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Walking in Customers' Shoes: LodgeLink's CCO Vincent Campana Puts Empathy at the Heart of Workforce Optimization Customer Experiences

Apr 25, 2023

Insider tips on how to create a world class customer experience for clients

Providing an end-to-end workforce travel solution for each of those 500+ companies – all of which are sending out crews across North America – Vinny says looking out for the well-being of all those people is crucial to business relationships.

“Having a level of empathy with your customers goes a long way in building those relationships. One of the reasons why I came to LodgeLink and why I'm passionate about the business is the job that we do in a niche that we service, which is crew travel,” he says.

“It's not briefcase [travel]. It's not leisure travel… we're taking care of people who are on the job for weeks at a time. They're away from their families and friends and they're in secondary and tertiary markets doing really hard work.”

Quick to point out the hard work also being done by the LodgeLink team to build, grow and retain those relationships, including a 24/7 customer support team, Vinny says exceeding service expectations and attention to detail are integral to LodgeLink’s accountability.

“We have to get a head on a pillow. So we go above and beyond daily, whether it's an emergency response or a crew member is not going to make it to their destination in time.”

Beyond going the extra mile for customers, Vinny highlights the ability for LodgeLink to remove a lot of the manual process for customers and replace time-consuming activities with technology that streamlines workforce accommodations management, simplifies payment, provides real-time reporting, enhances visibility, and optimizes cost control.

“We take all that work off the customer,” he says. “We aspire to be the ecosystem of crew travel and I believe that we will get there because of our tech knowledge, the time, and savings for our customers.”

Freed from the requirement to hunt for discounts from a various suppliers, customers can take advantage of great rates at the 100,000+ suppliers LodgeLink is partnered with across North America.

“Anybody can match rates. It's about the process efficiencies, reporting, and the ability to manage their business far more efficiently than spreadsheets and Post-its,” says Vinny.

“Let's take finance folks. The mid-office savings are a key benefit to our clients. Having one consolidated invoice, and the ability to track a job through Payment IDs and Tracking Codes throughout the entire transaction is an enormous benefit. They can look at the size and scope of the job, and know how much was saved for the company.”

With features like managing large group bookings, uploading crew lists and simplified schedule management, LodgeLink increases efficiency at every step, saving companies time and money. Travel managers have access to comprehensive search filters and map layers to help find the most suitable accommodations, including searching for amenities like large truck parking and 24-hour meal service, companies can indeed transform their workforce travel experience with a platform built around the unique needs of crews.

As to how LodgeLink has been able to become the fastest-growing ecosystem of hotels and lodges in North America, Vinny says it’s all about a willingness to listen, and then to act on what you’re hearing from customers.

“How do you deliver on that promise and communicate it? I think the biggest detriment to anybody working with the customer is not listening and missing the cues.”

“I discussed technology, mid-office, and reporting - that's truly our core competency and we're doing better at it than our competition. We often hear from customers who previously used other travel platforms to manage crew. There were gaps that they didn't appreciate, you know - delayed invoices, lack of transparent reporting and the utility of the tool itself or the fact that they weren't 24/7 with a dedicated, passionate customer experience team if they needed someone.”

It's a dedicated, passionate customer experience service team that he credits for providing a level of service that has become synonymous with the LodgeLink name.

“These are true LodgeLinkers and they have a passion for what they do to service the customer. When a customer contacts LodgeLink, that could be for a crew change, or if their schedule has changed or they’re going to miss their connection. What can we do? Get them into a different property. Our customer experience team does a fantastic job and like I said, they bring a level of passion, and empathy to every single phone call that we take.”

Adding that “white glove service” is provided without the extra fees seen with other providers, LodgeLink’s dedication to improving every step of the workforce travel journey is one that Vinny believes has the company poised to move onward and upward into the future.

“When I came in, it was a much smaller company and we've grown exponentially. We have open positions. We just filled a bunch in the commercial team, which I'm thrilled about because we're attracting great talent both in the United States and in Calgary. So I would tell people if they see a job posting, and want to work for a company that's moving forward and transforming how workforce travel is managed to join us because they'll be very fulfilled in their career by being a part of a dynamic team and contributing to innovative solutions in the marketplace.

As part of that evolution, LodgeLink has continued to add to its team. Since the company launched in 2017 with a minimum viable product and just three employees, LodgeLink has grown to a team of more than 90 in 2022 and continues to develop technology and create new ways to disrupt the workforce travel space. It’s a future that has Vinny excited.