Cruise-booking travel advisors have a new tool at their disposal. Described by founder and CEO Reid Williams as “a collaboration and sales tool,” Cruisen is a new web and mobile app that complements and streamlines agents’ existing workflows while enhancing the client experience.
“When you look at advisors and how much they drive the market, it's really surprising that there's not a whole lot of technology that serves them [and] makes their process better,” Williams said of the inspiration behind Cruisen. “So, I thought, ‘Let's figure out a way to change that up a bit and reimagine cruise advising.’ And I think what you see in the app is the result of that.”
How Does Cruisen Work?
In short, Cruisen is a centralized location for advisors and clients to chat about trip needs and plan bookings in a shared location with a shared view of the process. The client uses a simple mobile app, and facing the advisor is either the app or desktop client.
Upon establishing a placeholder trip, a conversation begins about exactly where and when the client wants to travel. Using a library of available cruises from 32 supported lines, agents can search by duration, cost and other filters, and then share their suggested sailings with the client right within the app.
In a demo, Williams explained that both parties are “empowered to be looking at the same data together, instead of a tool where you’re booking on your own and then bringing that research back to your customer.” So, it’s essentially a timesaver.
Clients can even counter with other cruise ideas by liking them on their end to establish a simplified back-and-forth that is updated on the spot.
Then, after making a reservation at their regular host agency, consortium or directly with the line, agents can indicate booking selections — such as exact decks and staterooms — to share with the customer. Clients can also easily populate their profile with payment details to finalize the booking.
The conversation can be further expanded with added guests for a group chat — ideal for group sales — and filled with confirmation numbers and total prices as they become available. And multiple conversations can be conducted at once.
How Much Does it Cost?
For a limited time through the end of February, the app is free for agents to use. As of March 1, it will cost $25 per month. But for those who have already signed up before then, there will be a 40% discount for the first year at only $15 per month. For clients, the app is entirely free to use.
Cruisen is intent on offering a robust value proposition every step of the way.
“So, that's sourcing the customer, that's engaging the customer, quoting the customer and selling the customer,” Williams said.
And all the while, any existing commission structure remains the same.
Additional Features
Cruisen also monitors price drops, and is able to present only preferred cruise lines to clients. Additionally, the app features embedded artificial intelligence advisor support and the ability to attach files for supplementary information right within the chat.
In the end, Cruisen reduces fragmentation and increases collaboration, thus freeing time and boosting sales.
"We've been getting wonderful feedback so far from advisors,” Williams said.
