Neilson brings in d-flo’s TravelComms following Thomas Cook buyout

Newly independent beach and ski activity operator Neilson has opted to use technology developed by d-flo to manage its post-reservation communications with customers.

Newly independent beach and ski activity operator Neilson has opted to use technology developed by d-flo to manage its post-reservation communications with customers.

The TravelComms solution developed by the document management and data flow specialist claims to provide clients with a more personalised approach to customer communications.

Neilson was sold last year by Thomas Cook to serial entrepreneur Luke Johnson’s private equity firm Risk Capital Partners, also a backer of Pizza Express, for £9.15 million.

Well-known industry figures Richard Bowden-Doyle and David Taylor now run the operator.

D-flo said TravelComms was designed specifically for tour operators to improve the customer experience for their clients by creating branded communications that are more customised and personalised to the holiday booked.

Paul Deadman, brand manager of Neilson Active Holidays, said: “Once we saw d-flo TravelComms in action, we were convinced it was the right application for us.

“It ensured our post-booking communications to customers were cleaner, fresher, more informative and of a higher quality.

“This was a key area for development in our separation from our former parent company and working with the d-flo team has been as easy as I could have hoped for.

“They clearly understood what we were looking to achieve and their understanding of the travel sector meant they had the knowledge and expertise to support key decisions.

“All of this was vital considering the tight deadlines we were working to. We look forward to working with d-flo on future developments in this area.”

D-flo TravelComms imports the raw customer and holiday data from the tour operator’s reservations system, stores it in case of future need to make amendments, then produces communications covering all aspects of post-booking contact.

It is applicable for direct bookings or via a travel agent, and generates the initial booking confirmation, all supplementary documents such as vouchers for additional services booked, through to detailed commission statements in the case of an agent reservation.

Colin Brimson, business development director and co-founder of d-flo Limited, said: “We’re very proud to have been selected to help Neilson Active Holidays achieve their branding goals after the management buy out, in this very important area of customer communications.

“Our approach to all projects with our customers is to understand what they are trying to accomplish with their documentation and data flows, then use our expertise to give them what they want in solutions that add real value to their business.”