A quick interview with:
Josiah Bradshaw
Line Pilot
Professional Helicopter Services, Australia
Q. What were your reasons for going to a digital check-in/waiver platform?
Here are the prevailing reasons why we wanted to adopt a digital check-in/waiver platform:
First, data capture. We needed an ability to capture customers’ details in order to properly ascertain who our key market was, but also to help define the varying types of customers we fly (age range, country of origin etc.). Gathering details such as email addresses and phone numbers also gives us the opportunity to follow up on the experiences provided to the customer and to attain direct feedback from them as to how they enjoyed their experience. If for any reason a customer was unsatisfied with an experience, they are provided with a direct channel with which to communicate to the Head of Operations allowing them to voice their opinion. This also gives them a chance to engage with us directly so we can respond in a timely manner, without having them “go to town” on social media!
Second, reducing paperwork. It was crucial to reduce the amount of physical paperwork that contained the essential manifesting information for each flight. By reducing paperwork and having an online real-time capability to capture and monitor flight information, it meant that end-of-day processing could happen “on the fly” as we operated. Information that would normally have to wait until the following day to be processed could now be actioned immediately and this created a much more efficient workflow. It is also an immense advantage for cross-checking information, and for searching history/information of previous flights. Instead of rifling through a filing cabinet for hours, you can click your mouse and withdraw any relevant information within seconds.
Third was modernisation and customer focus. With the fast-past digital world of today, travelers are far more tech-savvy and aware of their level of connectivity around the world. With the ability to put the tools in the customers hands, it gives a greater sense of ownership to the experience but also makes the customer feel more connected. Many comments have been made about just how “easy and quick” it was to check in for their flight.
Q. How easy was the build and implementation process?
Obviously when devising a new system/product from scratch new ideas will always be generated at different stages of the whole process. Building the product was easy and implementation very straight forward. After some basic training for staff on the use of the application, within days our whole operation had changed for the better and become far more efficient and streamlined, so it is fair to say that the build and implementation were very easy to complete!
Q. How secure do you feel your information is after moving to a digital format?
We feel that our information is perfectly secure and that we are able to store, retain and extract all our information as per our operation requirements with ease.
Q. Please describe how Wherewolf has been to deal with as a business?
The team at Wherewolf have been outstanding to deal with, and really gave us a feeling that we were of high importance to them as customers. As we rolled our product out, there were always going to be suggestions that arose on how to better set something up, or how to make something easier for the operator. When these suggestions surfaced, we were able to forward them to Ben and his team and achieve quick and direct action to rectify issues or implement solutions as we needed.
Communication is prompt and polite and the guys are always ready and willing to render assistance when necessary.
This article was written by Victoria Crockford with contributions from Athena Dennis. Victoria is a writer based in New Zealand. You can reach her at [email protected].
