Australian Company Signs International Airline

Thursday, 30th August, 2001. Melbourne…Leading online research house Global Reviews has expanded beyond Australian shores with the signing today of its first overseas client. Freedom Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air New Zealand based in Auckland, has contracted to an annual subscription of Global Reviews’ airline services and represents a milestone in the Aussie company’s drive to secure off-shore clients.

The focus of Global Reviews’ analysis is the evaluation of the online customer experience, and how this affects both operational performance as well as brand perception. Whilst other services tend to focus primarily on site usability, Global Reviews uses over 400 quantifiable, objective criteria to assess the overall online customer experience. “The website is only part of the interaction”, comments Dr. Adir Shiffman, Founding Director of Global Reviews. “Our methodology objectively assesses all elements of the online interface, from the booking engine to the quality of telephone customer service”. In this way, Global Reviews can holistically report on the e-customer experience.

The signing also marks the commencement of a relationship between Global Reviews and DDB Auckland. Freedom Air is a no frills airline who have carried over a million passengers across the Tasman, and recently set up a domestic operation in New Zealand. DDB, and its interactive subsidiary WRC, are handling all aspects of Freedom Air’s online operation. Having launched online in July 1999, bookings via Freedom’s website have grown dramatically and now represent approximately 50% of all bookings. DDB has been involved throughout the process.

On the reason for choosing Global Reviews, Penny Sarfati, Freedom’s Account Manager at DDB Auckland, explains: "We were looking for a company which provided competitive analysis of the market and examples of best practice, so we can keep Freedom at the cutting edge of e-commerce." Global Reviews and DDB Auckland are currently exploring further opportunities to work together in providing best practice research and analysis.

Since first offering its products in March this year, Global Reviews has seen steady growth in both client numbers and revenues. The company is now well established in the online retailing sector, with numerous blue chip Australian clients, and also provides online research, analysis and advice to the banking, hotel, mobile telephony, and automotive industries.

“Our aim now is to utilise our primary methodology to tap new markets, both from an industry as well as geographical perspective”, enthuses Founding Director Adam Goodvach. With one airline already signed and numerous others in advanced negotiations, the travel industry is proving extremely receptive. According to Goodvach: “In each new sector we approach there is strong demand for the Global Reviews service. It is very much perceived as unique.”

A ranking of Asia-Pacific airlines’ “online interfaces” can be found at www.globalreviews.com.au

About Global Reviews

Global Reviews is the benchmark for e-commerce. Developed in Australia, Global Reviews represents the synergy of Market Research and Operational Usability Testing providing quantitative information on the quality of an online customer experience. Global Reviews has been featured in all major newspapers, on radio and television.
By using its own proprietary algorithms, Global Reviews holistically assesses the operational performance of online commerce operations. Results are weighted according to several thousand actual consumer responses, adding a further level of objectivity. In Australasia, Global Reviews counts some of the country’s largest companies as clients, including Woolworths, Ticketek and Cellarmasters.
Global Reviews has partnered locally with Ernst and Young, and Gadens Lawyers.

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