Save time, work more efficiently, increase accuracy and therefore reduce the risk of errors. These are the advantages of smart digitization within the travel industry. Michiel Stoffels (General Manager at TravelSpirit) and Marcel Nijssen (A to Z Accountants & Advisors) talk about their collaboration and how they help clients get rid of their cold feet. ‘The collaboration between TravelSpirit and A tot Z Accountants & Adviseurs has a strengthening effect for our clients.’
Photo: Marcel Nijssen (A to Z Accountants & Advisors), Michiel Stoffels (TravelSpirit) and Daan Lodewijks (Digistraal) The conversation will take place in the office of TravelSpirit, in the old center of Baarn. TravelSpirit is a developer of software for the travel industry, for every phase of the customer journey. The portfolio now consists of more than 150 travel companies in the Netherlands and abroad. The company can look back on more than ten years of experience. For some time now, TravelSpirit has been working closely with A tot Z Accountants & Advisors, which has a broad clientele in the travel industry. Together, the two companies offer an integrated solution to their joint customers. “What we see is that there is no single software package that fully meets all the needs of the entire travel industry,” says Marcel Nijssen, who has more than 30 years of experience in accountancy. ‘It’s a diverse sector with many different specialisations. However, I think that TravelSpirit’s software covers most of the needs for most companies.’ Michiel Stoffels adds: ‘We started by serving tailor-made providers and niche players, but are now focusing more and more on larger companies and high volumes, such as package holiday sellers and group travel providers. We focus on companies that find digitization important and want to grow with it.’ So you’re now focusing on the big players in the market? Stoffels: ‘Yes, the larger companies and parties that take digitisation seriously. We notice that many travel companies are still reluctant to fully digitize, but we choose to work with those who do want to take the step.’ Which revenue segment do you serve? Stoffels: ‘We offer solutions for both start-ups and small travel organisations with TravelSpirit Start, a specific subscription for companies with a few hundred thousand euros in turnover. Our added value really comes to the fore in companies with a turnover between 5 and 50 million euros. Outside of the top ten largest travel companies, we serve everything below that.’ What do your subscription models look like? Stoffels: ‘We are in the process of relaunching our subscription model with four levels: TravelSpirit Start, -Pro, -Business and -Enterprise. Start is for small travel companies, Pro for growing companies with limited resources, Business for companies with a turnover of about 10 million euros or more, and Enterprise for larger organizations from 20 million euros. What does the collaboration between you and travel companies look like when it comes to the implementation of your software? Nijssen: ‘The average tour operator has a back-office system, such as that of TravelSpirit, as well as software for financial administration. We have noticed that the combination of TravelSpirit with the Exact Online package, which we use as accountants, works really well. The integration between these systems, and our knowledge and experience on how to optimally set up this integration, makes switching a lot less frightening for travel companies. It is therefore not for nothing that we can call ourselves a certified partner of TravelSpirit.’
‘Employees have more time for customer contact’
Stoffels: ‘We often see that companies are afraid of switching to a new system, as that is often the backbone of the company, but in practice it turns out that this is very doable. We have helped about fifteen companies with the switch in recent years, so we know how to go about it.’ Is it a kind of cold feet? Stoffels: ‘Absolutely. Parties can spend thousands of dollars on manual processes, while automation is much more efficient and cost-effective. We help companies understand that investing in software ultimately pays off. There are companies that think 10,000 or 20,000 euros for new software is a lot of money, but at the same time they hire someone who enters everything manually and who costs at least twice as much per year.’ Nijssen continues: “Companies that work with TravelSpirit’s software have lower personnel costs because many manual processes are automated. In addition, the work of employees will be more fun, because repetitive work will now be automatic. I know customers who, unlike similar companies, don’t use this software, have far fewer employees in the administration.’ Stoffels: “Thanks to our solutions, companies go from sometimes as many as eight different applications to just three applications. That saves time and prevents mistakes.’ What about your support in the transition to a new system? Stoffels: ‘We offer extensive support in the implementation of our software. Our collaboration with accountancy firms such as Marcel’s ensures that the financial integration is seamless. We ensure that travel companies not only work efficiently, but also gain valuable insight from their data.” Nijssen: ‘This year we are going to conduct a benchmark among medium-sized travel companies with a turnover between 2 and 10 million euros. With TravelSpirit, we can go deeper with more qualitative data because we can add financial data.’ Stoffels: ‘It turns out that the more companies invest in automation, the higher their turnover per employee. This means that those employees have more time for contact with customers. This is an important reason for us to intensify the collaboration with A tot Z Accountants & Advisors and to hold up a mirror to the client together. We have short lines of communication and communicate a lot with each other. This makes the process much easier for the customer.’ Nijssen: ‘We have a good interaction with TravelSpirit. With the addition of Exact Online, our customers have a solid foundation that helps them to grow in a targeted way.’
