Cruise Planners unveiled a bevy of new announcements during its Cruise Planners Forum, Virtually Yours event on Monday, including a new task-management tool for advisors and the integration of all-inclusive resort and tour content into the Cruise Planners mobile app.
Cruise Planners, No. 24 on Travel Weekly's 2020 Power List, will unveil a Task Manager that prompts advisors with tasks related to individual clients or bookings as well as other scenarios that happen frequently. Reminders will occur automatically.
"The goal of the system is to help you stay organized and to help you never forget an important business task ever again," said chief information officer Brian Shultz.
Advisors can create their own task lists or use those created by Cruise Planners. They will be automatically reminded each day which tasks they need to complete.
In a media briefing before the virtual event, Cruise Planners COO and co-owner Vicky Garcia gave an example of a task list for an advisor with a cruise booking. First, the advisor would be prompted to send the client an invoice. Second, offer that client travel insurance. Third, call about the final payment. Fourth, call and wish the client a good trip. Finally, call to welcome the client home.
Cruise Planners chief information officer Brian Shultz during the Cruise Planners Forum, Virtually Yours event.
The All-Inclusive Resort System, launched this summer, gives Cruise Planners advisors the ability to search and filter some 200 all-inclusive resorts inside booking and customer relationship management system CP Maxx. Advisors can use the system to send details to their clients about the resorts, including pricing.
Starting in the first quarter of 2021, advisors will be able to make live bookings for those resorts inside CP Maxx, as well. A new hotel booking engine is also expected to launch in the first quarter of 2021.
That all-inclusive resort content joins several other new features in the client-facing Cruise Planners mobile app, as well. Clients can now search escorted tours and mark them as favorites, as they have been able to do with all-inclusive resorts. They will also be able to search Viator content. Advisors can view and manage clients' favorited itineraries.
According to Cruise Planners CEO and co-owner
Michelle Fee, clients previously could only see
cruise and hotel content within the app.
Shultz said more than 24,000 customers have used the tools within the Cruise Planners mobile app.
In the first quarter of 2021, Cruise Planners will launch a Partner Rating System. The system enables advisors to share with other Cruise Planners agents the experiences they or their clients have had with suppliers. They can leave starred ratings for five different categories: overall experience, service, entertainment, dining/food quality and family friendliness. They can also write reviews.
Cruise Planners is also in the process of forming a Care Team, a one-stop shop for advisors with questions or issues, expected to debut in the first quarter of 2021. Garcia said Cruise Planners' goal is to establish a single phone number and email address that advisors can reach out to when questions arise. Care Team members will act as their advocates, continuing to work with advisors until their problem has been resolved.