CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Cruise Planners continues to pave the way in the field of technology and was recognized at the 5th annual Franchise Innovation Awards in Atlanta, GA during the Franchise Customer Experience Conference. The company took home the coveted “Most Innovative Use of Technology: Products” award for their patent pending LivePlanner™ tool that they unveiled in November 2022 at their annual convention. The goal of the awards is to identify and recognize the franchisors creating and implementing the most original and successful innovative strategies and tactics to build their brand.
Cruise Planners CIO Brian Shultz accepts the 2023 Franchise Innovation Award for “Most Innovative Use of Technology: Products” in Atlanta, GA.
“It is an incredible honor to be recognized for the undisputed talent of our technology team,” said Michelle Fee, CEO & founder of Cruise Planners. “LivePlanner™ is a gamechanger and will help our advisors deliver the best experience they can for their clients and we’ve only seen the beginning.”
An independent jury of judges evaluated the innovation and objective of each of the more than 150 entrants, and we’re proud to say that we were one of the 22 recognized. Franchise innovators, game-changers, and disruptors competed in four categories: Marketing & Branding, Products & Services, Operations, and Human Resources.
Twenty-two winners were chosen from among the four categories. Each winner will be profiled in Franchise Update magazine.
Cruise Planners’ LivePlanner™ is the first interactive vacation planning tool of its kind within the travel industry. Hosted within Cruise Planners’ proprietary business management software, CP Maxx, LivePlanner™ gives franchises the opportunity to complete a live walkthrough of vacation options with their clients. These options include cruise itineraries with all major cruise lines, all-inclusive resorts, custom vacation packages, and more. With Cruise Planners advanced technology, there will be even more travel options available to advisors as the program evolves.
Cruise Planners agents have had thousands of sessions since launching in 2022
Average sale is 26% higher than a traditional sale without the use of LivePlanner™
The average close rate is above 45%
“I’m immensely proud of our team for consistently creating tools and applications that make a tangible difference for our advisors,” said Brian Shultz, CIO. “We always want to be one step ahead of their needs and continuously innovate to have more great things coming down the pike for them, so stay tuned.”
Company Background: Cruise Planners was founded in 1994 and is the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network. As a leader in the travel franchise industry, Cruise Planners positions a nation-wide network of 2,500 franchise owners for success by providing award-winning and innovative marketing programs, proprietary and cutting-edge booking and technology tools, as well as professional development and travel agent training with the industry’s top executives. The company continues to be an industry leader and was named the No.1 travel franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 18 consecutive years and awarded by Franchise Business Review as “Best-In-Category” for 3 years and ranked #18 on Travel Weekly’s 2022 Power List.
Franchise Business Review also ranked Cruise Planners #3 OVERALL on their list of Top 200 Franchises of 2022. Cruise Planners was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology, has been consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, is on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, and was recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by the Sun Sentinel.
Visit our website, www.cruiseplanners.com, for more information or to view the complete list of awards and honors. For those interested in becoming a franchise owner, please visit https://www.cruiseplannersfranchise.com/.
SOURCE Cruise Planners Franchising, LLC
