If 2011 was the year of social technology development at Signature Travel Network, the consortium is hoping that 2012 will be the year its agencies and clients embrace that technology.
California-based Signature has leaped ahead of many travel sellers in terms of social technology development. In the last year, it unveiled a mobile app for Apple and Android devices; an interactive online publication geared to tablet users; and MyTravelSite, a blogging and social media site.
These are the developments that make headlines, said Karen Yeates, Signature's vice president of Internet business solutions. The consortium has also developed more advanced technology behind the scenes.
The ultimate goal of all these new products, Yeates said, is to help members better engage with their current clients and attract new prospects.
The blog is designed to attract friends and family members of clients who share it on Facebook. The app has already generated consumer interest from people who see it in Apple's App Store or at the Android Market site and contact Signature, which turns those people into leads, because the app is free for Signature clients.
Called Pocket Travel Consultant, the mobile app debuted in November, providing clients with information on 350 cities around the world, on demand, even while they are abroad. It is customized with each member's brand and is free for Signature agents and their clients.
The online publication, called the Travel Experience, will be available for Signature clients whose Web browsers run HTML5 as well as on iPads and other tablets. It will complement Signature's printed magazines with integrated video, photo galleries and quick facts. Signature agents can download the publication directly to their website and email their clients content on specific destinations or products.
Earlier this year, Signature developed MyTravelSite.com, a consumer blog that can be used by clients to share photos, stories and videos of their vacations with family and friends through Facebook and other social networking services.
Much of this innovation was spearheaded by Yeates, who returned to Signature in 1999 to help build its first website. Since then, she has put the company on a technology-forward trajectory.
One of Signature's goals this year is to persuade its members to embrace this technology, Yeates said, something they have been slow to do with MyTravelSite, the only tool that has been around long enough to measure its usage.
Yeates said that time and the demographics of both agents and their clients are also factors.
"We know the demographic of agents is a little older, and they aren't in the social networking world, so they don't see the value of it," she said.
This year, she said, Signature will make a significant investment in training programs at both in-person meetings and online webinars.
"Last year we did a big push on the development side, and this year we are pushing to train, enhance and integrate," Yeates said.
And while apps for mobile phones and a magazine for tablets are still advanced concepts for much of the population, Yeates would rather be ahead of the curve than behind.
"Those [companies] that aren't investing in mobile will be left behind," she said.
Developing one app that 300 companies can take advantage of makes economic sense, Yeates added.
"It's one of those things where if members were developing it on their own, it would be cost-prohibitive," she said.
Many Signature members applaud the consortium's forward thinking.
Mike Dawson, president of Toronto-based Merit Leisure Group, a Signature member, said that with clients embracing the use of technology to research travel, Signature's new applications will help Merit's travel consultants connect with clients "in the way they communicate today."
"It's a natural evolution of how we establish, and more importantly maintain, our relationships with our clients," he said.
Dawson said that with apps, blogs and the importance of trusted referrals from professionals, friends, and family, the new technology "will bring this dimension to our relationship with our clients and give us the opportunity and channel to develop relationships with new clients."
The app has already proven popular with Signature frontline agents: Between Nov. 21 and Jan. 3, it was downloaded 1,600 times, representing 30% of the consortium's 6,000 agents.
Signature is currently focused on getting its members to use the app and will then begin marketing it to consumers. The Travel Experience was scheduled to be sent to consumers last week.
Follow Johanna Jainchill on Twitter @jjainchilltw.