Thomas Cook is planning to improve customer service across its business by standardising the portal software used to support 17,000 users across all its brands and departments.

The travel group already uses the customer relationship management (CRM) application from supplier RightNow to serve holidaymakers using MyTravel, Airtours and Thomascook.com, but will now roll it out to support other brands including Sunquest, Neckermann, Condor and Direct Holidays.

The system will be installed in two of the firm’s main sales services, as well as 800 high street stores and third-party travel agents.

“Historically, agents in the Thomas Cook sales centre used various sources of information while store staff called the agent support team, often with the customer sitting opposite them,” said Nicola Yeomans, Thomas Cook’s director of sales centres.

“Now both can be confident that they have fingertip access to knowledge, specifically tailored to empower them in the delivery of efficient and pleasant customer service,” she said.

The portal, branded “Ask Thomas”, contains customer and corporate data that helps retail agents serve customers efficiently.

Jo Welling, Thomas Cook’s distribution systems manager, said agents like the software because of its search capabilities.

“We considered other CRM applications but agents wanted RightNow because it can search for key words and common phrases,” she said.

Welling said the business is supplied with reports listing search terms that agents have typed into the system. The search functionality is constantly updated with more information to ensure the search delivers the most helpful results.

The main business benefit from agents using the new technology is the time it saves, particularly because of the reduced number of calls that need to be made within the business.

“Other frontline retail agents in companies trading Thomas Cook services can easily find out details from the system, such as the price of changing a particular booking,” said Welling.

“This reduces the number of transactional calls Thomas Cook agents have to take, which means they can serve more customers.”

Thomas Cook’s home workers, totalling around 200 staff, will also have access to the “Ask Thomas” knowledge repository.