New Software At Delta Collects Customer Information

<B> New Software At Delta Collects Customer Information</B>

By Jay Campbell

After an extensive two-year search for a sales information system, Delta Air Lines is implementing new software to streamline customer information management by its sales force.

Provided by the Baan Company of the Netherlands, theBaanFrontOffice system is scheduled to be rolled out to 1,200 computers by September. Delta expects it will "significantly cut the average time that our sales force spends analyzing customer information, from as much as four hours each day to a matter of minutes," said Delta CIO Charles Feld. "They'll be able to update management on all accounts, determine the best opportunities for sales, improve overall efficiency and, most importantly, spend more time meeting customer needs."

"Today we do a lot of things manually, such as sharing information on national accounts between branch offices and headquarters," said Larry Beck, portfolio director of distribution. "This technology will enable us to capture and roll up customer data in one system."

Beck said another major benefit is that the system allows account managers in the field to dial in to update a customer's profile with their laptops, synchronize with the headquarters system and upload or download changes.

"It minimizes the amount of time Delta's sales reps spend running around doing administrative activities," said Eric Carrasquilla, product marketing manager at Baan, "and maximizes the amount of time that they spend with their large corporate customers actually closing deals."

According to Beck, "We may be collecting profile data on the account's location, principal employees or contacts, and the kind of business they do--meetings, corporate, leisure, government. The main thrust is to enable us to better manage an account's needs, so that when we meet we are concentrating on the right things."

An account's performance information, taken from the GDS's marketing information data tapes, also is accessible through the Baan software. For the past few months, Delta has been collecting MIDT data on a daily, as opposed to monthly, basis "to give us better trending over time."

Going forward, Beck said, the Baan system could be linked to a broader concept of customer relationship management. It could profile information on individual travelers, such as what corporate account they are employed by or which agency handles their company, so that service personnel can better recognize their value.

Though Baan has provided software to the aerospace industry for years, counting Boeing among its key customers, Delta is its first airline customer.

"We definitely expect other airlines to purchase the product," said Carrasquilla. "With the kinds of return on investment that it provides Delta, other airlines that compete in the travel industry will follow as well.