Groupize Launches emailBids© to Replace the Outdated e-RFP Methods for Sourcing and Managing Small Groups and Simple Meetings
Groupize bridges direct communication between Planners and Sales Managers; makes it easy to connect via emails, avoiding the need for third party extranets
In response to demand from the industry wanting to simplify the e-RFP process, Groupize recently launched emailBids as part of an innovative Conversational Commerce Engine within their Groups and Meetings Platform. The new functionality is designed to streamline interactions between planners and hotels, catering to the reality that all parties prefer to conduct business via email because it is fast, seamless and now organized.
The emailBids engine empowers hotels to respond to leads in their own email system and gives them the ability to attach proposals, menus, and contracts. Sales managers can now rapidly respond in a detailed format that puts the hotel’s best foot forward by providing customized bids to the planners while eliminating the need to rekey information into two systems.
According to Groupize CEO, Charles de Gaspe Beaubien, “Our mission is to fix the mess created by the e-RFP explosion for the industry. The reality is that e-RFP meeting solutions were never designed with occasional planners and admins in mind – even though they are the ones responsible for sourcing two-thirds of all meetings. Traditional e-RFP systems cause friction because they require planners to fill out lengthy forms just to get dates, rates, and availability. Then hotel sales managers are forced to log into yet another extranet system to respond to a preliminary inquiry. When it comes to technology, ”Simpler is Better”, and we decided it was time to adapt to the way occasional planners want to work. Groupize emailBids helps them do their job more efficiently with no new system to learn.”
Although bids come directly into the planner’s email box, the Planner Dashboard captures all the communications and aggregates the data. This allows them to compare bids, store proposals and contracts while tracking and centralizing the history of each group or meeting. Furthermore, automated workflows within their dashboard allow planners to negotiate, receive contracts, calculate and monitor their budget as well as get internal approvals and signatures. The primary stakeholders and hotels receive notifications and are alerted to status changes or updates via email.
The innovative new emailBids feature complements the Groupize Small Groups and Simple Meetings Platform, which includes 110,000 hotels, 35,000 pre-negotiated rates, instant bookings, GDS integration, budgeting, automated workflows and company portals, enabling corporations to centralize and manage their groups and meetings spend.
While the industry continues to report that e-RFPs only convert at an average of two percent and that an alarming seventy-five percent of leads are not responded to, Groupize is improving its guarantee for speedy responses to their TMCs, Agencies, and Corporations with the addition of this new feature. Early results show conversions above sixty percent, and that five times as many hotels responded to Groupize leads in half the time. The solution is extremely well received by both planners and hotels as it provides for the meaningful exchange of information to transact efficiently.
2016 is the year of Conversational Commerce, and it is a fundamental shift on how people expect to do business moving forward. Millennials could happily spend their lives just talking via apps and emojis. This style of uncomplicated and direct interaction suits itself to the lifecycle of planning and organizing a group or meeting where the planners can learn, discover and communicate. “Extranets are the status quo in this age of collaborative marketplaces, and Groupize is adapting to behaviors like Alibaba, Uber, Airbnb, What’s App and collaborative tools like Basecamp and Slack,” adds de Gaspe Beaubien. “We are confident that this latest advancement will have a positive impact in reshaping the future of the groups and meeting industry.”
To learn more and schedule a demo, visit groupize.com or call 1.855.GROUPIZE.
About Groupize
Groupize pioneered the automated online group hotel room bookings industry, and today is the leader in providing turnkey solutions for TMCs and Corporations to take control of their small groups and meetings business. Winner of Best Travel Technology at PhocusWright, Groupize is revolutionizing managed travel with innovative, cloud-based solutions that reduce the complexity of sourcing, booking, tracking and managing multi-room bookings, extended stays, groups and meetings in real-time. Founded in 2011, Groupize is a privately held company and headquartered in Beverly, MA. For more information, please call 1.885.GROUPIZE or visit groupize.com.