FORT WORTH, Texas -- Sabre Holdings Corp. announced that Sabre
Business Travel Solution (BTS), the company's on-line travel
management tool, will be backed by a satisfaction guarantee that
includes the payment of debit memos when errors are incurred while
booking air on Sabre BTS.
"It's the same as when a credit card company stands behind
prices that are charged through the card," said Peter Stevens, vice
president of Sabre BTS.
The published fare at the time of the booking will be honored
without exception, Stevens said.
"That's an impressive thing, a good thing, obviously," said
Patrick O'Halloran, corporate travel manager at Honeywell
International, a client that books about 1,000 tickets per week on
Sabre BTS.
"It's another step in the evolution of the on-line reservations
industry."
Also, corporations that use Sabre BTS will receive discounts if
Sabre doesn't live up to its self-imposed service guidelines. The
guarantee covers several points, including system reliability,
traveler satisfaction and technical support.
"We feel strongly that anyone choosing travel technology is not
merely buying the technology itself," said Stevens. "They're buying
the company behind the technology."
Traveler satisfaction will be measured via a customer survey
with ratings on a five-point scale. If more than 20% of a
customer's travel bookings are made on Sabre BTS, Stevens said his
company guarantees a companywide 3.5 rating average on any question
asked.
Stevens said that users of Sabre BTS will be surveyed twice per
year and asked about aspects about the technology, including speed
of transaction. According to Stevens, booking a complete itinerary
should take no more than five minutes.
If, for example, Sabre BTS is not processing transactions in
less than five minutes, Stevens said his company is obligated to
offer a 25% reduction in service fees until Sabre BTS fixes the
problem and re-surveys the customer.
Questions that are asked on the survey will be tailored to the
customer's needs.
"We'll add other questions based on what the corporation wants
to find out," said Stevens.
Sabre BTS also will guarantee the performance of its
technological support, including implementation of the technology.
For example, a company, upon purchasing Sabre BTS, is guaranteed
companywide implementation of the solution within 30 days.
If Sabre does not live up to its guarantee, the customer
receives the service free for the first three months, said
Stevens.
If customers are experiencing difficulties with Sabre BTS, they
can contact its call center service, whose performance is
guaranteed as well. Stevens said that 80% of all calls in a given
month would be answered in 20 seconds or less.
The customer will receive a service discount if Sabre BTS
doesn't meet those standards. According to Stevens, compiled data
about call center performance for a specific customer can be viewed
by corporate travel managers on eCare, a customer service feature
found on www.sabrebts.com.
Stevens pointed out that its guarantee does not represent an
increase in the level of service provided by Sabre BTS. He said
Sabre has been providing solid customer service all along.
"The guarantee is a strong statement to the industry that we'll
stand behind what we're providing," Stevens said.