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Breaking New Ground: Automating Product Updates with Agoda – Image Credit DerbySoft
The travel technology industry has long dreamed of a world without spreadsheets. For years, managing rate plans, room types, and promotional updates have involved a back-and-forth of spreadsheets between operations teams. While many companies have talked about automating these processes through APIs, however, the reality is progress has been slow. Until now.
DerbySoft, in collaboration with Agoda, has achieved a groundbreaking milestone: successfully automating the end-to-end process of product updates between Agoda and one of its supplier partners. This accomplishment eliminates the need for spreadsheets but also sets a new standard for efficiency and accuracy in the travel industry.
Why Automation Matters
More familiar manual processes are fraught with challenges. Transferring spreadsheets between supplier operations teams, DerbySoft’s operations team, and Agoda’s operations team leaves room for errors, delays, and inefficiencies. These issues can impact how quickly new products or updates reach the market. Automation on the other hand reduces errors, speeds up time-to-market, and allows teams to focus on more strategic initiatives.
Agoda: A First in Automation Success
While the industry has discussed automation for years, Agoda is the first to bring this vision to life. Working closely with DerbySoft, Agoda went beyond talk, collaborating to design and implement an API that streamlines communication between all stakeholders.
This collaboration was critical. Together, we approached the design with a full-end-to-end solution in mind, ensuring the API would deliver the maximum benefit for suppliers while addressing the unique needs of Agoda’s platform. By prioritizing scalability and usability, the solution sets the stage for broader adoption across the industry.
Collaborative Achievement
The journey to this achievement was anything but simple. From initial design to development, testing, implementation, piloting, and full rollout, the project required close collaboration between DerbySoft and Agoda at every stage. The result? A supplier that has gone live without relying on the spreadsheets that have long been a staple of the industry.
This milestone is more than just a technical success; it’s a testament to what can be achieved when companies work together to solve industry-wide challenges. By automating this process, we’ve unlocked a future where updates happen faster, with fewer errors, and with greater ease for all involved.
Setting a New Standard
Agoda’s success is a significant leap forward, but it’s also just the beginning. This project demonstrates what’s possible when companies are willing to embrace change and invest in innovation. While many others in the industry are still discussing eliminating spreadsheets, Agoda and DerbySoft have shown that automation can be done.
We’re excited to see this approach inspire others in the travel industry to follow suit. Together, we can move beyond manual processes and create a more efficient, accurate, and scalable future for all.
About DerbySoft
DerbySoft is the Travel Commerce Accelerator, with a mission to converge the diverse elements of travel, creating a unified and efficient ecosystem of connectivity services, high-performing AI-driven marketing services, and an end-to-end content platform. Our world-class services are designed to deliver seamless, frictionless commerce, accelerating the pace at which properties can connect, grow, and optimize profit. DerbySoft consistently pushes the boundaries of innovation to unlock new opportunities and accelerate travel commerce.
Our team of travel industry experts is passionate about uniting people and technology and committed to enhancing every aspect of travel, making it more accessible, efficient, and enjoyable for all. Our approach is centered on making travel better – not just for today, but for years to come.
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA, DerbySoft’s cutting-edge technology is trusted by the world’s leading online travel distribution partners and hotel companies in 197 countries. To learn more, visit DerbySoft.com.