Streamlining Operations at Pack Up + Go with Knowi
BACKGROUND
Pack Up + Go, founded in 2016, is a pioneering travel company in the United States specializing in organizing surprise vacations. Known for offering a unique blend of adventure and spontaneity, Pack Up + Go removes the hassle of trip planning by handling travel and accommodation arrangements based on clients’ budgets, preferences, and interests, while keeping the destination a secret until just before departure. Over the past 8 years, it has planned trips for over 40,000 travelers to more than 300 destinations nationwide. Behind its innovative service lies a complex system of departments and data management, crucial for planning, organizing, and implementing these unique trips. This system also supports their round-the-clock customer service and feedback mechanisms. As Pack Up + Go expanded, their partnership with Knowi became crucial in enhancing their operational efficiency and data management, enabling them to continue providing memorable and personalized travel experiences in a rapidly evolving industry.
CHALLENGE
Initially launched on Squarespace, the company managed its data using cloud services and Chartio, a business intelligence platform. This approach sufficed during the early stages. However, as the company grew, it faced increased complexity, including a surge in travelers, repeat customer management, flight cancellations, open issue tracking, specific trip detail access, and processing customer feedback. Additionally, when Chartio ceased its services, the need for a more robust solution became apparent. Manual data management through cloud services also hindered efficient inter-team data sharing and complicated the provision of detailed information to external partners for tasks like audits.
In response, Pack Up + Go began developing a proprietary tech stack and a CRM to streamline their data tracking. During this phase, they conducted an evaluation of their reporting needs.
"Knowi as a platform has completely transformed the way that my entire team views our daily operations goals and KPIs. And that it has enabled me as a founder and a CEO to move the company forward in a way that would not be possible otherwise."
- Lillian Rafson, Founder & CEO, Pack Up + Go
SOLUTION
After evaluating several key players in the market, Pack Up + Go chose to transition to Knowi, primarily for its user-friendly interface. Knowi stood out due to its ease of use for non-technical teams, its intuitive visual interface, and its seamless integration with Pack Up + Go’s existing tech stack. The platform enabled the connection of multiple data sources, including their custom-built CRM and spreadsheets, into one unified system.
Across various departments – operations, marketing, customer experience, and finance – Knowi was integrated to enhance functionality. Key implementations included:- Dashboard Reporting: Developing custom dashboards for real-time tracking and data visibility.
- Customer Service Enhancement: Implementing 24/7 in-house traveler support with efficient issue tracking.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing past trip data to refine travel planning and achieve company goals, such as promoting women and minority-owned businesses.
- Marketing Optimization: Upgrading email segmentation and crafting targeted marketing campaigns.
RESULTS
With Knowi, Pack Up + Go could effectively remarket to past travelers, segment email lists, and create nuanced marketing campaigns that weren’t previously possible, leading to an improvement in campaign performance. This newfound precision in targeting also translated into the planning teams’ processes, where they leveraged data more effectively, optimizing their strategies and significantly boosting traveler satisfaction and the company’s capacity to measure and respond to this feedback. The implementation of Knowi introduced unprecedented transparency and visibility across the organization.
It fostered collaborative data use among different teams including external parteners, empowering employees to independently access and analyze important metrics, thus fostering a self-sufficient and informed workforce.
"Beyond the tool itself, the level of customer service and support that the Knowi team provides is a really big differentiator, especially for a small business owner. It goes such a long way. I know how much time, care, and attention we put into our customer service, and seeing that in a partner is huge for us."
Improvement in Social Responsibility Goal
A particularly notable area of improvement was their commitment to social responsibility. Pack Up + Go maintains a comprehensive database of over 30,000 small businesses, each recommended to travelers for unique local experiences. Before Knowi, tracking progress toward ensuring at least 20% of recommendations were for businesses owned by women or minorities was a formidable task. Knowi’s introduction revolutionized this process.
With Knowi, Pack Up + Go developed dynamic dashboards that actively tracked this goal and provided deep insights into each destination, enabling the company to identify and act upon areas needing more diverse business recommendations. This strategic focus and resource allocation ensured that their travel recommendations were aligned with their values of inclusivity and diversity.
Streamlining customer support
The adoption of Knowi by Pack Up + Go exemplifies the transformative impact of the right technological solution on a growing business. It has not only streamlined their operations but also provided crucial insights and data management capabilities, fostering a culture driven by data within the company.