

Despite the common goal of selling travel services and providing quality customer service, tour operators and travel agencies operate under different business models, which directly affects the functionality of management systems.

CRM systems for tour operators are focused on managing the full cycle of creating and selling travel products. The main features of such programs are:

• integration with global reservation systems (GDS) to automate the formation of tour packages – for example, with Sabre, Amadeus, Galileo, etc;
• control of accommodation, transfers, excursions, insurance, and other related services that form a complete travel package;
• analyzing the profitability of destinations to evaluate the effectiveness of products and adapt offers in a timely manner;
• management of B2B partners and agent network – tour operators often have hundreds of partners across the country or abroad. CRM allows you to centrally manage relationships with them, control contracts, commissions, quotas.

CRM system for travel agencies is more focused on working with the end client and selling ready-made tours, so their functionality is usually as follows

• collection of applications and sales automation – quick booking, cost calculation, CRM forms on the website, integration with messengers;
• purchase history and repeat sales – the system stores customer preferences, previous trips, generates personalized offers;
• modules for e-mail and SMS newsletters to retain customers and launch seasonal or thematic campaigns;
• rating and control of managers, KPI evaluation, workload, automatic assignment of requests.

The choice of a CRM system depends on the role of the company in the travel industry. Tour operators need a functionally broader and more flexible system with a focus on B2B, logistics, and product line management. Travel agencies need an easy-to-implement CRM focused on closing deals quickly and making repeat sales.

The CRM system becomes the basis for impeccable customer service at every stage of interaction – before, during, and after the trip.

Before the trip, the program can:

• send out automatic reminders about the upcoming trip, the need to apply for a visa, health insurance, and prepare documents;
• create individual selections of tours based on previous requests and customer preferences;
• integrate with messengers and e-mail, helping managers to maintain constant contact with tourists, send important information, documents, and reminders to a channel convenient for them.

During the customer’s trip, the CRM system for tourism:

• Provides real-time support through chats integrated into CRM – a tourist can ask for help at any time;
• updates information and reminds about transfers, guide changes, excursions, departure times, etc;
• stores documents (e-vouchers, tickets, itineraries) in one place and provides access to them from any device.

After the trip, the program for travel agencies helps:

• collect feedback by sending questionnaires, surveys, or requests for feedback;
• analyze the degree of customer satisfaction, loyalty, and trust and develop retention strategies;
• stimulate repeat sales by offering relevant destinations or bonuses for the next booking based on customer behavior.

Why custom development is better than off-the-shelf CRM for travel agencies

Off-the-shelf solutions have limited functionality that cannot take into account the specifics of the work and needs of a particular company. Individual development of CRM for travel agencies allows you to create the most adapted management system, with such advantages as

• flexibility and scalability;
• absence of unnecessary modules;
• integration with any services;
• data protection and access control.

Customized CRM development is an investment in the future of your business. The system will develop along with your travel company, adapting to new needs and market conditions.

Modern technologies and tools are used to develop a CRM system for tourism:

• programming languages for the backend part: Python (Django), Node.js, PHP (Laravel);
• for the frontend: React.js, Vue.js;
• databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB;
• for integrations: APIs of airlines, payment systems, and mapping services;
• cloud solutions: AWS, Google Cloud, Azure;
• security: SSL, OAuth, two-factor authentication;
• for design and prototyping: Moqups, Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, Axure RP;
• design development: Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator.

The development of a CRM system for a travel company is a complex, integrated process aimed at creating a global digital environment. Therefore, to achieve the best result, it is important to have a consistent and professional approach to each stage.

Business process analysis

The first stage of development is devoted to studying the specifics of the travel business, identifying the key problems that the product must solve, analyzing competitors and current automation tools. To develop a CRM, you need to know the details, for example: the key stages of booking – from the initial customer request to booking confirmation and after-sales service; the format of interaction with tour operators – how exactly information about tours, prices, availability, etc. is exchanged.

Also at this stage, existing management tools are evaluated. Key questions include how customer information is stored, what tasks are performed manually, what data is lost, and what processes take too much time.

Developing a technical task

The technical specifications describe all modules, integrations with third-party services, and user scenarios. Typically, the components of a CRM for a travel agency are as follows:

• a customer management module that stores detailed information about customers, their contact details, and travel history;
• tour management module for creating tour catalogs and managing prices, availability, and bookings;
• document management module for storing contracts, invoices, vouchers;
• integration with external systems for booking airline tickets, hotels, transfers;
• a reporting module that generates reports on sales, popular destinations, and manager efficiency;
• calculation of the cost of the tour, taking into account all components (airfare, accommodation, insurance, etc.);
• a mobile application for easy access to booking information for managers and clients.

Design and prototyping

At this stage, the framework of the future system is formed, the database structure, business logic, and basic user interaction scenarios are determined. Interactive prototypes of the interface are developed to visualize key processes, from booking tours to managing customer requests. Access levels are also provided so that each employee can work only with the data they need.

UX/UI design development

Designers develop a responsive design optimized for different devices, create the logic for the visual placement of blocks, and check the ease of interaction – managers must quickly navigate the status of bookings, tour availability, payments, and communications with customers. The interface should be user-friendly, intuitive, and modern, and match the visual identity of the entire brand.

Programming and integration

At this stage, developers write code for the server side (backend), creating CRM business logic and setting up the database. An API is implemented to process requests, manage bookings, and securely store information. At the same time, we develop the client side (frontend), which provides a convenient interface for travel agency managers and clients. Integrations with external services are also being set up: booking systems, mapping platforms, payment gateways, and email newsletters.

Testing and bug fixing

Testing includes checking the load (resistance to a large number of requests), functionality in different booking scenarios, taking into account various user errors, and UX/UI. Programmers fix bugs and improve system performance.

Release and implementation

The final stage involves setting up the server environment, deploying the CRM on the hosting, and testing it in real-world conditions. After the release, the travel company gradually transitions to the new CRM to ensure the smooth operation of the agency. Each employee should receive clear instructions on how to work with the new system and timely assistance in solving problems.

System support and development

In the travel business, a quick response to changes in legislation, tour operators’ requirements, and customer preferences is critical. Technical support after the development of CRM is needed to fix errors and add new features, update the security system, and increase the system’s capacity as business volumes grow.

Why you should order CRM for a travel agency from AVADA MEDIA

Do you strive for effective travel business management? The time has come when customers expect personalized service and instant responses, so investing in automation is the right decision.

AVADA MEDIA is your reliable partner in creating software solutions for business. We provide teams of specialists who have extensive experience in developing CRM systems for travel agencies and take care of all stages of development, from analyzing business processes to supporting the system after launch.