Customer story: First Class Travel Group

The challenge

Outgrowing a legacy all-in-one platform

First Class Travel Group had been relying on a legacy system covering CRM, trip building, and finance. While it had worked well initially, it became increasingly limiting as the business evolved. Development changes were difficult to implement, making it harder to improve processes, respond to new needs, and support growth.

As First Class Travel Group scaled and looked ahead to potential acquisitions, it became clear the existing setup would not support its long-term direction. The business needed a more flexible system that could work across multiple brands, integrate more easily with other tools, and adapt as the business grew.

The main pain points included:

• Limited flexibility for development and process improvement
• Difficulty adapting to changing business needs
• Scalability constraints as the business grew
• The need to support multiple brands more effectively
• Limited ability to integrate suppliers and connected systems

We reached the point where the existing system was simply holding us back. We needed something much more flexible and scalable to support where the business was and still going.

Mark Dal Cin, Head of IT at First Class Travel Group

The solution

TravelOperations powered by Microsoft Dynamics 365

First Class Travel Group evaluated several options, seeking a platform that could grow with the business and offer the flexibility the previous system lacked. One of the immediate advantages of TravelOperations is that it is built on Microsoft Dynamics 365, giving the team confidence in the platform’s scalability, integration capabilities, and long-term fit.

Key factors in the decision included:

• A flexible platform that could grow with the business
• The scalability and reliability of Microsoft Dynamics 365
• Integration potential with other systems, including telephony
• Power Automate for workflow automation and efficiency
• Strong support and guidance from the TravelOperations team

“The combination of TravelOperations and Microsoft Dynamics felt like the right fit for where we are now and where we want to get to,” says Mark Dal Cin, Head of IT at First Class Travel Group.

One platform across the full customer journey

Why First Class Travel Group chose both CRM and ERP on one platform

First Class Travel Group chose both TravelOperations CRM and ERP/mid- and back-office to bring the full journey from quote to booking into one central place. By working on one platform, they opted for a more connected setup across sales, operations, and finance.

The platform model has given First Class Travel Group and all teams clearer visibility and made it easier to work from a single record rather than piecing information together across systems. Reporting has also become easier, with better visibility across the full customer journey.

Examples of value across the business include:

• Sales managers can see conversion, communication history, and outstanding actions in one place
• Operations teams can see what was agreed at quote stage and manage changes more smoothly
• Finance teams receive cleaner, more accurate data
• Management can track performance across the whole journey, not just parts of it

“We wanted to work on one platform to bring all parts of the journey from quote to booking into one central place,” says Jennifer Braithwaite, Director of Business Operations.

The implementation

A focused rollout alongside other major projects

Implementation began in April, with go-live planned for October the same year. This happened alongside the rollout of Nezasa Trip Builder and the DestinationBook document system, making it a demanding program with several major projects running at once.

Throughout the process, TravelOperations played a proactive role in keeping the program on track. Regular meetings, open communication, and a strong focus on deadlines helped us successfully meet the scheduled go-live.

Jennifer Braithwaite, Director of Business Operations

Since go-live, the implementation has also prompted a review of booking flows and team structures to improve efficiency and align ways of working with the new systems.

The impact

Better visibility, stronger collaboration, and a platform for future efficiency

Since going live, First Class Travel Group has seen a significant improvement in visibility across the business, particularly around quotes and opportunities across agencies and clients.

One of the biggest improvements has been efficiency. Having all communication, notes, and tasks centralized against a single quote means anyone in the business can pick something up and instantly see the full timeline of the client journey. It’s removed a lot of back-and-forth and reliance on individuals and made collaboration much easier across teams.

Jennifer Braithwaite, Director of Business Operations

The new platform is also starting to change how First Class Travel Group work day-to-day. “With the functionality available, we’re now looking into moving more of our supplier communication into TravelOps CRM, which will help bring everything into one central place rather than being spread across emails and different systems,” says Jennifer Braithwaite.

First Class Travel Group also sees further potential as they have only scratched the surface in terms of what the platform can do. The next step for them is to focus on how managers can better use the system to track conversions, staff efficiency, and overall performance, as well as introducing more automation to further streamline processes.

Key improvements so far include:

• Better visibility of quotes and opportunities across the business
• Centralized communication, notes, and tasks against a single quote
• Easier collaboration across teams
• Reduced reliance on individuals for booking history and context
• New opportunities to centralize supplier communication
• Stronger foundations for tracking performance and introducing automation

With TravelOperations implemented, we already benefit from improved visibility and efficiency, and we see a lot of opportunity to build on this as we continue to embed the system.

Carl Barrow, Head of Trading at First Class Travel Group

Lessons learned

Advice from a peer

First Class Travel Group’s advice to other travel businesses looking to implement a new travel platform is to understand internal processes clearly before implementing new technology, be realistic about timelines, and involve the right people from the beginning.

The team also stresses the importance of building a solid foundation first and working closely with technology partners throughout the journey. But most importantly, Jennifer Braithwaite highlights: “Choose a system that gives you flexibility to grow, and work closely with your technology partners — strong communication makes a big difference, which is why we’re so glad we made the move to TravelOperations.”

Key advice includes:

• Work closely with technology partners and maintain strong communication throughout the project
• Understand your internal processes before implementation
• Be realistic about timelines
• Involve the right people from the start
• Do not try to do everything at once
• Build a solid foundation first, then improve over time
• Choose a system that gives you flexibility to grow

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Are you feeling inspired and looking for efficiency and visibility like First Class Travel Group?