Our custom Pipedrive setup and data migration for a luxury travel agency
Across the industries, sales funnels differ in structure, the number of stages, or people involved in the process.
In the travel industry, the actual sale is not always the end of the sales process. Many times, travel professionals want to track post-sales activities that are an integral part of their service.
This is exactly the case of a luxury travel agency that we supported in their CRM implementation. With Pipedrive, which is a highly customizable tool, we created workflows that match their actual sales process.
Travel consultants assist their customers during the entire trip or stay. They make sure that all reservations are made, sell additional services, or apply changes to the travelers’ schedules. The travel agency we worked with needed this process to be mirrored in their CRM.
Before they implemented Pipedrive, the client used an external database with a VPN to manage their sales and after-sales funnel. It was not the most efficient way to store customer information, travel itineraries, or financial details. The system worked as follows: there was a folder with the name of the customer, and inside there were all relevant files. The data wasn’t well structured and it was hard to find anything in these folders.
One of the most important reasons why this travel agency wanted to switch to a professional CRM solution was data security. In the past, the company experienced several breaches because of the database’s weak security measures. Having a system where they can safely store all customer details and confidential information was a priority.
Together with the client we mapped out the scope of the project and divided it into 2 stages. The most important aspects of this project were:
- improving data security
- creating a custom tool to import the database to Pipedrive
- custom email integration with Pipedrive
- on-site training for their team
On the pickSaaS platform, we posted the job offer and helped the client to find the most suitable consultants for the project. We made sure to match the client with consultants from Poland to simplify the on-site training logistics. The additional advantage was that both consultants spoke the native language of the client which simplified the communication between them.
Apart from that, Sebastian, the consultant who worked on the first stage of the project, had experience in CRM implementation for the travel industry. The client received support from a person who knows best practices for this particular business context.
As pickSaaS, we connected the client with the right consultants, monitored the project’s progress, and updated the client on its status. The client received our full support at every stage of the project.
Stage 1: Pipedrive funnels, custom setup, and on-site training
Sebastian started Pipedrive implementation at the travel agency right away. The project was designed to provide full assistance in Pipedrive implementation.
The first stage consisted of:
- creating two separate funnels: sales and after-sales
- setting up custom fields, deals, contacts, and organizations
- creating user permissions and visibility groups
- email and calling system configuration
- on-site training for the client’s team
Sales and post-sales funnels
For this client, the actual sale is not the end of the sales process. As a luxury travel agency, they stay in touch with the client until they return from the trip. They sell additional services and manage the logistics for them. That’s the reason why they needed two separate Pipedrive funnels.
The first funnel included 3 stages: the initial contact, preparing the offer, and the “contract sent” stage. The second funnel was designed to match the post-sales activities. It included four stages: “advance payment”, “extra charge”, “excursion scheduled”, and “client returned”.
Both funnels were connected using Pipedrive’s workflow automation. This is a feature that allows you to automate tasks in Pipedrive without using any external tools. In this case, when the deal is closed, Pipedrive creates a duplicate version of the deal and moves it to the after-sales funnel.
The consultant created the funnel setup based on the client’s needs. Thanks to that, they can manage the entire travel cycle in one system. They also have a clear overview of all the deals and their current stages.
Further Pipedrive customization
The next step was to create custom fields, deals, contacts, and organizations. Given the specific context of the client’s business, custom fields needed to include more information than it is usually required for the sales process.
To be able to book flights or specific activities, the team needs specific details. Together with the consultant, they figured out all the custom fields that should be added to Pipedrive.
As a certified Pipedrive partner, pickSaaS has access to additional functionalities that exceed Pipedrive’s general feature set. Thanks to that, we’re able to offer our clients some solutions that are not available by default in Pipedrive. For this client, we enabled two features: comments and mentions.
The client’s team can add comments to notes. They use this feature as an internal chat in the post-sales funnel. Mentions allow them to notify other users via email if they require their comments on a certain note.
Maximizing data security
For this client, data security is the most important reason for switching to Pipedrive. They needed a safe system where they could store customer information and all details about their travels.
Pipedrive stores each company’s data in a separate database. This solution prevents the risks of unwanted leaks. They also encrypt all information and use only secure HTTPS connections.
Apart from the default Pipedrive safety measures, we used additional features to further increase the level of data security. We modified user permissions, visibility groups, and alerts. We also explained to the client how to effectively use the Security Dashboard.
User permissions in Pipedrive let the client control what a specific user can do in the system. You can create different sets of permissions for “regular users” and “managers”. This is fully customizable, so the client was able to decide about each permission separately. To increase data security, the client disabled export options for regular users and prevented them from deleting certain entries.
Another setup that improves security is defining visibility groups. The client can limit the visibility of certain items to specific people. For example, the sales representative can see only their own deals, but management can access all deals in the system. In Pipedrive, it’s possible to define the visibility of deals, people, organizations, and products separately.
In Pipedrive’s Security Dashboard, the users can manage and control access to their Pipedrive account. There are also specific security alerts that help the user to troubleshoot the current issues. In case of unwanted activity, it’s possible to log out a specific user or delete certain devices that perform suspicious behaviors. The admin has full control over the entire Pipedrive account.
For this client, we set up email alerts that inform the admin in case of suspicious activity on their account. This feature is also customizable, so every company can choose its own set of alerts. Suspicious activity can be someone logging in from an unknown device or deleting a certain number of contacts.
Email configuration
Moving email communication to Pipedrive allowed the client to gather the entire conversation history in one place. This way, it’s easy to find important details and prepare more contextual offers for customers.
Setting up the Pipedrive mailbox for this client required a custom solution. The client’s team didn’t use a popular email provider like Gmail or Outlook. They used Thunderbird connected to a local email hosting. To integrate this email provider with Pipedrive, we used IMAP/SMTP. As it was an unusual configuration, the connection wasn’t stable for the first three weeks.
The client reached out to us to get help with the email issues. They submitted a ticket on the pickSaaS platform describing the problem. Celina from the pickSaaS team assisted the client in solving this issue. She was an intermediary between the hosting company, Pipedrive, and the client. She stayed in touch with all parties involved to find the best solution for the client. Having gathered input from everyone involved, she fixed the client’s email configuration.
Pipedrive implementation comes with full support via our platform. This means that in cases like this one, our clients are not left alone with the issue. We’re always ready to help them tackle more complicated setups.
Pipedrive’s calling system
In Pipedrive, the client can not only manage their emails but also their calls. With Pipedrive’s “Caller” feature, it’s possible to dial phone numbers of potential customers. The audio recording is then added to the conversation history. This way, the entire communication with a customer is always in one place and all details are saved in the system.
On-site training
Sebastian, the pickSaaS consultant responsible for the project, visited the client in their office. He prepared a workshop for the team to show them how to use Pipedrive for their daily work. He answered their questions and gathered suggestions that helped him further improve and customize the client’s Pipedrive setup.
Stage 2: Database migration
To move all the client’s historical data to Pipedrive, we needed to structure and prepare their database. Patryk was the pickSaaS consultant responsible for this project stage.
The client used a custom-built database that consisted of folders and catalogs. It was hosted externally and accessed via a VPN. Every client had their own folder in which there were files related to their travels. The database was not well-structured and it was hard to find the right information. The client was not content with this way of managing their sales data. They were also concerned with the low level of data security and frequent incidents.
Patryk’s task was to upload all the files to clients’ profiles in Pipedrive. But first, he needed to migrate these contacts to Pipedrive. By default, you can import entries to Pipedrive only from another system or from a spreadsheet (CSV file). Patryk needed to create a custom tool for this process to work.
The client’s database was quite big. There were 55,000 files to be uploaded that equaled to over 50 GB of data.
Patryk started with structuring the database. Based on folder names, he created a spreadsheet that he imported to Pipedrive. This step allowed them to transfer all 2560 contacts to Pipedrive and create their profiles. This step was necessary to get the Pipedrive IDs assigned to each contact. With this information, Patryk was able to use Piepdrive’s API to upload the files.
He exported the list of contacts with specific Pipedrive IDs. The next step was to build a bot that uploads the files and assigns them to the right profiles.
Then, our consultant created a local database that included the exported IDs. He built a bot that matched the files with the Pipedrive IDs. The ID-matching process was based on the location of the specific file in the old database. The bot created records with descriptions including crucial information for the upload: the IDs, the file path, and the file size.
The last step was to build another bot that uses the instruction in the database to upload the files via Pipedrive’s API. After each attempt, the record was updated with the information if the upload was successful. If any error occurred, we knew which file needed to be reuploaded.
The entire upload process lasted 40 hours. There were only a few files that caused errors. Only 10 files out of 55,000 needed to be uploaded manually.
Thanks to this migration, the client is now able to access all historical data about their customers in one place. These contacts have specific labels, so it’s easy to spot which ones were migrated from the old database.
Implementing Pipedrive for the travel sector
Data security is especially important for companies that provide VIP services for their customers. With Pipedrive, our client can be sure that all the details are stored in a system with the highest security measures in place. Additionally, Pipedrive’s customization options allow you to make sure that certain users have limited access to customer information.
With Pipedrive, the client’s team doesn’t need to switch between multiple apps, spreadsheets, and systems. They can focus on their work, as everything can be easily found in one place. They don’t need to waste time on searching for historical data. Pipedrive automation also helps them speed up the process.
Having all the conversations in Pipedrive allows the team to create more contextual offers and build better relationships with their customers.
Choosing the CRM implementation with pickSaaS, you can be sure that you’ll be connected with a consultant that has all the necessary skills and experience to complete the project. Apart from that, you’re always able to get additional support using the ticketing system on the pickSaaS platform.
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