Management reports

Every travel agency has to deliver reports detailing its services to its clients. Management reports include information such as which airline vendors were booked by travelers, how much was spent with each airline and other travel-related information. Travel agencies are sometimes tasked with compiling and consolidating information from several vendors and delivering that information to their clients in a way that makes sense. Management reporting software accepts and compiles feeds from several sources for the travel professional to present to clients.

I recommend: Globe Track offers a tour operator software that provides management reports on travel quotations and reservations in multiple combinations.

Central reservation system (CRS)

A central reservation system, or CRS, is a software application that allows an organization to develop a database of information to streamline the reservation process. Travel agencies often use CRS applications to store their clients' profile information, including company name, traveler names, departments and travel preferences. Agencies use information in the CRS to create customized travel reservations for their clients based on information that comes from airlines and other travel vendors.

I recommend: Dotcom Technologies provides a comprehensive definition of a CRS system as well as its uses, features and benefits.

Booking engine

Travel companies use booking engines to search fare and inventory availability of air, hotel and car suppliers. Agents use these software applications to search both negotiated fares as well as published rates for their clients. Agencies work with their clients to contract with airlines, hotels and car rental companies to load their rates into the chosen booking engine and allow the agents to make reservations seamlessly.

I recommend: Final Quadrant Solutions describes its SuiteCase booking engine designed for tour operators, as well as online and traditional travel agencies.

Personal name record (PNR)

A personal name record, or PNR, is a profile of all travel-related information for each traveler. Travel agents require their clients to create individual PNR profiles that include everything from the traveler's name to their seat preference. The agents then use these PNRs to make reservations using various software programs. All travel software programs allow some level of integration of PNR information.

I recommend: Review the definition of PNR at Cvent.

Back-office management system

A back-office management system creates invoices from all reservation information, pushes consolidated information to the agency and manages the process of payment reconciliation.

I recommend: Merang Travel Office provides a back-office management system solution that performs a variety of travel-related tasks.

Seamless integration

One of the most important elements of travel software is its integration with other applications used daily by an agent. Because travel professionals often use many software programs for different purposes, all of these applications must integrate to allow the agent to work efficiently.

I recommend: ITA Software details seamless integration of its applications along with a comprehensive system overview of the company's offerings.