AN OTRAVO CASE STUDY Embarking on a journey …...Embarking on a journey for innovation and new...
Transcript of AN OTRAVO CASE STUDY Embarking on a journey …...Embarking on a journey for innovation and new...
OTRAVO is already one of the largest online
travel agencies in Europe with over one million
segments annually. With long-term plans for growth
and expansion, it wanted to build the fastest,
easiest, and most comprehensive online travel
products and best customer service experience in
the Netherlands and Belgium. Powered by the
flexible solutions of Sabre, bookability is at
95 percent, customer satisfaction has improved
by 20 percent, and turnover is up 40 percent.
Bob Rus is fixated on it, fascinated by it, and fiercely
protective of the customer experience at OTRAVO.
Rus believes that offering online travel shoppers
speed, superior choice and ease – providing the
best customer experience – is the key to
OTRAVO’S success, and its future.
As one of the five managing directors of OTRAVO,
Rus spends much of his time thinking about ways to
improve key performance indicators like look-to-book
ratios, website response times, and meta-search hit
rates. For him, it all started with a simple curiosity
and desire to be of service.
A CASE STUDY OTRAVO
Customer experience the key to success.
Bob Rus Managing Director
“I’ve always asked a lot of questions about costs,
schedules, and travel options,” said Rus. “As a
company, we’re constantly focusing on customer
needs and looking for ways to innovate so our
customers can get exactly they they want.”
About 90 percent of OTRAVO’s annual sales of
more than 240 million Euros come through leisure
travel and the company has aggressive growth
plans. To accelerate and prepare for new growth, the
OTRAVO management decided to review and
analyse its technology platform.
“We knew we wanted to improve speed and choice
for our customers, but promises for upgrades and
new features by our previous technology partner
weren’t being met,” said Rus. “We also wanted to
continue to grow in terms of our sales volume and
our company culture. We wanted a technology
partner with high energy and a clear plan for
innovation and growth – just like us.”
A CASE STUDY OTRAVO
Bob Rus Managing Director
Since we’ve converted to Sabre, we’re booking more
complex and expensive dynamic packages and tours
Bob Rus, Managing Director OTRAVO
OTRAVO brands, Vliegtickets.nl and
WTC.nl (World Ticket Center) needed
faster performance, additional travel
product options, and a more advanced
technology platform to provide a better
customer experience and handle new
growth opportunities.
OTRAVO selected Sabre for its flexibility
and its commitment to ongoing innovation
and technology investments. Customised
Sabre APIs provide capabilities for dynamic
packaging and have opened new channels,
while Sabre Red Workspace has increased
agents’ efficiency. OTRAVO found the right
balance of technology, service and support
in Sabre.
The switch to Sabre has paid off for
OTRAVO: bookings are up 30 percent year
over year, turnover has increased 40
percent, customer satisfaction scores
among online visitors have improved by 20
percent, and the company is prepared for
new organic growth, new acquisitions, and
new product and service offerings.
A CASE STUDY OTRAVO
With Sabre upgrading is always uplifting.
A CASE STUDY OTRAVO
Sabre delivers a first-class experience everytimeOTRAVO’s decision to switch to the Sabre technology
platform was driven primarily by the power and performance
of Sabre APIs. OTRAVO determined that Sabre was faster,
populated with more travel products, and had a stronger
commitment to innovation with a roadmap for the future.
But it was the support of Sabre leadership, sales, account
management, and technical teams that clinched it.
“From the beginning, Sabre gave us their full attention,
bringing in their best people for planning and implementation,”
said Rus. “They also brought us new customer segmentation
and service ideas; they are as customer and technology-
driven as we are.”
Sabre’s open development platform Sabre Dev Studio, with
its resources, tools and services, powers the user experience
for OTRAVO’s online customers. And OTRAVO’s call centre
representatives use Sabre Red Workspace when handling
calls from customers that prefer booking by phone or have
questions about their options.
“Sabre helps us provide the best of both worlds: superior
online functionality, as well as the ability to deliver highly
customised travel arrangements with a personal touch,” said
Rus. “Sabre has invested in our success, developing new
content and features when needed to support our two brands.
They’ve gone above and beyond expectations and we feel
we’ve got a technology partner that is ready for the future.”
Sabre provides the best of both worlds: superior online
functionality, and the ability to deliver highly customised
travel arrangements with a personal touch
The metrics that Rus watches so closely are up substantially
since making the switch to Sabre. Bookability – the accuracy
and availability of travel options – has improved to 95 percent
which means online shoppers are able to find and buy what
they want more often. And that is paying off in more positive
online reviews and word-of-mouth advertising, higher net
promoter and customer satisfaction scores, and most
importantly – sales.
OTRAVO is making the most of Sabre’s customisable online
product portfolio, by differentiating its services and offering an
enhanced shopping experience for travellers.
“Since we’ve converted to Sabre, we’re booking more
complex and expensive dynamic packages and tours, we’re
able to show more flight details and seating options, and
we’re connected to the meta-site channel now,” said Rus.
“These upgrades have helped us grow our turnover 40 percent
year over year.”
OTRAVO’s ability to connect with meta-search travel sites like
Kayak, Trivago and TripAdvisor represents a new and very
large revenue opportunity. Travel products and packages from
OTRAVO are now included in search results and offered to
millions of travel shoppers from around the world each month.
Rus and his colleagues know the quest for better customer
experiences and improved financial results has no real end,
and that’s part of the fun.
“We have 170 employees, but we still consider ourselves
entrepreneurs in a company with lots of room for growth,
and we still have the same unending questions about costs,
schedules, selection, and fit,” said Rus. “Now Sabre is
helping us answer those questions more accurately
and more profitably.”
Otravo are always ready for takeoff
A CASE STUDY OTRAVO
The switch to Sabre has been a smart move for us
Bob Rus, Managing Director OTRAVO
Sabre is an innovative technology company that leads the travel industry by helping our customers succeed.
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