We don’t have this colossal amount of paper and post anymore - so it’s a different way of working, and suffice it to say it’s a smarter way of working!
Since 1979, tailor-made tour operator Bon Voyage have been crafting incredible adventures across the USA and Canada. Specialising in highly-curated itineraries, the team go above and beyond to cater to their clients’ needs, taking care of everything – from managing restaurant reservations to ensuring a bottle of champagne on arrival.
For years, Bon Voyage relied on printed travel documents and bulky roadbooks to keep their clients informed. Determined to simplify the process and reduce their reliance on paper, the team were thrilled when they found a solution that ticked every box.
Before using Vamoos, preparing clients for their trip was a highly manual process for Bon Voyage. The team juggled endless emails, printed documents and bulky, bespoke roadbooks, which they curated personally for every traveller. As Theresa Wilson, Business Development Manager at Bon Voyage explained, their roadbooks were ‘a day-by-day of everything, travel tips; basically everything that’s on the app, only in printed form.’
While an invaluable resource for travellers, the roadbooks came at a cost. With itineraries averaging around 14 days in length, the sales team invested hours into research and assembly. It was tedious, time-consuming work – and something had to change.
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Now, with the Vamoos Travel App on hand, it’s a completely different story. ‘Our team used to do out a full list of things to see and do in every city,’ commented Theresa, ‘it’s on the app now. All the Points of Interest, everything that they would have done extra for that client, it’s now done. And it only needs to be done once!’
From a digital itinerary with a detailed daily breakdown, to an interactive map, packed with handpicked recommendations, Vamoos has redefined how Bon Voyage’s clients experience travel. The best part? The team haven’t compromised on the personalised experience they’re known for. ‘We’re very selective about what we plot on there,’ explained Theresa, referring to Vamoos’ interactive map. ‘We still handpick the things that we put onto it so it still is a bespoke experience for the customers, so it still feels like Bon Voyage is with them on the trip.’
With the majority of their clients aged 50 and above, Bon Voyage were cautious about how their travellers would respond to Vamoos. Would the older demographic embrace their new travel app, or prefer traditional paper documents? ‘We knew we wanted to be automated,’ noted Theresa, ‘we knew we wanted to stop sending all these travel documents. We knew we wanted something different. But was our demographic going to welcome it? That was our dilemma.’
In reality, the switch couldn’t have gone smoother – and the Bon Voyage app has been a huge hit with travellers. ‘Customers love it,’ exclaimed Theresa. ‘In terms of actual customer use – on our post-travel feedback forms our app has a score of 9.6 out of 10.’ Backed by a near-perfect app rating, the Bon Voyage team are confident their digital swap has been a resounding success.
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With the support of Vamoos, Bon Voyage’s internal processes aren’t just less manual – they’re also far more sustainable. “As of today, only 5% of our customers are getting paper documents,” said Theresa proudly. “Think of the trees we’re saving now!”
By swapping printed roadbooks for a travel app, Bon Voyage have successfully launched their tailor-made travel company into the digital age. Travellers now benefit from live flight alerts, day-by-day itineraries, push notifications and 25+ other features – all delivered through the fully-branded Bon Voyage app. As Theresa summarised, “It’s been phenomenal. Absolutely phenomenal. Maybe the best thing we did this year was finally rolling it out across all of our travellers. So thank you Vamoos!”
Ready to bring your travel company into the digital age? Book a meeting now to discover how the Vamoos Travel App could work for your company.