Shepherd Systems Launches Market Intelligence Online Suite

Internet-Based Suite of Systems Identifies and Targets Market Share and Revenue Opportunities

Shepherd Systems, a subsidiary of Galileo International, Inc. (NYSE: GLC) and a leading provider of marketing intelligence software and services for the travel industry, announced the release of its new suite of systems at its Global Customer Forum, in Long Boat Key, Florida. The new Market Intelligence Online (MIO) suite of systems provides a powerful solution through effectively integrating an airline’s distribution, marketing, and sales efforts in pursuit of increased market share and revenue. The suite comprises executive monitoring tools, mid-management control tools, sales force automation, incentive creation tools and an audit control system.

Managing an airline’s global market position and establishing a common sales strategy is increasingly difficult due to marketing alliances, a more complex distribution system, changing intermediary relationships and more geographically distributed customers and sales activities. The MIO suite uses the methodology of identifying “top revenue markets” globally and helps create an overall strategic and tactical sales plan to maximize revenue for the entire airline. It opens up the lines of communication between the sales and marketing distribution organization and the executive team to ensure the goals and objectives are being executed and measured.

“The new suite of systems received an overwhelmingly positive response from our customers at the Global Customer Forum because it precisely targets and answers their most pressing needs,” said Mike Malik, president and CEO of Shepherd Systems. “We have developed the MIO suite of sophisticated intelligence applications to help maximize airlines’ return on investment (ROI) in their purchase of Marketing Information Data Transfer (MIDT). We have ensured it becomes part of a broader information exchange at all levels of the sales and marketing organization to set and monitor goals globally rather than regionally to drive greater financial returns.”

The new Marketing Intelligence Online suite of systems includes:

MARKETFLASH - A system designed specifically for the senior executive of an airline that draws on multiple data elements such as bookings, revenue, incentive costs and Quality Service Index (QSI) to provide a global picture of the airline’s performance. MarketFlash clearly and definitively determines an airline’s greatest sales opportunities by quickly displaying revenue lost to a competitor, lagging market share based on QSI performance, or other measures of the airline’s choosing.

MARKETMASTER - A system designed for the mid-to-senior sales management team based on origin and destination analysis. This system monitors booking performance and individual travel agency account performance to drive incremental revenue. MarketMaster highlights opportunities for increased revenue by targeting more specific and aggressive market share objectives. It also provides detailed travel analyses that can assist airlines in making business decisions regarding scheduling and network planning.

MONEYMASTER - A global monitoring system that allows an airline to analyze average yield by market using estimated and/or actual revenue. MoneyMaster enriches MIDT in a powerful way to direct the field sales organization based on the most attractive incremental revenue opportunities.

MONEYBOX - An advanced commission and incentive modeling system that maximizes the ROI on airline incentive expenditures by improving controls for the creation, monitoring and management of incentives based on system-wide benchmarks.

WATCHDOG - A new generation sales management system for the airline sales representative with monthly alerts based on competitors and QSI performance or other measures of the airline’s choosing. WatchDog will direct an airline’s sales force and marketing efforts to focus on the agencies and markets that offer the best opportunity to increase revenue.

POCKETFLASH - A real-time alert system that immediately notifies sales executives, on a WAP-enabled phone or other wireless device, when premium competitive bookings are made by targeted accounts.