24/7 VIRTUAL RECEPTIONISTS

Answering service for travel agents with customer follow-up

Smith.ai's answering service for travel agents helps you go the extra mile — with 24/7 call answering, lead screening & rich call intelligence.

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Incoming calls are unpredictable.

Calls come in, but you're not always available to answer them. We capture leads, book appointments, collect payment, and log details instantly in your systems.

Book tours for your clients while we handle the calls.

There’s too much to do, and you can't delegate a travel agent's work. Hand off "the rest" to our receptionists. We capture leads, set appointments, and follow-up to win business.

The most advanced and customizable call handling solution available

The AI Receptionist from Smith.ai combines cutting-edge AI technology with optional human support to deliver unmatched call handling capabilities. Unlike competitors who offer basic subscription services, we provide white-glove implementation and ongoing support to ensure your success.

What sets Smith.ai apart:

Custom AI configuration with prompts and instructions tailored specifically to your business needs and goals
True 24/7 coverage with intelligent call routing and seamless human escalation when needed
Complete call handling including complex scheduling, payment processing, and sensitive conversations
Advanced CRM integration with 7,000+ business tools and custom workflow automation
Dedicated onboarding support with sales engineers and account managers ensuring optimal setup
North America-based receptionists to support callers when needed
Professional representation that adapts to your brand voice and industry requirements

Powerful call intelligence gives your business the lead

Make better business decisions with real-time call data, visualized in every Smith.ai client dashboard. Every call summary is enriched with metadata including actions completed, caller disposition, priority, relevance, call recording and transcription, and more. See the big picture with historical tables and charts to predict business growth, costs, and ROI with superior accuracy.

82%

of consumers expect an immediate response to a sales inquiry

50%

of lead generation budgets are wasted on leads who are never contacted

67%

of customers who receive excellent service spend up to 14% more

Looking for 100% human-powered coverage?

While our AI Receptionist with human support delivers exceptional results for most businesses, we understand that some situations require dedicated human coverage. That’s why Smith.ai also offers comprehensive virtual receptionist plans with 100% live, North America-based agents answering your calls 24/7.

Our virtual receptionist plans provide dedicated human agents trained specifically on your business and industry.

‍

Complete Human Coverage When You Need It

Smith.ai is trusted by 4,000+ businesses

5.0 stars

4.9 stars

5.0 stars

4.7 stars

“So much more than an answering service. Smith.ai gives us a personal way to focus on executing at the fast pace required in startup life.”

Edward Aten

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Improve customer experiences with 24/7 AI-powered engagement built specifically for your business. Unlike basic AI competitors that offer one-size-fits-all solutions, Smith.ai delivers infinite customization with white-glove implementation tailored to your exact needs and goals.

Custom AI prompts engineered for your industry, terminology, and workflows
Flexible call instructions that adapt to your unique business processes
Intelligent call handling with seamless human escalation
Personalized lead qualification matching your specific criteria
Bilingual services configured to your customer base
Native CRM integration with your existing tech stack
Dedicated implementation team that ensures perfect setup from day one

While other AI services leave you to figure it out alone, our expert team works closely with you to craft custom AI behavior that sounds like your business, follows your procedures, and delivers results that match your goals.

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END-TO-END INTEGRATIONS

We play well with your software

Calls, appointments, and payments are automatically logged in your systems by our AI. Real-time syncing with over 7,000 integrations.

View all integrations

END-TO-END INTEGRATIONS

We play well with your software

Calls, appointments, and payments are automatically logged in your systems by our AI. Real-time syncing with over 7,000 integrations.

View all integrations

Frequently asked questions

The best travel agent answering services do much more than pick up phone calls and take messages for home and office. At Smith.ai, we provide virtual receptionists capable of a wide range of services from call handling, to scheduling, to lead intake, to website chat, and more. Whether you need a virtual receptionist for full-time call handling, overflow support only, after-hours, or triage, here are the answers to the most common questions we receive from travel agents, trip planners, and travel consultants.

Everyone needs a reliable travel agent at least once in their life. Travel agents and consultants have the power to find and book the best hotels, flights, tours, and even restaurants to make a trip memorable. But who coordinates for the coordinator? While they're busy attending to their clients' travel needs, important phone calls from interested new clients are likely to be missed. But with a travel agent answering service like Smith.ai, lead qualification and intake can be taken care of along with other time-consuming administrative duties. A reliable answering service takes the pressure off of travel agents trying to get it all done by providing custom support where they need most. From 24/7 call answering and appointment scheduling to quality lead screening and payment collecting, travel agents who use an answering service can check more off their to-do list without lifting a single finger. Some of the most notable benefits that travel agents have experienced thanks to an answering service include:

Expanded availability‍

No robots or voicemail boxes for your callers. With a 24/7 answering service, your clients will always speak to a real human being. Whether you're busy with another client, away on a vacation of your own, or simply unavailable to reach the phone, your clients are guaranteed to receive the high-quality customer service from a trained professional monitoring your phone lines around-the-clock.

Increased lead capture

Missed calls means missed opportunities. Don’t let potential clients slip through your fingers just because you're too busy to answer the phone. Answering services provide nighttime, overflow, weekend, and after-hours availability, meaning your potential clients will be well taken care of and you'll never have to miss out on another business opportunity.

Increased work productivity

By entrusting an answering service with your calls, your schedule will be free from the burden of tedious administrative duties, like appointment booking. Less time spent on the phone means more time spent on productive work. An answering service allows your travel agency to get more real work done. Get ready to welcome more growth opportunities for your business.

Enhanced client satisfaction and business reputation

Smith.ai knows how to deliver memorable customer service, so whatever your business size or industry, our team has got you covered. Each and every Smith.ai virtual receptionist is highly-trained in customer service. Let us put our award-winning practices to work for you by delivering the exceptional responsiveness you'd like to be known for.

Save money and time

Customers who use Smith.ai can save upwards of $30,000/year! That's an entire year's salary! Your team will still receive the same front-desk support that an in-house receptionist provides (and even gain extensive, advanced services in-house receptionists can't provide, like free spam-blocking) all for a fraction of the price.

Stay up-to-date with leads and clients

Phone answering services can send over detailed call summaries after each and every call, and even provide your clients with chat and text messaging so your clients have numerous ways to get in contact with your agency.

A live travel agent answering service can change the way you do business for the better. Whether you're on a budget, overwhelmed by growing business demands, or simply looking to enrich your customer service, Smith.ai's virtual receptionists are designed to suit your business needs. Your travel agency can receive all the benefits of an in-house receptionist and more, empowering you to accomplish your business goals, whatever they may be.

Smith.ai’s answering service can offer travel agents and consultants…

24/7 availability

After-hours & overflow answering

Bilingual answering

Outbound call-backs

Spam blocking

Appointment scheduling

Sales development

Payment collection

CRM Integration

Lead development

And much more…‍

With a long list of top-of-the-line features, Smith.ai’s answering service is guaranteed to enhance travel agency's overall productivity, revenue, and outreach. For years, Smith.ai has offered quality service to travel agents like yourself and our clients trust Smith.ai, and only Smith.ai, to provide them with the premium support their business needs. Read a few of our 5-star reviews to learn why travel agents across the nation rely on Smith.ai.

The cost of "front desk" support can understandably be an important factor in any professional's decision to hire some administrative assistance. Keeping costs lows and quality high is crucial, but with an in-house receptionist, you may not get the most bang for your buck. To give you a look at the cost comparisons, we've compiled a list of some of the average expenses travel agents can expect when hiring an in-house receptionist.

The average salary nation-wide for an in-house receptionist is about $37,000 and they usually come with expensive (usually hidden) fees, such as:

Medical, dental, and vision insurance, costing about $11,000/year
Life and disability insurance, costing about $2,000/year
401K’s, retirement and pension plans, costing about $2,000/year
Paid sick leave, holidays, and vacations, costing about $5,500/year
Commuting reimbursement, costing about $5,000/year
Child care subsidy and parental leave, costing about $3,000/year
Health and wellness programs, costing about $1,000/year
Bonus pay, costing about $2,000/year
Company retreats, team bonding events, and employee outings, costing about $4,000/year
Free lunch, snacks, and drinks, costing about $3,500/year

Total Cost in Addition to Salary: $77,000/year

If your agency is located in any major city, that price may be even higher. Costs are guaranteed to pile up when your in-house receptionist inevitably comes in late, calls in sick, requests time off, takes personal leaves of absence, goes on vacation, etc. Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can accomplish the same tasks as in-house receptionist and then some, barring coffee runs and supply restocks, of course, and are not taxing on your budget because you never have to pay for any of our receptionists' benefits or salaries.

Smith.ai’s answering service costs as little as $292.50/month, with no hidden fees. Ever. By hiring an answering service instead of an in-house receptionist, your business could save over $33,000/year on salary alone, and possibly up to $40,000/year in benefits beyond salary payments. Not only will you save tons, but you'll also see a huge boost in your overall productivity and net profit. Unlike in-house receptionists, virtual receptionists can answer calls outside of normal operating hours, enabling your agency to capture and covert nearly 27% more leads. Smith.ai’s agents can also answer live chats and texts, which is how 46% of customers prefer communicating with businesses.

Virtual receptionists can even provide sales assistance by making outbound calls to convert more leads, satisfying the over 67% of clients who base their decision to hire a business on the initial responsiveness to their call or email. With leads receiving immediate, professional responses, there's no telling the amount of leads you'll be able to convert. With Smith.ai’s trusted travel agent answering service, your team can enjoy the benefits of several in-house receptionists without the unnecessarily high cost. Check out our article to learn more about the differences between an in-house vs. a virtual receptionist.

Keeping a travel agency running efficiently requires teams to have their hands full. From implementing daily office procedures to executing long-term business development projects, travel agents have more than enough on their plate to attend to, let alone the quality client services they're expected to provide. With fast-paced work environments like this, it can be challenging to manage such a demanding workload week after week. Outsourced support can be a valuable tool in helping travel agencies keep up with growing administrative demands and tackle challenges that their internal team doesn't have the time or bandwidth to manage themselves. Some of the most common scenarios we see travel agencies require virtual receptionist services for are:

I'm desperate for “front desk” support, but I can't afford it

"Front desk” support in any form is an absolute necessity for just about every business. Allowing a trained professional to handle administrative duties on your behalf can help busy agencies establish more sustainable workflows, more practical in-office hours, and more manageable workloads. Unfortunately, many travel agencies on a budget can't afford to dish out thousands of dollars on unreliable in-house receptionists or ineffective call centers, leaving them without the support they need.

Constant phone calls distract from work

Calls come in whether your team is available to answer them or not. When travel agents need to take time away from client appointments to answer the phone, they can have a tough time getting refocused. And when it takes, on average, about 23 minutes to get back to a task after being interrupted by a phone call, the quality of an agent's work will be impacted and their clients will take notice. Picking up the phone might cost that travel agent a valuable existing client.

Growing business demands are overwhelming

While business growth is wonderful for obvious reasons, it can be a challenge for travel agencies to keep up with growing demands. With calls that need to be answered, consultations that need to be scheduled, and leads that need to be screened, it’s easy to see how travel agents can have a tough time getting everything done when to-do lists continue to grow beyond their reach.

I can't offer the around-the-clock availability clients want

When the work day ends, travel agents deserve to go home and spend time away from clients. But when you clock out, clients don't stop calling. When you're unavailable to answer their calls, leads can and will be missed, as over 27% of leads call outside of regular business hours. Travel agents may like to offer around-the-clock customer service, but they can't (and shouldn't) be expected to spend every waking moment on-call.

If your agency has experienced any one of these frustrating scenarios, or one quite similar, an answering service can undoubtedly be of service to you. By allowing professional receptionists to take over call handling for you, you'll be free to focus on more productive work knowing that your clients are guaranteed immediate responsiveness, friendly customer service, and knowledgeable assistance any time they reach out to your business. Our virtual receptionists can address and resolve even your most complicated administrative issues. Whether you could use some additional call handling, spam blocking, or lead qualifying support, Smith.ai's virtual receptionists can pick up wherever you leave off and lend a hand wherever you need it most. With highly-trained virtual receptionists on your team, you can get back to doing what you do best and keep your travel agency thriving.

Let's face it: you're not superhuman. You can't (and shouldn't) be expected to fix every single problem that comes your agency's way. That's what an answering service is for. Outsourcing to a reliable answering service can take the problem-solving pressure off by allowing a group of highly-trained professionals to take over the administrative responsibilities you struggle with the most. Answering services offer a comprehensive blanket of support, so regardless of the challenges you face, you can rest easy knowing an answering service can provide the superior manpower and advanced tools you need to weather any storm. A few of the most frequently reported problems that travel agencies like yours face are:

I can't provide the responsiveness clients demand

There are only so many hours in the day, and with so much on their plate as it is, travel agents may struggle to provide the responsiveness their leads expect. Delivering high-quality customer service can prove to be nearly impossible when travel agents are busy with daily upkeep during the day and away from their phones at night.

I'm spending all of my day on administrative tasks

Unreasonably high costs for in-house receptionists and administrative support staff force many travel agents to try and tackle all of their administrative tasks themselves. Despite spending a large portion of their day on answering client questions and sending out invoices, agents can never seem to catch up on their growing administrative demands. Remaining productive while still finding the time to address administrative duties can be a challenge for any busy travel agent.

I can't answer calls or reply to messages from potential leads in time

Though they may try their best to answer calls as they come in, travel agents simply can't be expected to pick up the phone every time it rings, especially after-hours. Even during business hours, travel agents rarely have the time to answer every call that comes in, which means as schedules fill, call handling and lead screening duties fall to the wayside, resulting in unsatisfied clients and low conversion rates.

My competitors are getting to leads faster than me

Competition for clients in the travel industry is fierce, and for already-overwhelmed travel agents, it can be difficult to differentiate their services from their competitors. Providing high-quality customer service through quick and thoughtful responses can obviously place any professional in good standing with new and existing clients, but with a competitive market, a massive workload, and a tight schedule, decent customer service can be an obstacle for travel agents to consistently provide.

I'm having trouble capturing and converting new clients

One of the most crucial, yet challenging aspects of building a successful business is finding and converting new clients. With existing clients and projects prioritized first, many travel agents have increasingly sparse free time to seek out and convert new leads. Lead generation and conversion demands tend to fall in importance behind more urgent projects, and for travel agents who can't answer the phone every time it rings or respond to messages instantaneously, leads tend to slip through the cracks.

I don't know how to keep track of all of my clients’ data

Maintaining detailed phone records and call summaries isn't a simple task for agents who frequently disperse client data across a few different software platforms. Knowing how, when, and why clients call is incredibly important for travel agencies trying to prioritize their client relationships, but when customer information is mismanaged, agents find their client relationships can quickly deteriorate.

Whether you've experience one or all of these frustrating complications, a virtual receptionist service can help you prevent and resolve them going forward. One of the many useful features of Smith.ai answering services is that our receptionists are dedicated to addressing the specific problems your agency is challenged with on a regular basis. Our virtual receptionists allocate time where you need it most, settling even the most complicated matters on your behalf. So whether you could use a hand scheduling appointments, collecting payments, or simply answering calls, Smith.ai is here to help. Sign up risk-free with our 30-day money-back guarantee and experience first-hand how Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can alleviate the problems your travel agency faces.

When considering a virtual receptionist service, a good place to start is to consider which areas you could use additional support in. To figure out which services your travel agency might benefit from the most, ask yourself which problems or challenges your agency struggles with that a virtual receptionist service can help to address:

Do you find managing call answering demands to be increasingly challenging?
Could you use some lead capturing assistance, or lead screening expertise?
Do you struggle to collect payments from forgetful or avoidant clients?

Whatever it may be, Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can adjust their service to better suit your needs.

Once you've identified some of the areas where Smith.ai receptionists can be of use for you, consider what services would best fit your activity level:

Is it difficult to remain productive during the work day due to too many phone call interruptions?
Do clients prefer to text you rather than call?
Would your business benefit from 24/7 phone answering or would you prefer a particular time frame, such as 9-to-5, for answering calls?

Whether you get twenty calls a month or 2,000, Smith.ai can customize your virtual receptionist service to fit your business activity so you only pay for what you need.

All you have to do is sign up. Getting started with Smith.ai’s virtual receptionist service is quick and easy. No annual contracts, no hidden setup fees, and no need for scripts.

To sign up with Smith.ai, follow these three simple steps:

Customize your instructions – Just answer a few, quick questions about your team and the preferences you have, and we’ll get you started. We’ll use your answers to customize the way our virtual receptionists answer your calls and your clients’ questions.
Send your calls to us – We work with every major phone system and can set up customized rules for when we answer your calls, or we can answer every call, 24/7!
Try risk-free with our 30-day money-back guarantee – Fully experience our call answering, scheduling, payments, and other phone services completely risk free for 30 days. If you find that we're not the right fit for you, you can receive up to $1,000 back within the first 30 days.

Whether you'd benefit from a full-time virtual receptionist or simply an overflow or after-hours call answering service, Smith.ai can offer customized assistance to your team with quality customer service, lead screening, and sales development in a way that suits your needs best. When you sign up with Smith.ai, you won’t just be gaining a virtual receptionist service, you’ll be gaining a professional, reliable, and friendly team of well-trained experts who can transform your travel agency for good.

‍Learn how to get started with Smith.ai’s virtual receptionist service.

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24/7 VIRTUAL RECEPTIONISTS

Answering service for travel agents with customer follow-up

Incoming calls are unpredictable.

Book tours for your clients while we handle the calls.

The most advanced and customizable call handling solution available

Powerful call intelligence gives your business the lead

Looking for 100% human-powered coverage?

Complete Human Coverage When You Need It

Smith.ai is trusted by 4,000+ businesses

Edward Aten

TALK TO OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS

Book a consultation

END-TO-END INTEGRATIONS

We play well with your software

END-TO-END INTEGRATIONS

We play well with your software

Frequently asked questions

What are the benefits of a travel agent answering service?

How much money will I save by hiring an answering service for my travel agency compared to an in-house receptionist?

What kinds of scenarios do travel agents need virtual receptionist services for?

What are some of the common problems that indicate my travel agency could use a virtual receptionist service?

What do I need to prepare to get started with a travel agent virtual receptionist service?

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