Agencies See 20 Percent Increase in Preferred Airline Bookings
BERLIN – Oct. 5, 2010 – Sabre Travel Network, the leading provider of high performance solutions for the travel industry, today revealed strong customer feedback for its Contract Optimization Services, launched last year. According to Sabre customers, Sabre’s solution delivers bottom line benefits that translate into measureable cost savings and increased revenue and commissions.
Customers using Contract Optimization Services enjoy:
- • Increase in targeted bookings by up to 20 percent
- • Up to 10 percent increase in supplier override revenues
- • Up to five percent reduction in corporate travel spend
- • Capturing more than 90% of missed or incorrectly entered front-end commissions
Part of the Sabre Red total travel solution, Sabre’s Contract Optimization Services is a unique, comprehensive solution that helps travel management companies (TMCs) and their corporate customers efficiently manage multiple, overlapping air supplier contracts. For example, an agency may have 4 or 5 airline supplier agreements with multiple sales targets for overlapping sets of markets. When booking, Contract Optimization Services analyzes the thousands of possible city-pair, carrier, and point of sale combinations and makes valued suppliers and itineraries simple to find. Customers are able to set, track, and reach performance goals that provide them with maximum financial value.
“Sabre’s Contract Optimization Services allow us to bring more value to our preferred carriers and the reporting capabilities provide us with the tools we need to show that. Sabre contract optimization capabilities have solidified our relationships with our preferred carriers and give us increase marketing power, creating a win/win for all involved – our airline partners, Valerie Wilson Travel and the corporations that we serve,” said Mimi McGuire, director of airline relations for Valerie Wilson Travel, a large corporate agency in the U.S.
As a result of their use of Contract Optimization Services, Tzell Travel Group, one of the largest TMCs in the country, has recouped an average of more than $1,000 per day in what would have been lost commission revenue.
“When we first saw Contract Optimization Services, we knew it was a no-brainer. It was an opportunity to put money into in the bank instead of letting it fall through the cracks. Almost every agent misses a commission opportunity on a weekly basis and Sabre’s contract optimization tool made it fast and easy to catch these missed opportunities. It also assists in debit memo prevention by finding instances where commission WAS taken but the necessary ticketing codes were not entered. Simply put, it has opened new and improved aspects of airline contract management. There is no doubt that Contract Optimization Services have improved our ability to manage our business and maximize our earnings”, said Barry Liben, president of Tzell Travel Group.
Sabre’s Contract Optimization Services empower agents to present flight options at its agent point-of-sale that drive maximum value for both the agency and its corporate client base.
“Contract Optimization Services is an essential tool for any agency that wants to maximize the value of its preferred airline supplier strategy. It takes complex and often overlapping contracts and makes it easy for agencies to flawlessly manage their supplier agreements, helping them make money, save money and improve their overall customer service,” said Chris Kroeger, senior vice president – Marketing for Sabre Travel Network. “This is another high value capability in the Sabre Red portfolio which is designed to help agencies drive customer loyalty and power business performance.”
After a year of strong success in North America, Sabre is now supporting Contract Optimization Services globally. A number of pilot customers have already been engaged in Europe, and customers in all regions are inquiring about participation.
Contract Optimization Services comprise three integrated components that allow agencies to flawlessly manage all aspects of their air supplier agreements:
• Sales Planning evaluates supplier deals and determines ideal sales targets, at the city-pair or even flight level, to maximize overall profitability
• Content Customization lets customers tailor their displays, reflecting market and customer-specific objectives
• Reporting and Analysis constantly track performance on each term and goal for every supplier agreement, including daily alerts that keep managers from missing big opportunities
About Sabre Travel Network
Sabre Travel Network, a Sabre Holdings company, provides the most comprehensive end-to-end solutions for corporate and leisure travel. The Sabre GDS is the foundation for these solutions, providing a ready-built efficient marketplace that connects travel suppliers, including hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotels, with more than 50,000 travel agency locations. Currently, Sabre collectively handles over 70 percent of the BTN 100 bookings.
Sabre Holdings connects people with the world’s greatest travel possibilities by retailing travel products and providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry. For more information about Sabre Holdings, visit http://www.sabre-holdings.com/.
Media Contact:
Heidi Castle
Sabre Travel Network
682-605-4290
heidi.castle@sabre.com
