WTM 2015: Codegen empowers clients to ride the personalisation wave with Travelbox Surf

Codegen has unveiled a new user interface for clients on its Travelbox dynamic tour operating system to help them get the most out of the technology.

Codegen has unveiled a new user interface for clients on its Travelbox dynamic tour operating system to help them get the most out of the technology.

The developer says the launch of Travelbox Surf came in response to the realisation that users were not fully exploiting the capabilities of the system.

Surf is a customisable interface that offers web developers a range of features and widgets that can be simply integrated into clients’ websites.

Codegen described Surf as an “enabling layer” for customers to help them build more inspirational websites and innovate the booking path.

It says it will help clients display product before the website visitor has entered any information based on what is already known about them.

Natural language semantic search will analyse the words customers enter into search boxes to improve the relevancy of results.

Codegen said Surf will enable clients, like airlines, to better merchandise product and ancillaries and to personalise results in a single view and a simpler layout.

It will also make intelligent recommendations about other product a consumer might also like, in the same way that Amazon does.

Codegen said the system means firms do not necessarily have to have a traditional form-filling functionality at the front end because multiple product options are already created.

Firms can control to what level results are personalised and specific while also offering the flexibility for a much broader search and alternative options.

Inventory modules create packages, dynamically put together behind the scenes and the Surf interface allows users to apply business rules.

Product can then be tailored to suit individual customers or to preference best rate, or conversion rate or margin.

Booking engines sit behind these modules so any combination can be booked seamlessly and a generic module allows bespoke product to be loaded like golf tee off times, or wedding packages.

Operators can build simple product templates based on the destinations of regions they sell, down to the within-city district level.

Another feature of Surf is a more advanced ‘manage my booking’ feature, allowing customers much more scope to make changes without having to make a phone call.

Any single change prompts the system to analyse the entire itinerary and to offer alternatives to other components and how this affects the price.

Codegen said this could significantly cut costs, estimating that 60% of incoming calls to customers’ call centres are to make amendments. It estimates the system could cut that to 20%.

But Codegen said the biggest impact of Surf will be on conversion as firms use it to surface better results.

Bharat Patel, Codegen director, said: “Surf is a next-generation online environment enabling firms to deliver on the web intelligently using personalisation.

“It’s highly intelligent at tailoring product to the user. Our tour operator clients can tailor search results to each of their customers giving results specific to what’s required.”