Big Bus drives digital strategy with APIs
Customer Company Size
Large Corporate
Country
- Worldwide
Product
- MuleSoft
Tech Stack
- APIs
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Revenue Growth
- Digital Expertise
Technology Category
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management
Applicable Industries
- Transportation
Applicable Functions
- Sales & Marketing
Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
Big Bus is the world’s largest owner-operator of hop-on hop-off open-top sightseeing tours. The company operates a global fleet of 400 buses in 19 cities, serving 5 million tourists every year. However, the company was facing an ongoing decline in traditional “on-street” sales using paper vouchers, and market demand for online sales options. To keep up with the digital demands, Big Bus had to dramatically transform its sales strategy and the customer experience. The company saw opportunities for new sales channels including web and mobile app access, as well as an extensive partner network.
The Challenge
Big Bus, the world’s largest owner-operator of hop-on hop-off open-top sightseeing tours, was facing a decline in traditional “on-street” sales using paper vouchers and a growing market demand for online sales options. The company needed to transform its sales strategy and customer experience. However, it lacked a unified integration strategy to support all these channels. Data was locked in monolithic legacy systems, and the company had to establish disparate, inefficient point-to-point connections with each new partner that was added to their ecosystem. This slowed and even prevented new partner onboarding. Big Bus needed a new technology to effectively and efficiently integrate internal sales systems with digital channels and partners.
The Solution
Big Bus deployed MuleSoft so the IT team could develop APIs to enable sales across various digital channels, connect with a global network of partners, and deliver a seamless customer experience. The first API built with MuleSoft was a booking API that allows more than 1,000 partners across 27 countries - such as travel agents and online travel websites - to search Big Bus products, check availability, make and cancel reservations, and generate digital tickets. Utilizing the APIs built in MuleSoft, it takes partners only two weeks to connect to the Big Bus booking system. Rather than spending valuable time establishing point-to-point connections, the Big Bus IT team can focus on innovation, and improving the customer experience.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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