The organization designs, develops and operates custom programs to meet the specialized needs of student travel groups. 

Executive management communicated a clear directive:  increase operational efficiencies by 20 percent without adding staff.  The company required a robust sales and operational system that would automate business workflows between internal departments and ensure a seamless transfer of trips between the groups.  Additionally, to keep up with the competition in local and national markets and provide a new level of service to its clients, online payment and registration capabilities would be an integral component of future success while providing an additional selling tool for the sales team.

We led the company through an in-depth system assessment, requirements, design and build phases. Leveraging our proven application framework as a foundation, the iterative build focused initially on developing core components using Microsoft.NET and C# programming that would be leveraged across all functional areas. Subsequent application releases gradually evolved to encompass all areas of the business including an external interface which provided its clients with an online system to enter traveler details and aid in the trip planning process. The underlying SQL Server database serves as the central repository for all business data entered by the users. Crystal Reports were embedded within the application to provide seamless reporting functionality from within the same user interface, in addition this also provides the ability to deliver high-quality output documents.

By successfully automating business workflows, storing trip-related data in a central location, and providing users with a complete web-based solution, the company has seen a significant improvement in operational efficiencies.  Productivity has increased dramatically as users have begun to leverage the application.  The reuse of trip data across sales, operations and finance has positively impacted communication lines and provided the departments with a complete view of the trip planning life cycle.  Standardized processes are implemented through the system, and the finance department has a real-time view of all financial-related trip information.  Profitability percentages are enforced, and there is a greater degree of quality control.