Back to the Farm

This technology also translates into a number of micro-level efficiencies -- which turn into small but critical productivity gains. For example, Rosenbluth noticed that its agents had to type the same words over and over during the course of a day, or even a single call, as they investigated fare possibilities for clients. So the company developed Custom-Res, a software platform with built-in prompts, requiring only a "yes" or "no" click. It also built in recurring client information, identifying each company's specific travel guidelines, so agents don't waste time creating options outside acceptable guidelines. The result: keystroke count was reduced by 75%. Fewer keystrokes means less waiting time for the client -- and higher productivity for Rosenbluth.

By closely monitoring the call volume at each reservation center, the company can staff each one precisely. That cost management benefits the client indirectly, of course, but Rosenbluth also parlays its efficiency into a more direct client benefit. The company measures the percentage of calls answered within 20 seconds, the average speed of answer, the maximum amount of time spent on hold, and the percentage of "abandoned calls." For each category, the company has specific operating standards, and if the numbers get out of whack, something changes -- personnel are added or subtracted, calls are shifted.

All of this adds up to tough-minded cost control -- of both hard and soft costs. Rosenbluth prides itself on using technology to offer its clients the lowest fares. But the company also recognizes that travel costs extend well beyond the price of the ticket. At a big company with lots of travelers, each trip can influence future travel decisions -- if you collect and analyze the data. By dissecting travel patterns, for example, companies can discover new ways to fine-tune travel guidelines. Rosenbluth's back-office software, VISION, generates detailed reports for clients -- and saves administrative time for them by automatically filling out expense reports at the end of each trip.

The key to Rosenbluth's growth is its blend of technology and marketing. And to make sure the two elements are integrated, Rosenbluth has put one person in charge of both: Dean Sivley, the former technology chief for Duracell who took over Rosenbluth's IT department in 1995, now has marketing responsibility as well. "Most of the things that we're doing in IT are driven by what we should be doing from a marketing standpoint," he says. "It's easier for one person to make a decision as to what's most reasonable."

One of Sivley's first assignment was to come up with a "suite of products" to tie together the company's technology pieces into an attractive package. "If you're a company out there who's into doing your own travel management in a big way," says Sivley, "you want to deal with a company who knows you need an agentless reservation product, an integrated expense management system, and an integrated reporting tool."

Sivley points to Wal-Mart as a good example. The giant retailer worked with Rosenbluth to create Local Area Network (LAN) electronic reservation systems accessible from the desktop -- or laptop -- of every traveler in the company. The agentless system, E-Res, allows Wal-Mart's 7,000 frequent travelers to book their own air, hotel, and car reservations simply by calling up the program, entering their name, travel dates, times, and home and destination cities. Then, using Trip Planner, Rosenbluth's booking system software, they get a grid of flight options, all selected according to Wal-Mart's internal travel policies, arranged according to price. A few simple clicks, and the reservations are made.

For companies that don't want the complexity of a LAN-based system, Sivley offers both a Web-based version and a simpler online system. "The best thing to do is develop a dial-up product," he says. "You can just drop it on the user's desktop. You don't have to get the technology department involved. It isn't elegant. But it's much more realistic in terms of getting it installed, getting a groundswell of people using it, and then, when it spreads to the whole company, you move to a LAN environment."

This kind of down-to-earth thinking shows why it just makes sense to have the marketing person and the technology person be the same person.