How tour operator vtours automates its accounting processes and delights its customers

Industry: Tourism

Departments: Accounting, Back Office, Customer Service

Branche: Tourism

Abteilungen: Buchhaltung, Backoffice, Kundenservice

Initial situation

Complex processes in a dynamic environment

vtours, a subsidiary of the Swiss Hotelplan Group, is one of the leading package tour operators in German-speaking countries. With over 500,000 bookings and around 400,000 payments received per year, the accounting department was under considerable pressure. At the same time, customers expected fast, transparent and reliable communication – especially when it came to payment issues, cancellations or last-minute changes.

500.000

Annual bookings

400.000

Payments received from guests

Challenges

High demands on speed and flexibility

The existing systems were no longer able to meet the growing demands for speed, accuracy and flexibility. Key challenges became apparent, particularly in the interaction between accounting, document management and customer communication:

Booking processes across numerous systems, resulting in media discontinuity and high coordination costs Processing large volumes of travel documents that had to integrate information from a wide variety of sources, such as hotel bookings, airport transfers, airlines, weather services, and geopolitical and cultural data
Manual creation and dispatch of invoices, cancellations and payment confirmations, which was error-prone and time-consuming
Providing comprehensive, accurate information to guests, especially in the event of last-minute changes or special circumstances
High demand for automation in sending emails, notifications and payment information
Inflexible, difficult-to-maintain IT systems that required technical support for every process adjustment
No possibility for independent process administration by specialist departments – changes could only be implemented via IT
Lack of centralised documentation and transparency regarding existing processes, which limited traceability and scalability

Advantages of automation

Companies that automate their processes benefit in several ways: costs are reduced, processes are accelerated, and employees can focus more on value-adding tasks. Figures from various industries demonstrate how clearly these effects are reflected in efficiency and service quality.

30 - 40%

lower operating costs

through automation of accounting processes and dunning, less manual effort, fewer error costs.

45 - 55%

faster processes

for invoices, cancellations, payment confirmations, etc.

40 - 60%

increase in productivity

per employee in back office and customer service thanks to the automation of repetitive tasks and standardized workflows.

Screenshot of the main billing process workflow

Solution with swoox.io

Automated accounting and communication processes with swoox.io

With the introduction of the swoox.io process automation platform, vtours was able to digitise its accounting processes and professionalise customer communication at the same time. The platform maps central financial processes and ensures end-to-end automation – from invoicing to reminders, including personalised communication.

Implemented workflows

Automated creation and dispatch of travel confirmations, invoices, cancellations and payment confirmations
Administration and dispatch of travel documents
Automated information emails in the event of changes, for example in the event of short-notice strikes
Incoming payment processing with automatic allocation
Dynamic dunning process with escalation levels and customer notification
Booking lists and reports for internal and external partners
Alerts in case of discrepancies or missing payments

The BPMN-based interface enables specialist departments to model and adapt processes independently – without any IT knowledge.

Apps used

Added value

Transparent accounting meets modern customer communication

By using swoox.io, vtours was able to improve its processes in the long term:

Reduction of manual tasks through standardised workflows
Automated communication regarding payment status, reminders and documents
Higher customer satisfaction through clear and timely information
Increased flexibility: changes to processes in the shortest possible time without technical expertise
Rapid responsiveness: Spontaneous adjustments, e.g. due to flight cancellations, can be implemented immediately
Reducing the workload for employees: Standardised workflows reduce manual effort and increase productivity

Who is vtours?

Vtours was founded in 2004 and, with a turnover of EUR 670 million (financial year 2023/2024), is one of the top 5 German package tour operators. Since 2005, the company has been working with LifeStyle and swoox.io to continuously optimise its internal processes – with a particular focus on efficiency, scalability and service quality.

Picture of a resort in the maldives from the front

Picture of a resort in the maldives from the side

Is swoox.io the right solution for your project?

Let’s discuss your requirements and identify how swoox.io can help optimize your processes – efficiently, securely, and with a custom-fit approach.

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