Customer Case Study

Business Travelers at ZS Associates Use Freebird to Save Time and Money

OverviewZS Associates is a professional services firm focusing on consulting, software, and technology.

Headquartered in Evanston, Illinois, ZS provides services for clients in private equity,

healthcare, and technology. The firm employs more than 7,000 employees in 24 offices

worldwide and has been named a top consulting firm on The Vault Consulting 50 list.

Suzanne Boyan is the Travel Operations Manager and was named BTN's 2019 Travel Manager

of the Year. Under her leadership, ZS has developed a pioneering travel management program

-- one that moves away from the traditional TMC model and utilizes direct supplier

connections and thoughtful service providers (like Freebird) to successfully meet the needs of

ZS travelers and their business objectives.

Suzanne piloted Freebird over the summer in 2019 with a group of travelers out of the

Evanston headquarters, and based on the results, expanded Freebird coverage to protect all

domestic flights at ZS Associates booked via direct supplier connections.

Freebird EvaluationThe ZS Associates team evaluated Freebird based on the following selection criteria:

Traveler Experience - The primary criteria were if Freebird could improve the traveler experience,

helping get travelers to meetings and reducing stress when flights get disrupted.

Time & Cost Savings - Quantifying time savings, travel costs and airfare refunds that resulted

from disrupted travelers using Freebird.

Implementation - Validating that Freebird would integrate with existing reservations booked via

direct supplier connections.

An additional insight learned was that disrupted ZS travelers rebooked 92% of the time on

other airlines. When all available airlines were offered, travelers had significantly more options

to get on the best available flight. And since Freebird pays for the rebookings, ZS isn’t

concerned about disrupted travelers choosing to book on other airlines.

Customer Case Study

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“The feedback from our travelers is overwhelmingly positive because they know that Freebird is watching out for them. Even when our travelers don’t rebook with Freebird, they still are well-informed about their options which provides peace of mind.”

SUZANNE BOYANOperations Manager – Travel, ZS Associates

Customer Case Study

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Traveler StoryOne of the disrupted travelers at ZS who rebooked using Freebird...

Jane, a strategy insights consultant, was traveling for an important business meeting.

She had a connection in Chicago that she was going to miss, but Freebird was able to

rebook her onto a new itinerary on a new airline that avoided Chicago completely and got

her to her destination earlier than originally planned and in time for her meeting.

When it was time for Jane to return home the following evening, she again was going to

miss her connection in Chicago, but again Freebird was able to get her onto a new itinerary

that avoided Chicago and got her home that night.

Jane arrived for her business meeting and made it back home on time. Freebird paid for

each rebooking, and ZS received full refunds on both the original tickets.

"My experience was fantastic! The link with the other options meant in less than 5 minutes I was on a different flight, on a different airline, avoiding the layover airport that was causing problems. It saved me a ton of headaches. Communication was both by text and email so I was able to quickly make decisions while in a meeting without having to step out and be on the phone for ½ hour. Being able to switch airlines is particularly awesome as in the past, switching flights within the airline has always been an intense struggle with pretty much no good outcomes."

- Jane, Strategy Insights & Planning Consultant

Traveler Testimonials

"I didn’t know my flight was canceled until Freebird texted me, which happened long before I got an alert from the Airline app. The ability to switch flights for free, even to different airlines, is huge to me and made for a much more pleasant day than being stuck in the airport." - John, Strategy Insights & Planning Consultant*

"I was coming back to Chicago after a long meeting and my flight got canceled. Freebird proactively reached out to me and made sure that I was booked on an alternate flight. The process was smooth, and I loved the personal touch. I thought I had my personal travel concierge. I was able to focus on debrief from the meeting, while I knew Freebird was working in the background to get my travel issues sorted out." - Krish, Strategy Insights & Planning Manage*

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Customer Case Study

"I was traveling from for a 2-day summit with my company…I don't think I would have made it to my destination without the assistance of Freebird." - Kristina, Senior Administrative Assistant*

"I had a very important event on Saturday and Freebird service helped me get there just in time. Since all the flights in Chicago were cancelled that day, all concierges and customer care numbers were super busy with long wait times. Freebird really helped me move quickly and rebook very easily." - Vipul, Solution Delivery Manage*

"Freebird was quick to rebook and provide all available options. It made rebooking easier when the flight was cancelled."- Pooja, Consultant*

“Our travelers love Freebird, plus ZS is able to leverage this service to motivate travelers to book through our preferred channels, as it is only available when they book according to policy.”

SUZANNE BOYANOperations Manager, Travel – ZS Associates

*Please note that employee names have been changed to protect their identities.

Customer Case Study

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Freebird Results

Over 5% disruption rate

Over 5 hours in time savings per rebooking

Over $1500 savings per rebooking

9 out of 10 travelers rebooked on another airline

Freebird is a simple mobile solution that empowers business travelers to skip the line and instantly book a new ticket after a flight cancellation, significant delay, or missed connection—on any airline, for free, with only three taps on their phone. There’s no app to download—travel managers select which travelers to protect and Freebird is applied automatically via their travel agency partner.

About Freebird

Learn more at getfreebird.com