Specialisation – the road to delivering quality
As the travel industry matured over the years, the natural progression toward specialisation created a culture where the quality of service and experience take centre stage, and customer-centric business models lead the way.
With the advent and advancement of technology, consumer expectations took huge leaps and bounds, while companies reacted by adopting deeper levels of specialization to satisfy a growing demand for efficiency, variety, flexibility and customization. Companies that produce revenues in the billions today occupy niches that didn’t exist only a decade ago. Content mapping, online payment fulfilment, product supplier connectivity, machine learning and AI are all examples of important services and behind-the-scenes products that the consumer doesn’t touch or consider.
Today, I expect Google or Siri to remind me to book my summer vacation, offer suggestions based on historical data, present user ratings, and mention that there are three aquaparks in the surrounding vicinity of the hotel - because I have two kids and have frequented aquaparks. I expect to be offered rental car choices that include baby car seats as an optional add-on because my youngest is one year old. I expect to be presented with good Italian restaurants in the vicinity because I like pizza. I also expect to be offered only restaurants with high chairs for babies.
I then expect to pay for everything with a tap on my phone screen.
Most people don’t consider the different service providers that contribute to the overall experience, from shopping for and booking travel to the actual trip and its fulfilment. There’s a meta-search, OTA, tour operator or travel agency. We all know that since these are the companies we directly interact with for the shopping and booking process. There’s an airline, a hotel and an excursions provider, who we also interact with on a first-hand basis during the trip.
What we don't see are the PSPs, hotel supplier aggregators, flight supplier aggregators, dynamic packaging providers, content mapping providers, unique static content providers, hosting companies, contracting systems, mid-office platforms, inventory systems, channel managers, and accounting systems. We don't see the specialists behind these services...as consumers. However, as travel industry professionals, these are the building blocks of our businesses. Specialization breeds quality. That is a fact.
Today we see companies offering everything, including the kitchen sink, all under one umbrella. Consolidation is indeed financially sound, but can one provider excel at everything?
Well, remember when you purchased your first boom box? Double tape deck, EQ, Amplifier, Subwoofer. It was loaded with all the gadgets and gizmos you could think of. Lots of bells and whistles. And it looked good. Didn't it?
Then as you grew older, you realized that your father did it differently. He broke it down and bought the best of each item. He created a sound system. And it kicked your boom box's rear end. Because Bose made the best speakers, Onkyo made the best amps and Technics the best tape players. Specialization breeds quality.
Boom boxes are more affordable. They look good on the outside, and they get the job done...more or less. But if you want quality sound, you need a quality sound system, my friend.
Likewise, if you are a travel professional looking to acquire a solution to enhance your business cycle, make your internal processes more efficient, and ultimately raise your bottom line… you should seek the best specialists that deliver toward the individual parts of your requirement. They are likely to pay more attention to detail in their respective areas of expertise and have amassed serious know-how through years of learning and development.
See our dedicated solutions for travel industry representatives:
Tour Operators / Online Travel Agencies / Travel Agents / Destination Management Companies / Airlines