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VMSPlain English

The words of travel
and outsourcing.

Short, plain definitions of the terms you will hear when you work with a travel business and a BPO partner.

A laptop beside an open book on a desk

A

API
Application programming interface. A way for two pieces of software to talk to each other, for example a booking website asking for live fares.

B

Back office
The behind-the-scenes work that keeps a travel business running: ticketing support, reconciliation, refunds, accounts and reports. See Travel & Leisure Outsourcing
BPO
Business process outsourcing. Hiring a specialist team to run a business process for you, such as customer support or bookings support, instead of doing it in-house. See Travel & Leisure Outsourcing
BSP
Billing and Settlement Plan. The IATA system that settles money between travel agents and airlines on a regular cycle.

C

CRM
Customer relationship management. Software that keeps customer details, bookings and follow-ups in one place. See Travel Portals

F

Fare rules
The conditions attached to an airfare, such as change fees, refund rules and how long it is valid.

G

GDS
Global distribution system. A network that lets travel sellers search and book airline, hotel and car inventory in one place. Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport are well-known examples. See Travel Portals

I

IATA
The International Air Transport Association, the trade body for airlines. An IATA-authorised agent is accredited to sell airline tickets.

O

OTA
Online travel agency. A company that sells travel online, through websites and apps, directly to travellers.

P

PNR
Passenger name record. The booking record that holds a traveller’s name, itinerary and ticket details.

R

Reconciliation
Checking that bookings, payments and supplier invoices match, so the books are accurate. See Finance & Accounting

S

SLA
Service level agreement. A written promise about how fast and how well a service will be delivered.

T

Ticketing
Issuing the airline ticket once a booking is confirmed and paid for.
TMC
Travel management company. A company that manages business travel for other companies, including bookings, travel policy and reporting. See Travel Management
Travel BPO
Outsourcing travel-specific work, such as reservations, ticketing, customer service and back-office tasks, to a team trained in travel. See Customer Interaction

W

White-label
A product built by one company and sold under another company’s brand. See Travel Portals

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