Aileron Travels achieved an 80% increase in lead conversions and cut invoice processing to two days with Bigin

The company

Aileron Travels isn't your run-of-the-mill travel agency. Founded on a vision originally sparked by Pooja Khosla's uncle, the company has grown into a passionate team of 14 travel enthusiasts dedicated to delivering far more than just tickets and hotel bookings. They proudly call themselves "travel gurus" who curate personalized experiences and offer everything from flights and hotels to land packages and visa assistance—all conveniently under one roof.

Over the years, Aileron has evolved from a small proprietorship into a private limited company.

The challenge

Success brought new challenges for Aileron Travels. With over 500 high net-worth customers and 30 corporate clients, they soon realized that managing their operations via Excel was becoming increasingly difficult. Every day, inquiries poured in through multiple channels–phone, email, WhatsApp, and their website—which made it harder for the team to keep track of everything.

Furthermore, customer data was scattered across countless spreadsheets, which led to disorganization. Bookings needed manual follow-ups and often slipped through the cracks. There was no clear visibility into the status of leads, and coordinating work among different team members felt chaotic.

For a company that promises customers seamless travel experiences, their internal operations were anything but smooth. They needed a system that could provide them with order, visibility, and accountability without overwhelming their small team.

The solution

As Pooja explored options, she connected with Abhra Banerjee, who initially started as a Bigin customer. Today, Abhra's company, Cleanomatics Tech Solutions, is a trusted partner that implements Bigin for other businesses. Abhra played a crucial role in helping Aileron Travels with their entire setup by guiding them through the adoption of Bigin by Zoho CRM.

Multiple pipelines

Aileron Travels have set up five distinct pipelines that enable them to book flights, hotel rooms, and buses, trains, and cabs, as well as handle visa, insurance, and passport documentation and process invoices. Each pipeline mirrors a critical segment of the travel business and ensures that every customer request flows seamlessly through dedicated stages, from inquiry to completion. This structure gives the team a real-time overview of each deal's progress.

Vendor payment tracking

A unique pipeline is dedicated to managing hotel and land package vendor payments. This strategic move enables Aileron's team to maintain strict oversight on payment status and proactively prevent booking cancellations.

Built-in forms

Aileron sends clients digital form links to gather key travel information. Data flows instantly into the CRM, eliminating re-entry and manual errors. This direct form-to-CRM connection ensures every client's details are accurate from the start.

Workflow automation

Aileron Travels has set up automated workflows that send reminders for completed bookings, distribute boarding passes on time, and assign follow-up actions across the team. Automation ensures no critical steps are forgotten, simplifies operations, and frees up Pooja's time to focus on strategic growth.

Email integration

By integrating their email system directly with Bigin, Aileron has automated the dispatch of quotes, travel vouchers, and invoices. This doesn't just save valuable time; it ensures prompt customer communication.

Benefits and ROI

The results speak for themselves:

• Conversion rate rose to over 80% within 10 months of adopting Bigin.
• Invoice processing time decreased drastically from weeks to just two days, boosting cash flow.
• The return on investment was clear; Bigin's cost was minimal compared to the growth unlocked.

For a company that helps customers travel, Bigin became the runway for their own business success.

Looking forward

Aileron plans to take the next natural step by integrating Zoho Books with Bigin, which will enable them to create and send invoices, quotes, and estimates directly from Bigin and track all financial transactions in one unified system.