Customer E-Service
Companies offer web-based reservation systems
By Lindsay M. Hitch, Assistant Editor
April 2001
Flight planning and service arrangements can be quite a hassle as multiple phone calls become necessary. Five companies are introducing online reservation programs to help flight departments and FBOs decrease time spent on the phone and increase service request accuracy.
Where does the average business fit into the world of e-commerce? Many business owners may not be aware of the opportunities for expanding business on the World Wide Web, or perhaps they’re just not sure where to begin.
THE MISSION
"Basically, we identified a need to bridge
the gap between flight departments and FBOs," says Molly Delk-Wood, sales
manager of business aviation for Valley Oil Company.
Signature Flight Support’s vice president
of e-commerce, Steve Lee, echoed Delk-Wood’s sentiments, commenting
that the goal of the Signature reservation system is to allow for more
effective, easier communication.
The creators of these programs all had one
thing in mind: to decrease the amount of time flight departments and CSRs
spend on the phone, and in doing so increase customer service by enhancing
CSRs’ accuracy and efficiency. Customers will be able to place an
order any time of day without being put on hold and know that the request
won’t be lost on a scrap of paper. Service providers will receive
orders electronically, allowing CSRs to focus on the customers there in
person.
THE DESIGN
The basic design of each system allows the
flight department to provide all the necessary information to the destination
FBO through a traceable electronic network. Flight departments must register
basic company and aircraft information with the individual programs prior
to service. All are designed so that participating FBOs receive electronic
notification of the service request and in turn send back a confirmation
to the customer.
"The program is designed to be an easy way
to send us a reservation," John Enticknap, president and COO of Mercury
Air Group, says of Easy Turn, "and there’s plenty of backup in the
system to make sure that we get it and it’s followed through."
The programs are designed to accommodate
revisions, with the understanding that plans often change many times before
the actual flight and service occur.
"Obviously the reason someone has a corporate
or business aircraft is to be flexible to their schedule, and so this
gives the industry the tools to communicate that information and those
changes in a standardized flexible and efficient format," says Ed Wassom,
vice president of sales & marketing for TheAviationHub.
Ground transportation, fueling, catering,
hotels, and other FBO service orders are standard in each program. Essentially,
everything that pilots and their passengers need to further their business
and travels can be requested through the reservation systems.
INDIVIDUAL FEATURES
Although the systems are based on the same
premise, each offers users and providers some unique services.
The Flight2Ground program, available for
public use in June 2001, will begin operating with a base of 500 Valley
Oil-branded FBOs and will have one preferred vendor on each field shortly
thereafter. Flight departments will have the option to choose a provider
other than the preferred vendor. Rather than receiving electronic notification,
those vendors not part of the program will receive facsimile notification.
Program use is free to both flight departments and service providers.
Flight2Ground users may run their billing
electronically through Multi Service’s online billing system. Customers
may also view current fuel prices at participating FBOs and receive volume
discounts. And as part of the program, participating FBOs will be classified
according to the services they provide.
The Service Procurement System (SPS) from
TheAviationHub is based on an international service provider database,
including those providers who have not subscribed to the service. Providers
have the opportunity to register more complete business information as
Level 1 free subscribers, able to receive and respond to service requests.
Level 2 paid subscribers have management reporting and schedule display
options. Flight operators must be paid subscribers to utilize services
across the network. Subscription fees for flight departments and service
providers are based upon size of operation and SPS use. TheAviationHub’s
beta customers include TAG Aviation, Jet Aviation, and Raytheon Travel
Air.
Unlike the other systems, the SPS communications
infrastructure operates electronically from the flight department directly
to each service provider. That is, rather than contacting the FBO with
all service requests, individual requests will also be sent to limousine
services, caterers, independent fuelers, etc., as needed. TheAviationHub
plans to go live with the SPS in June 2001.
Easy Turn from Mercury Air Group is available
for use at its 19 FBO locations. The program is free to users and sends
both a facsimile and an electronic notification to the FBO through its
POS system. The reservation program uses a :Cue:CAT barcode scanner, available
free to customers from both Mercury and Radio Shack. Promotional items
for Easy Turn, including a mouse pad, feature a barcode that, when scanned
by the :Cue:CAT, takes the customer directly to the reservations web page.
The Signature Flight Support online reservations
program will begin with a database of over 500 participating FBOs. The
service will be available to flight departments as either guest or registered
users and will be secure for credit card transactions. Users will enjoy
a Trip Calendar feature, along with the option to send confirmations to
flight crews, company executives, aircraft passengers, etc. The Signature
program became available to guest users March 19, 2001, and is free to
both users and providers.
Flightneeds.com offers standard fuel, FBO,
hotel, and car services on an international level. The site is sponsored
by a number of industry leaders, including Air BP, Jeppesen, MCI WorldCom,
and AIN. The site offers a number of related services including fuel pricing,
airport search, weather, aviation news, classified postings, discussion
forums, and a "pilot’s toolbox" with distance calculator, unit converter,
and currency converter. Flight-needs.com is now available for use and
plans to expand its services.
GETTING INVOLVED
Many FBOs and service providers are already
included in these programs, and many more will be added. The Flight2Ground
program plans to have a preferred vendor on each field, that in many cases
will not be a Valley Oil affiliate. TheAviationHub’s service provider
database hopes to include all existing FBOs and service providers. Mercury’s
Easy Turn program currently covers its 19 FBO locations, but may be extended
to non-Mercury FBOs in the future. Signature Flight Support’s program
includes unaffiliated FBOs. The Flightneeds.com database also strives
to cover all FBOs and service providers.
Online Reservation Programs
As e-commerce becomes more common, five
companies are working toward easier flight planning and servicing.
• Valley Oil Co./Multi Service’s Flight2Ground
www.flight2ground.com
• TheAviationHub’s Service Procurement
System
www.TheAviationHub.com
• Mercury Air Group’s Easy Turn
www.MercuryAirCenters.com
Reservations
www.MercuryEasyTurn.com
• BBA Aviation/Signature Flight
Support
www.signatureflight.com
• Flightneeds.com’s Trip Planning
www.flightneeds.com
Interactive Overviews
For the curious or skeptical, three sites
allow users to take a peak at their services.
Mercury’s Easy Turn is up and running.
Test messages can be sent by writing "this is a test message"
in the company name box. By including phone, fax, and e-mail, users will
receive confirmation of the test request.
TheAviationHub features a flash presentation
of its SPS that explains the system’s services.
Flightneeds.com provides a guided tour of
its trip planning and aviation-related services.
*Some programs may require a flash program
(Shockwave or other) that can be downloaded free on the web.
