Custom Recruit Travel Booking Tool

Situation

A Fox client in the transportation and logistics industry relies heavily on Greyhound bus transportation as a low-cost option for recruit travel. The client was seeking a streamlined solution for booking transportation to their training centers across the U. S. to meet their high recruitment and new hire training requirements.

Because Greyhound content is not available via traditional reservation systems, the client’s recruit travel process with their previous travel management company (TMC) was manual and lengthy, and there was no way for the company’s nearly 60 recruiters to compare cost and traveler experience options.

Custom Recruit Travel Booking Tool

Solution

Working with an API connection from Greyhound, Fox developed a custom recruit traveler database and online booking tool that pulls air, car and Greyhound bus itineraries into a single platform where recruiters can compare trip times and cost.

When a recruit is hired, the recruiter creates a recruit ID in the tool that includes the traveler’s personal details, training location, date and time, and their home location. IDs are stored in the tool and can be filtered by name, training date, travel status (open, pending, etc.) and training type.

To book travel, the recruiter selects an open (unbooked) ID, and the tool automatically pulls air, car and bus itineraries that match the travelers training dates and location details.

Fox developed custom features requested by the client to help recruiters make informed buying decisions when selecting itineraries:

  • Results are categorized by air, car and bus, and display lowest price first.
  • Preferred vendor labels offer easy identification.
  • Arrival warning labels indicate time conflict with recruit’s class start time.
  • Trip time and transfer/layover details help indicate travel experience. For example, a 20-hour bus ticket may be the lowest cost option, but a 2-hour flight causing less traveler stress may be available for a reasonable cost.
  • Live chat support offers instant assistance.

Once an itinerary is selected, the recruiter can book air through Concur Travel single-sign on or through agent fulfillment. Click-to-book is available directly within the tool for bus and car itineraries. When a booking is complete, the trip itinerary is automatically sent to the traveler via text message.

Discoveries

Recruiters no longer have to manually manage and book recruit travel. Additionally, instead of being limited to bus reservations, recruiters can now decide if air, car or bus is the best itinerary based on cost consciousness and traveler experience. The tool was developed in its entirety during the client’s Fox travel program implementation in time for their travel program launch, ensuring no disruption to service.