Cornerstone Information Systems has announced the release of two new applications designed to increase
productivity, reduce costs and improve revenue management. Pre-Travel
Authorization (PTA) and Schedule Change Manager (SCM) are a part of
Cornerstone’s reservation and data management platforms that are in use
by over 500 corporations and travel management companies worldwide. “We
were hesitant to announce the release earlier this year until we
validated performance on these new applications. Customers including two
of three world’s largest travel agencies and their various business
units are seeing some real value from automating the processing of
schedule changes and pre travel authorizations.  Our PTA application is
currently installed and processing transactions with over 20
corporations and is on track for over 100 installations by year end.  We
have surpassed the million transactions per month on these technologies
and it was time to share the successful deployment of these
applications” said Mat Orrego, CEO of Cornerstone.

What is Pre-Travel Authorization?
Cornerstone’s PTA automates the costly, labor-intensive and error-prone
process of securing authorization for business travel before
reservations are ticketed.  Corporations can specify a virtually
unlimited number of conditions (air, car, hotel, limo, per diem, etc.)
that trigger the need for travel authorization. When PTA identifies such
a reservation, an email alert is sent to designated approvers indicating
that a trip is pending which needs their attention. Email alerts are
consistent in format and trip details are easily accessible through a
secure web site from any location in the world on a 24/7 basis. Upon
approval or declination information is inserted into the PNR alleviating
the need for manual intervention. In addition, a complete audit trail is
created to provide proof that certain messages are getting to the right
people at the right times.

What is Schedule Change Manager?
Schedule Change Manager (SCM) automates the time consuming process of
managing the numerous amounts of schedule change notices received by the
travel professional.  When combined with, Cornerstone’s iQCX it can be
configured to approve schedule changes based on each customers unique
requirements and take specific action on the schedule changes that
require attention.  These actions include priority queuing, traveler
notification via email or text messaging.  Cornerstone is also
integrating SCM with California based AcuFlight to enable SCM customers
to take advantage of AcuFlight’s Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR)
technology and perform outbound quality assurance notifications. “There
are millions of redundant telephone calls generated by on-line and
off-line travel transactions that are costing TMCs and their customers
millions of dollars each year that can be automated.  ‘Schedule change’
is just one type of these calls. We are very pleased to be working with
Cornerstone to tightly integrate our technology with theirs to allow
customers to realize significant cost savings and improved customer
service for their travelers schedule change needs and the various other
types of ‘redundant’ phone calls that occur in travel,”  stated Donna
Billera, AcuFlight’s executive vice president for client development.

In addition to these new applications, Cornerstone is expanding its
ability to interact with other third party technology companies.
Currently, Cornerstone customers can leverage their Cornerstone
technology investment to take advantage of the valuable products and
service offered by companies such as Control Risks, e-Travel Advisories,
Prism, AcuFlight, Infotriever, Travel GPA, FlightStats and eCommission
Solutions. “As third party proprietary technologies evolve, especially
those that offer process improvement and that deliver measurable results
to the end user, corporations and TMCs are quickly realizing a
significant and positive impact on their bottom line. The ability to
integrate those technologies with established platforms such as
Cornerstone’s greatly enhances our product and services offerings.  I
have had the good fortune to work with the Cornerstone team for over a
decade now and as our technologies continue to evolve in concert, so
does the value and revenue potential to our mutual customers,” explained
Paul Hoffmann, CEO of eCommission Solutions

“Being an innovative technology company means focusing on your core
competencies in order to deliver exceptional value.  It also means
partnering with other quality companies to deliver affordable
applications and services that improve performance, lower costs and
deliver value,” added Orrego.  “By following this methodology we are
able to have a greater impact on the business of travel.  Stay tuned for
more partnership and product release announcements this year.”
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