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In the latest column from STACK.aero Catherine Buchanan, Director of Business Development, reviews the competitive advantage offered by an evolving and adaptive CRM system.
The key success factor of any business aviation charter company is a steady and preferably growing clientele of happy, loyal customers who regularly return to their trusted broker.
In such a highly competitive market, these golden clients are often difficult to win and even harder to keep, so finding a customer relationship management (CRM) system that is a digital differentiator can deliver a serious competitive advantage.
Contrary to common thinking, it is not necessarily price or the speed of access to a preferred aircraft type that brings a customer back; it is personal, efficient, and trustworthy service that consistently delivers a superior-quality experience. Those who can provide a fast, reliable, customized service to passengers with high expectations will gain and retain business.
A key factor in ensuring this constancy of delivery is a CRM that is much more than just a list of preferences. A dynamic CRM that operates and integrates with trusted information sources is crucial for identifying buying trends, managing client interactions, and enhancing service delivery. The right system will not only shape those customer interactions; it will drive sales and strengthen client retention by allowing commercial teams to respond faster with attractive quotes, track opportunities, and provide a genuinely individual experience.
The ability to collect, input, aggregate, and cross-reference validated, accurate, and informative data underpins a knowledgeable team. A platform that intelligently collates information and can be interrogated to deliver exact, relevant information about each customer at the click of a few tabs is worth its weight in gold.
A strategically designed CRM operating through a central, searchable, and reportable system can also improve team collaboration and communication. Integrating the different functions of the trip-request life cycle creates a bridge between sales, operations, and finance, streamlining the quote-to-booking-to-billing workflow across departments.
Instant access to contact details, relationship history, preferred aircraft, and travel habits can be expanded to include frequent routes, unusual destinations, regular companions, furry friend details, and even data relating to the customer’s annual birthday trip. If you add to this the option to review previous bookings and inquiries, track win/loss outcomes, and provide success metrics, a solid foundation for future conversion is built. Knowledge really is power in this instance.
Early visibility into the sales pipeline enables the operations team to plan and prepare aircraft, crew, and logistics support. Post-flight, finance teams can view the full service provided for on-time, accurate billing. Clients can be grouped by company or organization for better account management. Notes, updates, and communication history are all in one place, which improves handoffs and reduces mistakes.
Many of the STACK team were once brokers or operators. We could only dream of working with a system that could support commercial activity by providing access to a central source of truth about our customers’ behaviour. A single platform that follows the trip lifecycle from the initial inquiry to the final invoice was unheard of. We recognized that a purpose-built CRM for private aviation could facilitate all the tasks required to manage a charter, reduce errors, solve familiar problems, and ensure a seamless booking experience for us and, more importantly, the customer. Significantly we recognized one size did not fit all, so we created three differing levels to meet the needs of a diverse set of brokers.
The most comprehensive level allows us to customize regularly used data fields. We appreciate that each department has specialist applications that define its function, which is why, with our Pro version, we provide a way to use the system intuitively so it can be easily scaled and integrated. This brings real value to a broker working in a specific sector. For example, a broker specializing in music tours may require specific data to support the unique aspects of their business.
At STACK.aero, we want to create a tech stack of specialist software for the industry that raises standards for all stakeholders. In our world, a CRM differentiation strategy is a competitive advantage that leads to greater revenue and happier, returning customers.
BlueSky Business Aviation News | 15th May 2025 | Issue #796
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