GlobalStar and Nina & Pinta launch SME survey

Buying Business Travel | November 15, 2019

GlobalStar Travel Management has partnered with consultancy Nina & Pinta to conduct a survey collecting research on SMEs and their future travel programme requirements. The results of the survey will be shared alongside expert advice on the topic in a white paper due to be distributed in the first quarter of 2020. Steve Hartwell, president and CEO of GlobalStar Travel Management, commented: “Our team is dedicated to leading the industry in providing useful and relevant content to benefit our current and future clients. Partnering with Nina & Pinta on this research will not only allow us to share insight into this important segment of the corporate travel landscape, but also provide actionable advice to those responsible for travel within their SMESmall and medium-sized enterprises.”

Spotlight

Paired with changing workforce dynamics, contact centers are coping with issues such as economic uncertainty, customer vulnerability, an increase in global compliance regulations and ongoing pandemic-related disruptions —
from the supply chain to employee health concerns. A perfect storm of external factors have led to higher interaction volumes and more complex customer conversations.

Spotlight

Paired with changing workforce dynamics, contact centers are coping with issues such as economic uncertainty, customer vulnerability, an increase in global compliance regulations and ongoing pandemic-related disruptions —
from the supply chain to employee health concerns. A perfect storm of external factors have led to higher interaction volumes and more complex customer conversations.

Related News

DESTINATION AND TOURISM, INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

Outdoorsy Selects UJET to Power Customer Service Operations

Outdoorsy | February 16, 2023

On February 15, 2023, UJET, Inc., an innovative contact center platform, announced that Outdoorsy has chosen UJET as the core of its customer service operations. Outdoorsy is the world's most reliable marketplace for on-demand RV rentals and outdoor travel. Therefore, it required a contact center solution to match its stellar reputation for excellent service and prompt response, keep up with its rapid expansion, and provide the necessary data insights to anticipate shifting consumer trends. Outdoorsy selected UJET because of its usability, rapid scalability, and cloud platform's dependability, which is backed by CX Intercloud's 100% uptime guarantee. The company recently surpassed $2 billion in total transactions, making it one of the fastest-growing and biggest marketplace startups and private companies on the a16z Marketplace 100 List. Due to its success and the seasonal nature of an outdoor hospitality business, such as RV rentals, Outdoorsy's customer service experiences significant spikes in demand. Therefore, the organization required a contact center solution adaptable to adjust and maintain optimal service levels rapidly. Additionally, the COVID pandemic increased the demand for novel travel options during the summer of 2021. Outdoorsy utilized the scalability of UJET's cloud platform to add several new agents as the summer rush started smoothly and to scale operations back to normal as the travel surge subsided. Accurate, real-time reporting became crucial as it expanded rapidly with new agents and customers. Advanced reporting and analytics from UJET provide Outdoorsy with a clear view of customer satisfaction, team performance, and the overall quality of its customer experience, allowing the company to make necessary adjustments in real-time and continuously improve its operations. In addition, UJET delivers Outdoorsy the vital business intelligence it needs to optimize contact center performance and put customers first through its comprehensive reporting and custom dashboards. About Outdoorsy Headquartered in Austin, Texas,Outdoorsy revolutionized outdoor access by introducing its RV rental marketplace in 2015. By working together, the company and its hosts have contributed to over 5 million days of booked travel through RV rentals in 4,800 cities across the United States and Canada. Its hospitality ecosystem offers RV owners life-changing financial benefits and gives guests the trust and guidance they need to create unforgettable travel experiences. The company's team is motivated by a mission to restore the connection to the outdoors and each other by assisting guests to 'Bring The Outside In.'

Read More

AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS

OAG Unveils Flight Status Alerts, a New View of Immediate Flight Changes

OAG | February 09, 2023

On February 8, 2023, OAG, a leading provider of travel data and analysis in the world, informed that it is launching its new Flight Status Alerts, which offer a unique perspective on rapid flight changes. OAG's Flight Info Platform currently offers a constant stream of flight schedule changes, while Flight Status Alerts integrate seamlessly into that system. As a result, OAG's clients, which include booking engines, travel and hospitality apps, airline apps, OTAs, metasearch, search engines, and flight tracking applications, may now benefit from the broadest possible coverage of flight information thanks to Flight Status Data and Flight Schedules. This powerful combination provides a flight window into crucial scheduling and status data – from the minute a flight is scheduled to the moment luggage hits the baggage belt and everything in between – in a way that has never been done before, making it a first of its type. This cutting-edge technology, powered by Microsoft's Azure Event Hub, enables OAG's Flight Info Platform to provide notifications with increased speed and scalability. It processes an average of forty updates per second and offers millions of real-time updates regarding various schedule changes and statuses. Some advantages of the flying window include - enhanced scalability and adaptability, new and better traveler experiences, and more customer loyalty. Phil Callow, CEO of OAG, expressed, "Data and insights are useless unless they can be seamlessly integrated with a business. Our platform solves this need by unlocking richer data to meet evolving travelers' experiences by giving our customers instant alerts across the entire flight lifecycle, from changes to flight numbers, departing and arrival times, carrier information and more." "As the future of travel continues to evolve, the market requires quick and easy access to what's happening on the ground and in the air to plan, inform and drive better customer experiences and operational outcomes," he concluded. (Source – Business Wire) About OAG OAG's data platform has driven aviation since 1929. Its travel data helps companies improve customer service and decision-making. Travel planning is better with its flight information network. Organizations can access data via the company's flexible platform. Its data helps companies increase income, expand operations, and improve client relations. It serves metasearch, IT startups, travel booking sites, international governments, global financial institutions, airlines, airports, and travel operators. UK-based OAG operates in the US, Singapore, Japan, China, and Lithuania.

Read More

TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY, DESTINATION AND TOURISM

Aeroitalia joins WorldTicket to Expand Travel Options in the European Region

WorldTicket | January 24, 2023

Aeroitalia reported today that it is connecting with WorldTicket to offer more travel options in the European region. Aeroitalia would broaden its internal sales reach to include OTAs and travel agencies. This integration would fulfill the increasing demands for travel in Europe. For example, according to a report by ENIT, international visitors to Italy's tourist agency increased by 172% from January to July 2022 and 57% from pre-pandemic levels. This growth in demand is expected to continue in the future thereby, generating more possibility for Aeroitalia to provide non-stop, high-quality air travel at reasonable prices in Italy and the Southern Mediterranean. Furthermore, it can now quickly sell flights through any GSD and successfully offer seasonal itineraries, especially summer routes. Hence, it is a genuine adaptive business that adapts according to its customer’s demands. "Aeroitalia is committed to delivering outstanding service to passengers which incorporate easy access for our product, especially for our business customers," says Krassimir Tanev, Chief Commercial Officer of Aeroitalia and further adds that "Multichannel distribution is an important development as it goes hand-in-hand with our network expansion plans for summer 2023. Thanks to our marketing partnership with WorldTicket and its global distribution technology, Aeroitalia services are now closer to the travel agency community to the benefit of our customers." (Source – Cision PR Newswire) Aeroitalia connects unserved and underserved markets through travel options like six days per week, connecting Italy's two largest cities, Milan and Rome, and routing Milan and London Heathrow. By integrating with WorldTicket's technologies, it can establish business in these markets swiftly and affordably. Moreover, it can also enhance its distribution capability with the help of WorldTicket's GDS Sub-Hosting solutions. Thus, making it the principal air travel agency in Europe. About WorldTicket: WorldTicket has provided creative and flexible IT solutions to over 75 airlines globally since 2002. With offices in Bangkok, Kyiv, Warsaw, and Beijing, this Copenhagen-based company supports airline consumers across various time zones. Besides, WorldTicket's W2 GDS Sub-Hosting is suited for start-ups and virtual airlines needing fast and easy GDS distribution without extensive implementation or upfront costs. It also offers W2 ticketing for Global BSP Ticketing. The technology lets its interline partners maximize global ticketing benefits and boost earnings from remote and non-strategic BSP areas.

Read More