As an independent travel agent, your goal is to book more clients. However, it’s hard to do that if you aren’t getting enough leads – or you aren’t communicating effectively with all of the leads. You don’t have to have a degree in marketing to succeed. You simply need to utilize the right tools available.
CRM, also known as Customer Relationship Management, is a platform that will allow you to manage customer relationships and leads more effectively. There are a number of CRM’s that you can use as an independent travel agent to make it easier for you to market and stay organized every step of the way.
CRM tools will allow you to ensure that all of your leads have been touched. You can schedule email marketing newsletters, determine who the best leads are, and even reach out to customers you have not talked to in a while.
Hubspot
Hubspot is one of the leaders when it comes to CRM. A variety of free marketing tools are provided to you, including contact management and contact activity. You can also use various pop-up forms on your website and maintain a lead analytics dashboard. If you plan on doing any Facebook or Instagram lead ads, these can be managed through Hubspot as well.
Insightly
Insightly offers a way to help you grow your business. At $29 per month, you can send out 2500 emails and maintain as many as 100,000 records. Plus, you’re able to manage custom tasks and projects. In order to manage everything on the go, there is also a mobile app for you to utilize.
Pipedrive
Pipedrive offers an affordable CRM solution with no contract and no setup. The cost is only $15 per month and provides you with all of the sales management features. You can have a contact timeline, a customizable dashboard, as well as a calendar. It makes it easier for you to track who you have talked to so that you can be a more effective work-from-home travel agent.
Zoho
Zoho is another leading CRM platform. The cost is $12 per month and you can take advantage of a free trial. It will provide you with a document library, web forms, as well as charts and KPIs. Custom fields will also allow you to collect various details about your clients, such as where they would like to travel or what airlines they prefer. It will allow you to provide a higher level of customer service.
Ultimately, you have to think about how you’re going to operate. Especially if you’re a travel agent working independently from home, you need to use the latest technology in order to help you. You can work more productively and more affordable by using a CRM platform. It will make it easier for you to touch the leads that you get and manage your clients – especially as your list of clients continues to grow with your marketing efforts.
Many of the CRM providers will provide you with a free trial, allowing you to test out the features. Additionally, as you start to grow your travel agency, you may want to go to a higher tier, paying more per month but also receiving a number of other features, such as email integration, Google AdWords integration, and more to assist you with your marketing strategies.
At Outside Agent Link, we are dedicated to making travel our business. When you are an independent travel agent, you need resources. Our goal is to help you fulfill your dreams of booking travel for clients around the world. Contact us today to learn more about earning more.
