The travel industry is a dynamic and fast-paced sector, and one essential aspect of Travel Agency operations is fare auditing—the process of reviewing contract rates and fares to ensure correct fares are loaded into the GDS. Whilst simple, fare monitoring and audit is crucial and aids to prevent unnoticed loss for both Travel Agencies and the end-clients.

The volume of airline fares alone, such as an origin–destination city pair path, can have as many as 100 different fares for a single airline at any given time. Airlines can also change restrictions of as many as 100,000 fares in a single day, making incorrect fares to be a potential financial risk often overlooked. Knowing the volume and importance of the fare audit process, which involves repetitive tasks, Travel Agencies have the option of utilising third party or outsourcing organisations especially to maintain factors such as follows:

1. Ensure accuracy and consistency

Conducting regular fare audits avoids providing fare errors to Travel Agencies clients, ensures pricing information is accurate and consistent with the prices offered and negotiated with airlines. 

2. Avoid Customer Dissatisfaction

It’s definitely not pleasing for your clients to realise they have been overcharged when an agreed contract rate is in place. Fare audits ensure and help Travel Agencies maintain trust and confidence from their clients through fare accuracy. 

3. Manage profitability

Fare audits help identify any discrepancies in negotiated deals and address them before becoming a larger issue. Not only do your clients get the right pricing, you could also avoid financial losses from incorrect fare issues.

ATI’s Fare & Rate Audit Service

Did you know that potentially over 40% of your fares may have undetected errors? With ATI’s team of experienced professionals, we have a 100% Fare Auditing accuracy rate under our belt. ATI’s Fare Audit service ensures consistency and accuracy, avoiding any client dissatisfaction and unnecessary losses for Travel Agencies. Our teams’ extensive experience combined with our proprietary workflow management tools, provides a cost-effective and accurate solution to complete the large volumes of fare audits on a timely basis through multiple GDS and proprietary systems. 

About ATI

With over 20 years of experience in the travel industry, ATI has grown to be one of the largest singular business process outsourcing providers for the Travel and Aviation industry.   We help various multinational organisations grow and accelerate their business process by providing integrated Technology and Digital Services & Solutions. 

By comprehensively investing in our team and utilising the combination of both human and digital Intelligence, ATI has become a preferred partner of various globally recognised brands in the industry. Click here to know more about our Fare and Rate Auditing service, and don’t hesitate to get in contact with us. 

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the global travel and tourism industry suffered a loss of 62 million jobs and $4.5 trillion in GDP in 2020 due to the pandemic. The pandemic has forced travel agencies to rethink their business models and strategies – with many having to shut down or lay off employees, and those that survived faced a highly uncertain and competitive market. 

Whilst many have been forced to adapt and innovate in response to the pandemic – pivoting to new business models, such as offering virtual travel experiences or specialty trips catering to small groups, others have intensified their focus on customer service and digital developments. However, despite the reopening of travel destinations,  the recovery process for travel agencies remains unpredictable – especially with the travel chaos last summer which is predicted to happen again this 2023, there are concerns that wider technological issues could disrupt customers’ travel experience.

To successfully navigate the new normal, travel agencies must proactively embrace digital transformation with a strategic plan and implementation. This could be done by engaging BPOs (Business Process Outsourcing) with the best technological advancements and industry experience.

How Do BPOs Help in This Post-Pandemic Situation?

Although the current post-pandemic situation could present a daunting array of hurdles, it is also promising opportunities for those who are agile, adaptable, and innovative. BPOs help provide valuable support by providing flexible staffing solutions, expertise in process efficiency, and services focused to reduce costs and streamline operations. By carefully considering outsourcing strategy and choosing the right partner, organisations can navigate the new normal with confidence and emerge stronger than ever.

ATI Business Group – Travel & Aviation-focused Business Process Outsourcing Organisation

Grown to be the largest Business Process Outsourcing provider in Indonesia, ATI is equipped with experienced travel industry experts, technology advancements and has become a preferred partner of various global clients in the travel industry. ATI utilises Robotic Process Automation (RPA) expertise to automate back-office processes and nurtures a learning and collaborative working environment that fosters continuous improvement.

With these heavy investments in our team’s capabilities, process improvement and technology enablement, ATI has grown into a team of knowledgeable, experienced travel experts backed with integrated advanced technology solutions. Our clients are able to minimise cost and optimise on revenue maximisation, creating an ecosystem with high efficiency and effectivity. If you’re looking for a partner to help you achieve unparalleled results in the travel industry, look no further than ATI. Get in touch with us here to consult how our  products and services could possibly help you.

The pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the global travel and tourism sector and its repercussions are still being felt.  According to a Statista report, over 50 million travel jobs have been lost globally during the span of the pandemic. Now as we see restrictions being lifted gradually since mid 2022, demand surge has in turn created severe travel chaos in various countries – as seen in major cities such as London and the United States.

Unfortunately for both the organisations and the workforce, the huge job losses during the pandemic have meant most travel industry organisations are now facing severe skill shortages. There is no denying that several key processes have been and will continue to be hugely affected, and the urgent need for experienced and skilled travel professionals to cope with the ‘new normal’ within the sector is inevitable in order to ensure seamless operational workflow and customer satisfaction. 

The urgent need to develop a talent pool

In the midst of this post-pandemic travel surge, organisations are faced with a difficult decision: should they use their existing limited skills or quickly hire new employees to fill the skill gap? This choice is made more difficult due to the financial hit taken during the pandemic and the bleak economic outlook.

Not only that, training also takes time and costs money and with an increasing surge in demand, this makes it unquestionably hard for most travel companies to manage. Underestimating this need could be a costly mistake especially if end customers start to experience negative experiences during their booking and travel process.

The most effective and logical choice for organisations during this time would be outsourcing to secure the talent and skills. Partnering with a business process outsourcing firm that provides the best service and highly qualified travel experts puts companies in the best position to succeed, giving organisations a competitive edge in the market. Such a partnership enables organisations to navigate market fluctuations with the right skill set and execute plans faster, rather than having to invest in training resources again.

How Can ATI Help You?

ATI has grown to be the largest business process outsourcing provider in Indonesia with over 20 years of experience in the travel and aviation industry. We have helped various multinational travel organisations grow and accelerate their business processes by providing highly skilled Travel Professionals and industry specific technology and services.  

At ATI, we understand that our people are the foundation of our success. Located in the rapidly growing South East Asia region, ATI has been able to remain resilient during the pandemic, which has allowed us to continue investing in our internal teams. One such initiative is the ATI Academy, an internal training program designed to develop our team and equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary to deliver standards of excellence for our clients. This program is conducted by ATI’s experienced trainers, who ensure that our employees are aligned with our company objectives and equipped with the skills and knowledge to assist our clients.

Utilising the combination of Human and Digital Intelligence, ATI has become a preferred partner of various global clients in the travel industry including Expedia, Booking. com, Flight Centre Travel Group, Travelport and Amadeus. ATI provides a pathway for organisations in the travel and aviation sector to scale resources quickly and efficiently, filling the gaps in your skill and staffing needs. To learn more about our products and services, don’t hesitate to get in contact with us or learn more about all of our offerings here.

The surge of the COVID-19 outbreak for the past 2 years has led to a continued global rise in inflation, staffing shortages and widespread disruption of the global economy. Yet, the outsourcing industry has so far proved to be resilient in times of turmoil. According to a Statista report, the BPO industry is projected to reach US$330 billion by the end of year. This includes a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.69%, leading to a market volume of US$450 billion by 2027. 

The growing number of calls and customer service centres in Asia Pacific and North America also creates a significant impact on market development for outsourcing organisations. Other drivers expected to fuel further growth include the rise of next-generation services such as big data analytics, cloud services, as well as robotic process automation (RPA). 

As another year unfolds with further opportunities, here are some of the outsourcing trends you may want to look out for in 2023:  

1. Increased demand for virtual assistants

Since the pandemic, businesses are looking to hone their workflow management in order to focus more on generating profits and revenues.  Administrative assistants, such as virtual assistants are starting to gain popularity for small businesses and startups to help with their daily operations. Outsourcing administrative professionals taking over mundane and repetitive tasks such as data entry, marketing services and customer service ensure a highly efficient and effective process in the organisation. According to a report by Best of Budgets, hiring virtual assistants through offshore outsourcing can reduce operating costs by 78% and increase productivity by over 13%, explaining the increasing demand for virtual assistants.

2. Artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and cloud services

Due to the implications of limited physical contact during the COVID 19 pandemic, consumers are now highly reliant on digital technology. Businesses need to amp up on digitisation more than ever. In turn, outsourcing companies need to be adept and keeping up with the latest technology in order to build and provide a seamless experience for their clients. Robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud services are essential differentiators for outsourcers looking to gain competitive advantage. These forms of automation and digitisation are likely to go beyond the fringes of in-house business processes and become core business features of outsourcing contracts for various industries especially healthcare, travel and IT services.

3. Omnichannel Communication

One thing that would continue to be of importance for customers, are personalised interaction and consistent experience with a brand through various communication channels. As a result, omnichannel communication has now become the new norm where omnichannel business tools are required to improve customer experience throughout all their communication channels. Omnichannel communication capability is one of the top outsourcing trends that is projected to continue on in the coming years. 

2023 is sure to bring lots of surprises that even our predictions can’t foresee. At the same time, these BPO trends are predicted to play a crucial role for businesses in making informed decisions to apply best practices in line with their organisational goals and success. The very best advice to keep is to understand your target clients needs, be consistent and shape organisational operations to serve as efficiently and effectively as possible to get the best customer experience.

As an experienced outsourcing specialist in the travel industry for over 20 years, ATI has delivered exceptional customer experiences from building and operating omnichannel support centres on behalf of our clients, to utilising automation and digital technology as a crucial business tool to assist business processes our clients may need help with. Trusted by clients across the globe including Expedia, Booking. com, Flight Centre Travel Group, Travelport and Amadeus, ATI provides a pathway to scale resources quickly and efficiently for organisations in the travel industry. To learn more about our products and services, don’t hesitate to get in contact with us or learn more about all of our offerings here.

There is still a month left before we enter 2023, but the warnings of incoming economic downturns are already coming in thick and fast. According to KPMG’s latest CEO survey, 86% of top executives believe there will be an economic recession in the next 12 months. This is indicated by the tightening of monetary policy in 54 countries, rising interest rates and inflation for these past few months – not to mention the Russia Ukraine war and COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing.

A few months ago the Washington Post made a statement that “Big Tech is bracing for the economic slump.” Although the reputation of Big Tech as a barometer of the whole economy is fair, all organisations should already be looking to take new precautions to ensure the organisation can survive and thrive, despite the unstable conditions. So, what can organisations do now to prepare for the incoming uncertainties? One of the strategies companies can consider is to outsource some of the organisations’ business processes.  

The Benefits of Outsourcing Amidst Uncertainties 

Economic uncertainties tend to wreak havoc on the growth plans of companies. During these times with varying uncertainty, outsourcing could put organisations in a better position to handle the fluctuations and uncertain conditions. Here are some benefits of outsourcing that could be of help for organisations:

• Assist in cost savings

Reduction of cost has always been a key variable for companies when making the outsourcing decision. During times of economic uncertainties when your revenue starts getting impacted, cost savings would be a priority as organisations would not be able to afford spending as much they have before. Outsourcing gives your company the leverage to reduce costs in various areas of business operations, human resources and even digital technology.

• Create flexibility in resourcing

In most organisations, manpower is often the biggest cost item. When the push comes to reduce cost, companies often cannot avoid laying off staff in order to make a dent in manpower costs. It is the most effective, yet perhaps least popular of all strategies. Outsourcing offers the flexibility to ramp resources up and down, as long as defined conditions are being met. Hiring offshore resources not only gives greater flexibility in terms of upsizing and downsizing headcount with lower cost, but also eliminates expenses such as office space and recruitment processes. Organisations with outsourcing capabilities are set to be in the best position to sprint forward.

• Work with the best in the industry

Outsourcing companies are focused on up-skilling their employees in the focused industry and its operational needs to ensure the best qualified and experienced team is working for you. This means as a company, you will obtain high-level performance from experienced professionals in the related field that will naturally result in higher efficiency and greater productivity for your business.

Generally, outsourcing reduces costs, increases efficiency and improves your product or service offering. Especially in the travel industry, outsourcing is a common practice due to its flexible nature. Partnering with an outsourcing company is a beneficial business strategy in many situations, but it becomes a critical one during times of economic uncertainties to ensure stability and flexibility.

About ATI

With 20 years of experience in the travel industry, ATI has grown to be the largest business process outsourcing provider in Indonesia. We help various multinational travel companies grow and accelerate their business process by providing integrated Technology and Digital Services & Solutions. By comprehensively investing in our team- and utilising the combination of Human and Digital Intelligence, ATI has become a preferred partner of various global clients in the travel industry.

If you would like to know more about our business and services, and how ATI can help your organisation, especially coming into these times with great uncertainties, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here to consult how our  products and services could possibly help you.

As the Travel & Aviation industry is returning back to its pre-pandemic levels, revenue and profit maximisation opportunities in the industry are on the rise. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) projects industry-wide revenue this year could result in a 54.5% increase from last year and fulfil 93.3% of the 2019 level, the last full year before Covid. Meanwhile, costs will be 44% lower year over year. According to a recent report from McKinsey & Co, the aviation industry has a massive opportunity in the years ahead with a projected value of $440.6 billion by 2030. 

How payment systems affect the bottom line

As it stands, approximately 2.9 billion airline booking payment transactions – valued at about $1 trillion – take place around the world every year. However,  according to a McKinsey report, the transactions come at a cost – with the airline industry spending more than $20 billion per year on payment costs, amounting to over 3% of airlines’ total revenue and approximately 78% of the industry’s net profit. Airline payment solutions are often fragmented, with various systems used across different touch points. One of the ways to fully realise margin potential for carriers, is to get their payment component right and keep costs under control. Enabling integrated payment solutions across the board not only improves the experience for passengers, it can also help unlock new potential revenue streams.

Seamless payment experience with OPA

Online Payment for Agents (OPA) is a web-based portal that works as a payment landing page, connecting both the Global Distribution Systems (GDS)  and a variety of online-based payment systems.  OPA enables digitalisation of payment processes from offline channels into payments that can be performed online with no wait time. 

By removing the need for any payment intermediaries such as BSP (Billing Settlement Plan), processing time is minimised and unnecessary costs (such as deposits and bank guarantees) can be avoided, helping airlines improve their cash flow significantly. With this technology, OPA allows fast, easy and secured payment for airlines and their network of travel agents. 

How can ATI’s OPA solution maximise your potential revenue?

Elimination of unnecessary costs by removing the need for any payment intermediaries, and involving only the essential flow and services needed for the payment, creates a much more efficient ecosystem for revenue maximisation. Not only that, ATI’s OPA solution enables airlines to receive real time payment, which would significantly improve cash flow and minimise payment processing time – ensuring your customers get the best customer service experience. 

ATI’s OPA solution also facilitates a wide variety of payment options that can be added as required, either through direct connections or highly-secured payment gateways. With a broad variety of payment gateways, suppliers and carriers have the freedom to choose payment channels best suited to their needs. Easy integration with other settlement and inventory systems also allow payments not only for flight tickets, but also non-flight products, generating an even wider revenue opportunity. 

OPA is the flexible solution many airlines are looking for to address their payment needs through the travel agency network. To learn more about OPA here , and don’t hesitate to get in contact with us here.