Tourism is one of the sectors most affected by the pandemic, affecting livelihoods, economies, and public services on all continents. Fortunately, the industry has been able to recover at a rapid speed as more than 700 million tourists traveled internationally from January to September of 2022. This is more than double the number recorded for the same period in 2011.

As more and more countries open borders to welcome travelers after the pandemic, it’s crucial for travel agencies to reinvent their processes. They need to invest in newer and better tools, like CRM software, to stand out from competitors, meet the demands of travelers, and adapt to the changes brought by the pandemic to the industry.
For your travel agency to enjoy everything CRMs have to offer, you need to know how to narrow down your options. There are plenty of CRMs available today, each offering unique features.

5 Key Advantages of Using a CRM for Travel Agencies

Customer relationship management or CRM software streamlines the daily duties of travel agents. It helps agencies and agents manage client information, travel documents, social media presence, and financial resources from one dashboard. As a result, travel agencies get to provide the best customer experience. 

With the right CRM, travel agencies can enjoy the following benefits:

Saves Time

CRM has several features that help agents reduce the amount of time they spend on tasks. CRMs for tourism can organize tasks strategically, generate automated reports, and support mobile consultations.

Increases Efficiency

Response time is crucial for businesses operating in the service industry as competition is stiff — leave customers unanswered for a few hours, and they’ll turn to your competitors. 

CRM streamlines support and centralizes every piece of customer information. With a quick glance at the database, you can respond to customers quickly and accurately.

Improves Customer Satisfaction

CRMs are specially designed to increase your customer satisfaction rate, which in turn, will improve your customer relationships. By using a CRM, you’ll get to know your customers better and their needs and come up with the best possible solutions.

Boosts Business Strategies

CRM can run analytics and organize data to give you a clearer and better view of the bigger picture. With this data, you can determine the best strategies to use in order to generate sales and convert prospects. This is important, especially during the travel industry’s low seasons.

Creates Better Marketing Campaigns

Understand your customers better by creating and sending out feedback forms through the CRM. Use their answers to craft your marketing campaigns. This way, your marketing campaigns generate better results and bigger ROIs.

Top 12 CRM for Travel Agencies

CRMs can get your travel agency off the ground, but since there are too many options available, choosing the right one can be tough. Use the information discussed below to compare options and help you determine which CRM best fits your needs.

ActiveCampaign

This travel CRM offers many tools, including goal tracking, multichannel broadcasts, and autoresponders. It also allows you to segregate customers based on different criteria and offers machine learning, like conditional content, predictive sending, and split automation.

Pros

• Ease of use
• Affordable 
• Supports lots of integrations  

Con

• Its reporting features can be challenging to navigate 

Pricing: Starts at $9 per month

Creatio

Creatio has every tool a travel agency needs: document management, calendar contacts, and more. This CRM makes it possible to store all company documents and find customers’ contracts, accounts, and visa applications fast. It’s also available in a mobile version. 

Pros

• Manages and tracks all communication
• Automates activities with workflows
• Has historical data to easily understand contacts and accounts

Con

• Difficult to learn as the user interface is a bit complex

Pricing: Starts at $25 per month

EngageBay

Since it’s cheaper than most of its competitors, EngageBay has become popular among small- and medium-sized travel agencies. With this CRM, customers can contact you using different channels, like social media, live chat, SMS, web forms, and phone. 

Pros

• Smart and user-friendly interface
• High storage capacity
• Responsive customer support

Con

• Outdated email templates

Pricing: Has free plans, paid plans start at $14.99 per month

Freshworks

Using Freshworks allows you to connect other products, like FreshDesk and FreshCaller. This integration adds value to the CRM because it improves its features. For instance, FreshCaller lets you contact your customers, tour guides, and other suppliers right from the CRM.

Pros

• Has tools to track how customers engage with a brand
• Clean, easy-to-use, and intuitive interface
• Easy to install and configure

Con

• Needs more options for exporting information

Pricing: Starts at $29 per month

HubSpot

HubSpot is a favorite among many travel agencies. This CRM lets you build multichannel marketing campaigns and easily track them from a single dashboard. You can also create unique landing pages and call-to-actions and then A/B test them. 

Pros

• Can be integrated into various sales, marketing, and service hubs
• Easy to use
• Advanced chatbot feature for top-quality customer service

Con

• Basic reporting tools

Pricing: Has free plans, paid plan starts at $50 per month

Kapture

Providing a better customer experience becomes easier with Kapture’s all-in-one customer support platform. Through this tool, you can also automate key tasks, such as responding to common customer inquiries by sending automated email sequences. 

Pros

• Easy to use
• Allows users to multitask
• Its ticketing system makes it easier for agencies to manage and organize their ticket flows

Con

• Responses are delayed (especially the chats) even having a good internet connection

Pricing: Starts at $35 per month

Moonstride

Moonstride was designed for travel agencies of all sizes. It’s a cloud-based solution that allows you to connect to any third-party APIs. Its dashboard displays an overview of all active inquiries, bookings, and quotations. 

Pros

• Exceptional customer service
• Affordable 
• Has all the features travel agencies need

Con

• The base package doesn’t support sales and purchase ledgers

Pricing: Starts at $33 per month

Pipedrive

Pipedrive is an excellent CRM for travel agencies because it has marketing and sales automation software. It also has many innovative features, like its AI sales assistant, that help you embrace automation by offering reports and performance ideas.  

Pros

• Intuitive interface and deal-driven workflows
• Robust mobile apps with call and email integrations
• Unlimited pipelines to expedite your sales process 

Con

• No separation between lists of new contacts and leads

Pricing: Starts at $15 per month

Tutterfly

Aside from the basic features, Tutterfly offers integrated sales management, direct report filing and generation, and dynamic performance modeling. All of its advanced features are powered by a flawless user interface, which is compatible across different devices. 

Pros

• Fully customizable leads, sales, and opportunities reporting
• Completely cloud-based
• Offers a 14-day free trial

Con

• Marketing capabilities aren’t as strong as other CRMs

Pricing: Starts at $18 per month

Dolphin Dynamics

Dolphin Dynamics combines branding, billing, and bookings with a firm focus on creating the best checkout experience. Using this CRM allows you to integrate client and corporate profiles, so you can create professional relationships and provide customized services to customers. 

Pros

• Creates and sends personalized statements and invoices
• Excellent and unique workflow management tools
• Automates credit control functions and transaction fee calculations

Con

• Outdated interface

Pricing: Get in touch with Dolphin Dynamics through their website to get an accurate quote.

Less Annoying CRM

True to its name, Less Annoying CRM is a no-frills CRM provider. It helps travel agencies manage relationships with customers with a clean and simple interface. Some of its standout features are lead and pipeline management, email logging, and reporting and analytics.

Pros

• Free customer support 
• Set up takes less than an hour
• Its 30-day free trial doesn’t require any credit cards

Con

• Maybe too simple for the needs of bigger travel agencies

Pricing: Starts at $15 per month

Capsule

Capsule empowers agents to deliver the same level of personal service within the agency. This CRM allows you to create step-by-step processes for teams to follow. It stores detailed records of interactions of all customers, so everyone in the agency is on the same page. 

Pros

• Integrates with various third-party apps, like MailChimp and QuickBooks
• Available in a slick mobile app
• Offers a 30-day free plan

Con

• Tricky to implement

Pricing: Starts at $18 per month

Consider Your Agency’s Pain Points

The best CRM for your travel agency depends on your needs. For example, if you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, Creatio or HubSpot might be more suitable as they offer free plans. If you want to focus more on improving your agency’s ticketing system, Kapture might be better.

Pay attention to the common pain points your travel agency experiences and use that as a deciding factor when choosing a CRM. You’ll only enjoy using this tool if it has features that make your workload lighter and your agency more efficient.