AmaCerto in Bratislava
With more than 97 percent of the line’s sales coming via travel agency bookings, the river line must assure that agents have the tools they need to successfully complete the sale, says Littlejohn. The new online booking engine is one of those new tools, as is AmaWaterways’ recent launch of live inventory in Sabre Cruise Tool.
Several agencies beta-tested the online booking engine for two months. Their experiences and feedback have been incorporated into tweaks in the technology.
Through that portal and the new booking engine, agents now have 24/7 access to nearly all inventories and will see full pricing and availability for the line’s portfolio of products. In addition, agents can do easy research for clients based on a number of different criteria such as by ship, by destination, by itinerary and by travel date.
Littlejohn says most agents won’t need training, but the line has posted a 15-minute webinar online about how to use it, just in case someone needs assistance. He also tells us that AmaWaterways will introduce more enhancements to the online booking tool in January, and it will be continually updated and fine-tuned.
“Agents have been playing with it in beta testing, giving additional feedback in different phases, so it will constantly evolve,” says Littlejohn. There is no charge for use of the tool.