Tuesday, May 08 2007 @ 06:44 AM GMT
Sabre Travel Network has announced the launch of Sabre Corporate Efficiency Formula for the U.S. marketplace.This comprehensive set of technology and services provides the ability for travel management companies to fully automate self-service reservations and streamline processing of agent-assisted transactions.
The Corporate Efficiency Formula enables agencies to more effectively compete and win in the growing online-led managed business travel space.
Recent studies indicate that the North American managed travel segment is projected to grow at a rate of approximately 4 percent annually through 2009. Within the managed travel segment, projections call for a continued shift to online reservations, with an estimated annual growth rate of 20 percent per year.
Sabre is deploying the Corporate Efficiency Formula specifically to help travel management companies further adapt their business practices to succeed in this evolving segment.
"The Corporate Efficiency Formula is all about leveling the playing field - enabling our agency customers to retain and win more than their share of price sensitive, technology savvy customers, and to do so profitably by being as efficient as possible," said Chris Kroeger, senior vice president Sabre Travel Network, North America.
The Corporate Efficiency Formula addresses three key areas that together represent a proven prescription for maximum efficiency in serving corporate clients looking for best-in-class service and support for their managed travel programs:
1. Integrated product and technology: A focus on automation whenever possible through a consolidated set of tools for booking, ticketing, invoice and itinerary information, traveler notification services, and more.
2. Policies that encourage the use of self-service technology: Powerful self-service tools and proactive management of traveler behaviors should be encouraged to support a "touchless" model for the maximum number of transactions.
3. Aligned commercial terms: Client fees should be aligned with the value received and agency resources required. For instance, fees could be lower when travelers use more of the self-service tools than for a more hands-on itinerary and booking.
To enable this prescription for maximum efficiency, the Sabre Corporate Efficiency Formula features a set of core capabilities optimized to work together to fully automate self-service reservations and streamline processing of agent assisted transactions
-- Online reservations through GetThere, and agent-assisted reservations through Turbo Sabre or MySabre.
-- File finishing, mid-office quality control and automated ticketing through Ticketing Assistant.
-- Automated calculation and application of fees based on specific services provided through Agency Fee Manager. This next generation service fee management application features configurable rules with 33 eligible PNR elements. Integration with Agency Fee Manager and Sabre Card Services provides a lower cost, automated settlement solution for client fees.
-- Automated, secure invoice and itinerary delivery and mobile traveler notification services through Sabre VirtuallyThere.
-- Seamless data integration into back office systems including TRAMS and Sabre CentralCommand.
At the heart of this proven formula for maximum efficiency are Sabre Corporate Efficiency Consultants who work with agencies to assess current processes in the three key areas and develop a recommended action plan based on industry best practices.
"While the products offered through our new efficiency formula provide the 'toolkit' for implementing a fully automated solution for the corporate marketplace, we don't stop there. Our vast experience serving the most successful travel management companies in the world shows the best results are achieved when service and support are aligned with technology," said Kroeger. "Therefore, the foundation of our three-step formula is facilitated by a new team of efficiency consultants that will be working with corporate agencies to assess, analyze, and prescribe the steps needed to refine a corporation's overall workflow to meet its internal efficiency goal leveraging industry best practices.
"At Sabre we have a business unit that has provided a showcase for the use of Sabre-proven efficiencies for corporate travel, and we are now excited to offer these same types of efficiency and integrated technology solutions to our agency partners," Kroeger added.
The Corporate Efficiency Formula builds upon a combination of the best travel product selection and the most advanced shopping capabilities in the world as a foundation for Sabre's end-to-end solutions for the corporate marketplace. Sabre will be announcing additional elements of the end-to-end offering throughout 2007.
