So what was once 'just a thought for you' has now become a reality. I am writing this as we begin a project with Cisco in which we will be bringing some of their technology into our business with the aim being for us to benefit from the improved operating efficiencies that will ultimately enhance our business performance.
Apologies. Too much waffly business jargon there and I should take a few steps back and introduce myself. My name is Tom Marchant and I am one of the owners of Black Tomato, a bespoke travel company that is all about offering incredible travel experiences around the world. We like to dig up hidden gems of destinations, find ways of getting people truly under the skin of a place and generally make sure that each trip taken with us will leave people with bags of brilliant memories and a stack of stories to dine out on for years to come.
We are still a bit of a baby of a company and have just turned three years old. Over the years to date there have been many highlights, but perhaps the best was winning the Guardian and Observer Travel award for best website two years running. Of course, I will now say that getting asked to be the recipient of the Cisco technology and being the focus of this project is a highlight also and I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts on how things progress over the next few months.
Initial hopes? Well, it's all about efficiencies for us. As a growing business that has moved from working in a bedroom in Putney to an office of just under 30 people in Shoreditch, strong and efficient operating processes have always been crucial to us. What was once a very manual and labour-intensive business has definitely moved to more automated one but we still have a number of areas that we want to improve in and from the initial discussions with Cisco it sounds like they can really help us with this.
First and foremost we are a people business and by that I don't just mean the people here. It's the people who travel with us and our preferred way for engaging with our clients is to talk with them. Having that chat and understanding just what someone wants for their perfect holiday and being able to tailor it to their needs is the most important part of our sales process. As a result the office is constantly full of chatter, ringing phones and a general infectious buzz. Walking past people in mid conversation on the phone and hearing all manner of topics being discussed, from where to drink the best coffee in Damascus to the best time to take photographs when trekking in Bhutan, makes every day an enlightening one and shows just how important a robust communications solution is.
Probably not hard to see from my phone references just where Cisco are hoping to help. A new communications solution is coming in that is set to iron out many of the technology issues we have had to date and will make the customer experience of dealing with Black Tomato that much better. This should result in increased productivity and sales. All sounds very promising and we are delighted to be involved in the project. Time will tell how well it works and I look forward to sharing my thoughts on this over the next few months.
If you've got any questions about the technology being deployed by Black Tomato please send us an email and we'll get an expert from Cisco to respond.
