Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, has officially rolled out its new, proprietary booking and customer relationship management (CRM) tool, CP Maxx. The new system, which is exclusively for Cruise Planners’ travel agent network, also connects with Amazon’s Alexa artificial intelligence (AI) platform.
CP Maxx was developed with feedback from Cruise Planners’ internal teams and its Agent Technology Advisory Board. According to Cruise Planners, CP Maxx performs up to eight times faster than the company’s previous platform.
A video tour of Cruise Planners’ new CP Maxx travel agent platform
CP Maxx has a responsive design that works across a variety of digital platforms, including tablets and mobile devices, allowing agents to run their business by accessing the site from any device. The system has comprehensive reporting by travel suppliers and supports more additions to a reservation, including events, attraction tickets and visa or passport services.
Other new functions include:
- Global Search: This function searches the entire platform for all topics including clients, sales opportunities, travel reservations, research buckets and eSource, Cruise Planners’ extranet, which serves as a knowledge center for the company’s travel agents. This allows agents to search by keywords, suppliers, programs, confirmation numbers, dates and more, helping agents move through their workflow more quickly.
- Buckets: A new feature called “Buckets” allows agents to save research for a customer, destination, itinerary, etc., which can be easily searched and referred back to at a later date. This is similar to a Pinterest board or a wish list, Cruise Planners said, and allows for increased accuracy when quoting a trip. Buckets can even be shared with a client during the planning process.
A demonstration of CP Maxx’s consumer skill, which lets travelers ask Alexa about their upcoming trips
CP Maxx also connects with new voice-activated, artificial intelligence Cruise Planners Alexa skills. The company designed two skills; one for Cruise Planners agents and the other for their customers. Developed in-house by Cruise Planners’ technology team, the Alexa skills are:
- Consumer Alexa Skill called “Cruise Planners”: Travelers can ask Alexa about details of their upcoming trips, cruise line information, ships and more
- Agent Alexa Skill called “CP Maxx”: Cruise Planners travel agents can exclusively run their business with a voice-activated virtual assistant.
CP Maxx’s agent skill, which lets Cruise Planners travel agents run their business with a voice-activated, Alexa-powered virtual assistant
“Just as our franchise owners rely on technology to run their business, we know that technology is essential to how their clients book travel,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and Founder of Cruise Planners, in a written statement. “We want to be the high-tech solution, so our Cruise Planners agents can be the high-touch ingredient to better serve their customers.”
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