TMCs + GDS = ???

 

 

To be found among the caravans found outside the GDS cathedral......

GDS MIA for the most part

Still not there, but the TMCs are getting closer

The next slides cover the short, medium and long-term needs of the TMCs

This is intended as an indicator, not an exaustive list. Please feel free to mix and

match at home.

Disparate Content concerns standard telephony, VoiP, data transmission (one-way/two-way), IM, e-mail,etc.

Collaborative Workspace deals with content used internally (TMC, client, competition, supplier related), social networking (both internal and external) and the offshoot  communities of practice (groups built on common goals and not company hierarchy)

Post Transaction These actions all concern the actions performed after ticketing; including invoice issuance, Management Information and data hand off to external applications (either Enterprise Resource Planning or just electronic expense management systems)

Profile Management deals with the means by which TMC's collect, deploy and utilize client and traveler profiles. Apart from the data per-se, the GDS has been used very often as a large CRM repository to manage any/all client/traveler preferences and processes.

Multiple Content concerns the various content (air, LCC, rail, car, hotel, ferry, etc.), the various systems required for the respective transactions, attempts to present this data to the clients/travelers in a comprehensive manner, and lastly to service clients on a global level with no loss of service.

Automated Events delves with the various processes (very often managed by external applications interacting with the GDSs) established to ensure data quality, enforce client travel policy preferences and perform automated fulfillment when possible.

Module Selection  As TMC's have had to rely on external providers for many processes, it is very possible that only certain modules might be required. Following this analogy, there could be other businesses apart from the TMC's that

could be interested in certain modules.

Modules which are adaptable  Conversely, the flexibility to attach external modules is a necessity