Travel Counsellors for Business is launching its first online booking tool (OBT) for its business travel clients.
The move from the UK-based homeworking specialist comes after the company agreed a deal last year for corporate technology firm Vibe Systems to provide a booking portal to Travel Counsellors.
The self-booking tool, known as myTC Online, has been developed by the two companies over the past few months. It will allow corporate travellers to self-serve on point-to-point itineraries, including hotels, rail, car rental, flights and ancillaries.
The platform gives corporate specialist Travel Counsellors the ability to provide a dashboard to customers with both the agent and client able to view all bookings.
Kieran Hartwell, managing director of Travel Counsellors for Business, said: “Working together with the team at Vibe, we are delighted to be launching myTC Online to our corporate Travel Counsellors and their clients, many of whom operate in the SME sector with business operations that move at pace.
“We highly anticipate that both business travellers and bookers alike will enjoy the freedom to make bookings on the platform, all with the wraparound personal support of their Travel Counsellor, who remains a phone call away or contactable through the myTC app.”
Bookings that require approval can be viewed and accepted within the new platform, which can also be customised for each client and configured to ensure bookings fall within their travel policy.
Other features of myTC Online include the integration of clients’ sustainable travel programmes, with the ability to display only travel options that support carbon reduction targets, as well as suggesting alternative rail journeys alongside flights when practical.
Martin Eade, co-founder and chief commercial officer at Vibe, added: “It’s been a real pleasure to work closely with Travel Counsellors for Business on their journey to launch myTC Online, backed by the knowledge, systems, support and experience we have at Vibe.”
The tech firm launched its customisable Vibe Corporate Plus technology to TMCs in 2022.
Manchester-based Travel Counsellors hopes the OBT will help to fuel its growth in the corporate market, which saw the firm record business travel bookings in 2023.