Sabre Travel Network, the leading provider of high performance solutions for the travel industry, today revealed strong customer feedback for its Contract Optimisation Services, launched last year.  According to Sabre customers, the solution delivers bottom line benefits that translate into measureable cost savings and increased revenue and commissions.

Customers using Contract Optimisation Services enjoy:
·      Up to five percent reduction in corporate travel spend
·      Increase in targeted bookings by up to 20 percent
·      Up to 10 percent increase in supplier override revenues
·      Capturing more than 90% of missed or incorrectly entered front-end commissions

Part of the Sabre Red total travel solution, Contract Optimisation Services is a unique, comprehensive solution that helps travel management companies (TMCs) and their corporate customers efficiently manage multiple, overlapping air supplier contracts. For example, an agency may have 4 or 5 airline supplier agreements with multiple sales targets for overlapping sets of markets.  When booking, Contract Optimisation Services analyses the thousands of possible city-pair, carrier, and point of sale combinations and makes valued suppliers and itineraries simple to find. Customers are able to set, track, and reach performance goals that provide them with maximum financial value.

After a year of strong success in North America, Sabre is now supporting Contract Optimisation Services globally.  A number of pilot customers are using it in Europe, and customers in all regions are inquiring about participation.

“Sabre’s Contract Optimisation Services allow us to bring more value to our preferred carriers and the reporting capabilities provide us with the tools we need to show that. Sabre contract optimization capabilities have solidified our relationships with our preferred carriers and give us increased marketing power, creating a win/win for all involved – our airline partners, Valerie Wilson Travel and the corporations that we serve,” said Mimi McGuire, director of airline relations for Valerie Wilson Travel, a large corporate agency in the U.S.

As a result of their use of Contract Optimization Services, Tzell Travel Group, one of the largest TMCs in the U.S, has recouped an average of more than US$1,000 per day in what would have been lost commission revenue.

“When we first saw Contract Optimisation Services, we knew it was a no-brainer.  It was an opportunity to put money into in the bank instead of letting it fall through the cracks.  Almost every agent misses a commission opportunity on a weekly basis and Sabre’s contract optimisation tool made it fast and easy to catch these missed opportunities. It also assists in debit memo prevention by finding instances where commission was taken but the necessary ticketing codes were not entered. Simply put, it has opened new and improved aspects of airline contract management.  There is no doubt that Contract Optimisation Services have improved our ability to manage our business and maximise our earnings”, said Barry Liben, president of Tzell Travel Group.

Sabre’s Contract Optimisation Services empower agents to present flight options at its agent point-of-sale that drive maximum value for both the agency and its corporate client base.

“Contract Optimisation Services is an essential tool for any agency that wants to maximise the value of its preferred airline supplier strategy. It takes complex and often overlapping contracts and makes it easy for agencies to flawlessly manage their supplier agreements, helping them make money, save money and improve their overall customer service,” said Chris Kroeger, senior vice president – Marketing for Sabre Travel Network. “This is another high value capability in the Sabre Red portfolio which is designed to help agencies drive customer loyalty and power business performance.”

Contract Optimisation Services comprise three integrated components that allow agencies to flawlessly manage all aspects of their air supplier agreements:

• Sales Planning evaluates supplier deals and determines ideal sales targets, at the city-pair or even flight level, to maximise overall profitability
• Content Customisation lets customers tailor their displays, reflecting market and customer-specific objectives
• Reporting and Analysis constantly track performance on each term and goal for every supplier agreement, including daily alerts that keep managers from missing big opportunities