Trip Center
Web App for Travel Managers
The success of the FlightStats app led us to another common problem in the travel space: the lack of communication between a business traveler and their agency or corporate travel department (CTD).
FlightStats saw a unique opportunity to bring travel agencies and travel managers into the 21st century by digitally connecting the traveler with the travel agent. By providing relevant information in a timely manner, the traveler can see potential problems with their trip and be in contact with an agent, who can resolve the problem instantly.
The Trip Center app was designed for travel agents and managers, based on user research, feedback from agency customers, and the features of the TravelWith app. The web-based interface allowed agents to view, assign, and resolve travel issues related to delays, cancellations, and possible missed connections in real-time. When first designing this product, we took a look at an earlier prototype application which travel agents were very enthusiastic about, and improved it by adding detailed flight information, alerting, agent assignment, and other useful features. The app was designed for speed and ease of use, with hotkeys and actions similar to those found in the GDS software travel managers use to communicate with airlines and modify traveler data.
The prime objective of Trip Center is to not only bring the travel agent or manager into the 21st century, but also to give a proactive view of the travel space. For a long time, travel managers have been reactive in their approach to flight disruptions; the TravelWith app and Trip Center give the agent the ability to recognize and resolve travel issues before the traveler's day is interrupted. This leads to increased traveler satisfaction, as well as increased revenue for managed travel organizations, as they can often negotiate better deals with airlines when re-booking flights.
Finally, the Trip Center app was designed to offer the managers of travel agencies and CTDs a much clearer look into how well their department is resolving disruptions. We designed a host of features for reporting a number of important statistics and creating comprehensive data visualizations, all based on feedback from the managers of travel agencies and CTDs. In an age where large corporations are trusting agencies and airlines to get their employees to the right places at the right times, a visual representation of the most effective practices of the travel manager is an absolute must.
