With plans for organizational growth inhibited by manual processes and disparate internal systems, AirX recognized that the solution to its challenges lay in technology.
Through the adoption of the STACK.aero platform, CharterFlow, AirX has created a solid foundation for expansion and armed its personnel with the tools necessary for increased business activity.
About AirX
AirX is one of Europe’s largest private jet operators. Offering a diversified fleet of 17 private and business jets, ranging from the Cessna Citation X through to Boeing 737 d Airbus A340-VIP, the company employs close to 300 people across several offices globally.
AirX performs a diverse range of flights, including private charter, ACMI and contract/lease operations. Online magazine Billionaire.com recently named AirX in the top ten private air charter companies in the world[1], representing the high levels of service and operation the company holds itself to.
The Challenges
Debbie Camenzuli, Sales Metrics & Development Director, was frustrated by the highly manual and error prone process employed by both the Sales and Finance teams when sending quotes and booking trips.
Trip pricing details were being entered manually into three separate spreadsheets, trip documents contained incorrect data and were being sent to the wrong recipients, and daily reports were generated manually and by a different person each day. When it came time to issue trip contracts, the global nature of the AirX organization and fleet introduced additional complexities.
Geographically dispersed sales teams, business offices and aircraft registrations meant that multiple currencies, accounting protocols and remuneration calculation were all being managed manually.
‘Solving the issues directly caused by our inefficient systems and processes consumed more than half of my time in the end’, said Camenzuli. ‘It was crazy how complicated our core business activities became and how much back and forth between departments was required’.
The Solution
AirX required a platform to support core department functions and accommodate organizational growth. They chose CharterFlow as it provided a ‘central source of truth’ for critical data, and more importantly, was customizable to AirX’s unique operation.
‘We did not want to have to change to fit a new system, we wanted the system to fit us’, said Camenzuli.
STACK.aero worked in conjunction with AirX to create a technology solution utilizing CharterFlow’s leading integration features tailored to their specific environment. AirX makes full use of STACK.aero’s quoting, scheduling and invoicing workflow automation, one-click document generation and automatic calculation features.
The company can now ‘close-the-loop’ between its internal systems, reducing double data entry and gaining a centralized data source across the organization.
Throughout the trip-booking process, AirX utilizes CharterFlow’s automatic data matching and pre-defined algorithms, no longer experiencing data discrepancies caused by its global presence.
CharterFlow’s in-built data capture and automated reporting, now means Camenzuli (as Sales Metrics Director) can easily access all metrics and analysis she requires to track performance, identify opportunities and ultimately build a robust growth strategy for AirX.
The Results
The implementation of CharterFlow within AirX has re-engineered their internal business processes, supercharging their sales capabilities and placing the organization at the forefront of industry technology adoption.
- 40% Faster Sales Process
The high levels of automation introduced by CharterFlow has sped up the AirX sales cycle, allowing more quotes and contracts to be produced than previously.
- 50% More Efficient Reporting
Multiple, manually-maintained spreadsheets have been replaced by automated recording and reporting of financial data. The administrative load on both the Sales and Finance teams has been drastically reduced, allowing both to focus on their core functions.
- Efficient Inter-Departmental Communication
The volume of internal emails between departments has dramatically reduced due to the centralized nature of data in CharterFlow. The single, unified platform has ensured all departments are working with the same information, thereby minimizing discrepancies in data and the need for confirmations and clarifications.
- On-demand Access to Organizational Metrics/Reports
AirX is no longer dependant on the Sales or Finance departments completing their monthly reporting cycles in order to access critical data required for strategic decisions. Reports based on real-time data can now be generated by authorized personnel at any time within CharterFlow, with ensured accuracy. Sophisticated custom reporting capabilities give greater insight into the metrics which are important to AirX as a growing charter operator.
- Increased Data Accuracy
Automation of both the Contract Generation and Invoicing processes has significantly reduced the level of human error within the organization. Removing manual processes has also resulted in a more consistent customer experience, ensuring AirX brand excellence.
