Travelstart Relaunches Internal Travel Consultancy as Travelstart Live

CAPE TOWN, 12 March 2018 – Travelstart announced today that it has relaunched its internal travel consultancy as Travelstart Live. With Travelstart Live, the company will focus on improving their expert “human” service and being better equipped to assist customers who book complex routings, multi-city and multi-pax trips.

Linda Balme, Head of Sales at Travelstart, says the rebrand from Travelbar to Travelstart Live is much more than a name change, “It’s a significant shift internally and in how we want to communicate with our customers. Travelstart Live and its expert agents are now integrated with the website and apps rather than competing with digital channels as a standalone service.”

The rebranded service will cater for bookings that are more complex than those with fewer segments, including group bookings, multiple stops, cruises and unique holiday packages. Travelstart will use analytics to automatically prompt customers to Travelstart Live where they will be offered expert support. In addition, Travelstart will work closely with SafariNow.com to optimise their accommodation offering.

“Travelstart Live is a new channel to engage customers where our digital platforms do not fit their shopping behaviour,” said Balme. “We recognise the importance of omnichannel in offering our customers the right platform depending on their comfort with technology and the type of trip they wish to book. In doing this, we are closing the gap that exists between human support and ecommerce and giving customers the freedom to interact with us on their terms.”

Customers can view a product online, and either complete their booking online or interact with experienced travel consultants via Travelstart Live to get more information, expert advice and book.

Travelstart Live is a team of 26 travel agents with an average of nine years’ experience per consultant. The team is currently being expanded and will include a dedicated group bookings team.

From 12 - 16 March, Travelstart will promote domestic and international package deals to mark the launch of Travelstart Live. Furthermore, there will be an awareness campaign to highlight that flight deals are, in addition to being available through the website, bookable through Travelstart Live agents.