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Leading Travel Company Books Webmethods to Improve Customer Service
Technology Category
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Applicable Industries
- Marine & Shipping
Applicable Functions
- Sales & Marketing
- Business Operation
Use Cases
- Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
- Remote Asset Management
Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
Fast-growing Costa Crociere wanted to improve its booking process to handle more service options and more reservations than ever before. Travel agents and customers needed to be able to make a reservation through any channel. Behind the scenes, corporate systems needed to be integrated into the booking process. With such a large number of travelers to serve, the group’s booking system is equivalent to the ordering system of a large manufacturer. Costa’s ERP system must guarantee efficient functionality to reduce the time it takes to manage bookings, and it must constantly adapt to new business developments. The system stores and manages all the essential information about the cruise holidays chosen by customers: the itinerary, cabin type, personal details and additional services, such as flights, transfers and hotels. The job of managing this huge amount of information is further complicated by the fact that the booking system also offers options for purchasing cruises and associated ser- vices that are open for varying periods, prior to booking confirmation. If a booking is not confirmed, all cabins and other options must be made available in real-time to other potential customers.
About The Customer
The Costa Crociere Group is the largest Italian holiday corporation and Europe’s No. 1 cruise line. With a 60-year history, the group has the largest fleet of any of Europe’s operators, representing a total investment of 9.6 billion Euros. Ships operate in the mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Baltic Sea, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, the United Arab Emirates, the Far East, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. In 2010, Costa Crociere rated in the Top 10 for profitability and No. 49 in sales in an independent study of 3,700 Italian leading companies. The Costa Crociere Group is focused on meeting the every need of more than 2 million annual holiday travelers. It has a passion for customer service. Innovation, tradition, creativity and team- work are also fundamental corporate values.
The Solution
Costa Crociere found the webMethods integration platform was just the right ticket for making its booking process more flexible. Now the company offers greater conveniences for travelers and connects in new ways with travel agents and other business partners. The IT department decided to create software applications that would allow easy integration of the group’s booking system with other Web systems for purchasing cruises. In order to ensure these software applications were efficient, quick to develop and easy to maintain, Costa Crociere chose the webMethods integration platform. The platform made it possible to inte- grate and “show” software services via Web services, quite simply and effortlessly, in order to use these in different applications. In particular, the webMethods solution facilitates: Management of the sales process for the Web site called Costa Click, which is specifically aimed at travel agents, Increased integration with travel/leisure portals (Web affiliation and cruise engines), Extending the whole booking service to the Global Distribution System, the booking system used by travel agents and other business partners, such as credit card companies and insurers, A guarantee of greater flexibility, real-time operations and the possibility of using satellite links to integrate onboard systems with Costa enhanced processes.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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