Expedia Group announced enhanced features to help travel advisors prepare for the holiday travel season. The new features are available to members of the Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP) and include an extension of Expedia’s Live Agent Chat to advisors and an improved lodging quote process.

“As part of our continuing commitment to helping travel advisors deliver incredible experiences for the travellers they serve, Expedia Group is further innovating our TAAP solutions to put the most useful tools at their disposal,” said strategic account director Gareth Davies. “Travel advisors continue to play a crucial role in the travel landscape, and we’re thrilled to provide them with the resources they need to have an even bigger impact on today’s travellers.”

Live Agent Chat connects TAAP advisors directly with a human agent online at any time. Previously only available to TAAP advisors in the US and Canada, the service will now be accessible in other markets, including Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore and the United Kingdom. In the coming months, TAAP will extend Live Agent Chat to additional regions in local languages.

With the new, expanded live chat, advisors around the world now have more flexibility to choose a customer support channel that meets their preferences. And, with ease-of-use features, TAAP advisors can quickly resolve booking questions so that they can save time and focus on delivering exceptional traveller experiences.

The new capabilities within the quotation service let TAAP advisors name and save quotes for future reference, review and modify quotes, and quickly begin booking from a saved quote. Additionally, the update allows advisors to track and manage all their quotes in a single place for improved visibility and convenience.

Expedia Group also announced a growing suite of marketing assets for advisors, including more than 300 customisable templates for social media, email marketing, banners and more. The marketing suite is designed to help TAAP advisors gain a competitive edge by increasing visibility and engagement with travellers.