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Busse Design USA Readies Airlines Reporting Corporation for Corporate Makeover
New corporate website fosters stronger relationships with core customers and provides platform for enhanced customer service capabilities
Emeryville, CA - February 24, 2003 - Busse Design USA, a leader in user-focused interface and graphic design, today announced the completion and online availability of a new corporate website for Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC). ARC's new website communicates the breadth and depth of services it offers the travel industry as the company responds to fundamental changes in the airline travel business. The website (www.arccorp.com) is the primary destination for potential customers and partners, and industry analysts and media. Additionally, it aims to strengthen ARC's relationship with key customers, which include travel agencies, corporate travel departments, airline carriers and industry suppliers, by giving them customized access to travel industry tools and documents.
After an extensive review of proposals from seven leading interactive design firms and business applications providers, ARC determined that Busse Design USA was the most qualified to manage the re-architecture and design of its web presence. "We felt that Busse Design's strong design philosophy, coupled with extensive experience in advanced user interface design, were a good match for our immediate and future needs," said Annie Eissler, director of e-business at ARC. "Our biggest concern was whether we'd be able to keep up with their aggressive schedule. We were impressed that Busse initially outlined - and then delivered on - a seven-week timeline."
ARC's Revised Web Presence Spearheads its Corporate Strategy
ARC's original website was launched in 1996 at the request of travel agents, who wanted web-access to critical documents and reports produced for them by ARC. However, by 2002, the site was no longer succeeding in its primary mission of efficiently delivering appropriate information to ARC's customers and partners. Like many websites established at the dawn of the internet era and gradually expanded upon over the years, ARC's website had begun to suffer from a lack of a coherent content framework, multiple access mechanisms, poor navigational cues, an inconsistent ïlook and feel,' minimal use of graphics, and gaps in the breadth and depth of content. "In many respects, we felt that the site no longer supported our dedication to customer relations and improving service delivery," observed Eissler.Eissler's team defined the establishment of ARC's online strategy as a two-phase process. The first phase, re-designing the corporate website, aimed to better communicate ARC's role in the travel industry and to lay a foundation for extensive customer support capabilities. Busse Design USA developed a detailed project blueprint for the creation of a coherent, scalable corporate communications website optimized for ARC's diverse audiences, including travel agents, carriers, corporate travel departments and industry suppliers.
A powerful feature of the new corporate site is the inclusion of audience-specific content areas so that critical information is presented to visitors in a manner contextually relevant to them. Busse Design USA created an "ARC For You" area, which tailors access to product- and service-related information in a way that is meaningful to each audience. Also, the site now speaks specifically to potential new customers, such as non-affiliated airlines, so that they can quickly understand the range of services ARC offers them.
Phase Two of ARC's online strategy is the development of a customer portal, which will further reinforce ARC's role as a provider of essential tools, information and business intelligence. This portal will become the centerpiece of ARC's strategy to support its current customer base, enabling the company to derive new revenue streams from analytical services and venture into emerging markets. Busse Design USA is currently working with ARC to deliver the portal in early 2003.
"Busse Design USA was able to offer us exceptional design expertise and to guide us through complex navigational and content architecture issues," commented ARC's Eissler. "Since the corporate site's launch at the end of 2002, we have already received positive feedback - both internally and externally. Our customers and business partners are eagerly anticipating the upcoming launch of the customer portal."
"Even though ARC is located 3000 miles from us and most of the project was done remotely, our strong internal project management skills enabled us to develop a close working relationship with ARC's team," said Joy Busse, chief creative office and president, Busse Design USA. "Such a relationship is the essence of successful product development. It allowed us to understand ARC's corporate culture and agenda and enabled us to help guide the initiative in the right direction."
About Airlines Reporting Corporation
Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) serves the travel industry with financial reporting and settlement, business intelligence and accreditation services. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, ARC processes more then $64 billion in travel sales for 130 passenger-carrying airlines, railroads and other travel suppliers, and over 30,000 travel agencies and corporate travel departments. ARC, an airline-owned company, was established in 1984 as the successor to the Area Settlement Plan that emerged in 1964 within the Air Transport Association of America. More information about ARC can be found at www.arccorp.com.
About Busse Design USA
Busse Design USA Inc., founded in 1997, and Busse Design Ulm GmbH, founded in 1959, together form a full-service design agency. Busse Design USA provides a wide range of services for their clients -including user interface design, product design and development, branding and packaging design, and a wide range of usability testing services. Working from a human factors perspective, Busse Design USA combines compelling design with strong process methodologies that result in superior user experiences for both its clients and their customers and partners. Headquartered in a restored 1913 building in Emeryville, CA - home to one of the largest populations of artists studios in the San Francisco Bay Area - Busse Design USA employs accomplished designers, Human Computer Interaction specialists, information architects, as well as brand and marketing experts. More information about Busse Design USA can be found at www.bussedesign.com.
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