As a partner of DWP for the past two years, we’ve collaborated closely to identify opportunities for innovation, particularly in technology. Recognising the limitations of the existing online booking tool, we worked with our customers to design our own proprietary software, ClarityGo, giving us greater control over the user experience.
Objectives
By 2024, ClarityGo was ready to roll out to other customers, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity for DWP to benefit from this new technology. The goal was to improve user satisfaction and streamline their processes. The migration was scheduled for later in the year, allowing time for planned tool enhancements to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Solution
This project was a real team effort between us and DWP. Together, we created a clear implementation plan and set up a bi-weekly log to track progress, gather feedback, and ensure continuous improvements. A trial group was started at DWP in mid-May, letting users test out ClarityGo and share their experiences. Their feedback helped shape our continuous improvement plan, and we kept DWP in the loop with every new release. Some of their specific requests were even prioritised and fast-tracked to meet their needs:
- Site locations
- Booker and lead traveller email functionality
- Mandatory fields for traveller DOB and nationality on flights
- Hotel security deposit markers
- Rail split ticketing
- Profile switch to the SFTE pipeline
To cover all bases, we also created a detailed contingency plan to ensure a smooth transition. This plan was signed off by senior stakeholders and included dual profile uploads to both systems during the first week of go-live for added peace of mind.
Key Benefits
The move to ClarityGo resulted in some big improvements for DWP travellers and bookers:
- Access to twice the number of hotels and more rate options per hotel.
- Full WCAG 2.2 compliance for better accessibility.
- Smarter policies based on specific origin and destination points.
- Flexible approval chain adjustments for travel managers.
- Inclusion of nonbinary gender titles.
- Easy access to fare rules and duplicate booking alerts.
- Improved error logging and the ability to retrieve and add to existing bookings.
Results
In early December, our team - Chris Piggin, Sophie Winterton, and Laura Chester - joined DWP at their Manchester office to support them on day one. The launch went incredibly well, with only minor issues that were quickly resolved. Since then, DWP has been booking at their usual rate of around 22,000 bookings per month. Feedback has been great, with user satisfaction up by 5% and online adoption increasing by 1%, hitting an impressive 98% overall.
After go-live, the team kept in close contact through an eight-week hypercare programme to address any feedback and ensure everything runs smoothly. These calls have been really positive, and focus shifted to ongoing improvements to make the tool even better for users.
A survey is also in the works to capture the full impact of the migration. DWP’s team has shared how impressed they were with the process, collaboration, and results. This project is a true testament to the teamwork between DWP and Clarity, and the end results have made all the hard work truly worthwhile.
"The collaboration with DWP was truly exceptional. They supported us every step of the way, and together, we embraced a truly collaborative approach. It was a perfect example of teamwork between the customer and ourselves, and the outstanding results are a testament to the hard work and dedication put in by everyone involved."
Chris Piggin, Account Manager Clarity
