Category: Noticias

Un domingo de febrero de cada año, dos equipos luchan por el premio máximo en deportes profesionales: el Trofeo Lombardi. El 2 de febrero de 2020, más de 60,000 fanáticos gritando fueron testigos de cómo los Jefes de Kansas City derrotaron a los 49ers de San Francisco para llevarse a casa su segundo título de Super Bowl. Si bien las apuestas para los equipos en el campo eran altas, eran igualmente altas para el equipo fuera del campo encargado de proporcionar a los fanáticos, y a 100 millones de espectadores en casa, una experiencia segura y memorable del Super Bowl.

Cada parte del domingo del Super Bowl está meticulosamente planificada y dotada de personal. Mientras que los equipos en el campo incluyen 53 jugadores y unas pocas docenas de entrenadores, entrenadores y personal de recepción, el equipo fuera del campo incluye miles de asistentes de estacionamiento, guardias de seguridad, concesionarios, acomodadores, taquilleros y otro personal del estadio. Aunque en gran medida pasa desapercibido e invisible, este equipo trabaja incansablemente para garantizar una operación fluida, segura y sin problemas antes, durante y después del juego.

Fuera del estadio, cientos de miembros del equipo brindan a los visitantes una entrada y salida sin inconvenientes. Estos héroes no reconocidos ayudan a las personas mayores y con movilidad reducida al proporcionar asistencia en silla de ruedas y paseos en carritos de golf. Para el Super Bowl LIV, este grupo fue liderado por SP + Gameday, una compañía de gestión de eventos de élite que apoya algunos de los eventos deportivos de más alto perfil del país, como el Super Bowl y el Derby de Kentucky. Llamado a reunir un ejército de miembros del equipo para apoyar un evento de un día, el equipo de Gameday se destaca por ofrecer una experiencia de clase mundial para una clientela exigente del día del juego.

Para apoyar el Super Bowl LIV, Gameday buscó un socio de software para ayudar a impulsar su operación. Dado que el tiempo es esencial en un Super Bowl, es fundamental que los miembros del equipo que empujan las sillas de ruedas y los carros de conducción ayuden oportunamente a los fanáticos desde y hacia sus vehículos y los transporten a salones, concesiones, asientos y suites. Hacer un seguimiento de las necesidades de los huéspedes, la actividad de los miembros del equipo y la finalización del trabajo es una operación compleja. Es por eso que, en preparación para el domingo del Super Bowl, Gameday se acercó a Springshot buscando una solución para respaldar estos servicios.

A mediados de 2019, después de asistir a una demostración que destaca las capacidades de Springshot, Gameday eligió a Springshot como su socio tecnológico. Al mostrar su capacidad para configurar fácilmente la plataforma Springshot para satisfacer las necesidades personalizadas de cualquier evento, el equipo de Springshot modificó la interfaz web y la aplicación móvil para satisfacer las necesidades especiales de un partido de fútbol en el Hard Rock Stadium. Hasta el más mínimo detalle, incluida una configuración de diseño con temática de fútbol para los asistentes de Gameday, Springshot parecía y se sentía como una aplicación de Super Bowl personalizada.

Durante la semana de juego, el equipo de Gameday no estaba solo. Dos miembros del equipo de Éxito del cliente de Springshot trabajaron en el sitio para apoyar la operación. Mientras estaban en el sur de Florida, revisaron los flujos de trabajo y la configuración de la interfaz sobre la marcha, capacitaron a los gerentes y al personal de Gameday y trabajaron en estrecha colaboración con el equipo de Gameday para prepararse para el evento. En el último minuto, incluso ayudaron a configurar Springshot para apoyar una fiesta VIP en un hotel de South Beach algunas noches antes del partido.

Con el apoyo de Springshot, el equipo de SP + Gameday se ejecutó sin problemas el domingo del Super Bowl. Esa mañana, los asistentes llegaron a un breve curso de actualización sobre cómo aceptar y realizar misiones en la aplicación Springshot, que habían descargado a través de las tiendas de aplicaciones para sus dispositivos Android e iOS. Cuando los invitados comenzaron a llegar para el juego, los despachadores de Gameday asignaron fácilmente misiones, rastrearon a los asistentes y conductores de carros en el mapa interactivo de Springhsot, y se aseguraron de que las personas adecuadas recibieran asistencia en el momento adecuado. Al hacer que las operaciones complejas sean fácilmente digeribles en una única interfaz de usuario, Springshot dio visibilidad a los despachadores en cada minuto de actividad.

El análisis de datos de Springshot también fue importante. Dado que Springshot configuró los flujos de trabajo móviles del Super Bowl para capturar dónde se sentaban los invitados durante el juego, Springshot pudo entregar informes después del medio tiempo que permitieron a los despachadores posicionar estratégicamente a los asistentes para una salida rápida después del juego. Después del juego, Springshot también entregó informes que identificaron cuántas millas recorrió cada asistente durante el juego y dónde se colocaron durante el cuarto trimestre. Springshot y Gameday continúan extrayendo los datos del Super Bowl LIV para ajustar y optimizar el rendimiento para futuros eventos.

Springshot espera una gran relación con su nuevo socio. Si bien los Chiefs pueden haber salido victoriosos en el campo en el Super Bowl LIV, SP + Gameday claramente emergió como el campeón fuera del campo.

Swissport is the world’s largest aviation service provider. Over the last 25 years, the Zurich-based company has supported the world’s leading airlines at over 300 airports worldwide. Swissport has always been at the forefront of innovation. By providing specialized ramp, passenger and cargo support to its aviation partners, it works continuously to enhance and optimize airport operations.

Swissport is focused on optimizing the aircraft turn process. In an effort to minimize the time an aircraft remains parked at the gate, the company’s Innovations Team recently embarked on an initiative to standardize turn workflows across Swissport’s global network. As part of this program, Swissport entered into a partnership with Springshot. The companies are now working together in Larnaca to turn this vision into reality.

Larnaca International Airport (LCA) is the largest commercial airport in Cyprus. Built in 1974, LCA now serves over five million passengers per year. After a major renovation, operations were upgraded to meet increasing demand, with an expected nine million annual passengers over the next few years. Swissport selected LCA for the initial Springshot deployment given its innovative local management team and highly-capable frontline crew.

Swissport chose the LCA ramp team for the first deployment. Ramp agents are critical to the aircraft turn process. From supporting baggage movement, servicing lavatories and many other “below wing” tasks, ramp agents must work in concert to service the aircraft. A well-choregraphed ramp team ensures flights leave safe and on time.

Swissport is focused on helping its ramp agents better coordinate and collaborate with the allocators who oversee the ramp operation. Prior to Springshot, allocators built the ramp schedules manually using paper and spreadsheets, requiring up to four hours each day to build the next day’s schedules. To make matters worse, given the impact of weather and other irregularities on an airport operation, these schedules were often outdated when the allocators arrived at the airport the next morning. This forced them to tweak the spreadsheets schedules on the fly, requiring additional effort and minimizing their effectiveness.

Springshot replaced these manual processes. After integrating with Swissport’s internal systems, Springshot helped automate the entire scheduling process. Today, allocators can create schedules in advance, send daily tasks to ramp agents’ mobile devices, and see when they are starting and ending their shifts. Using their mobile devices, ramp employees communicate easily through the Springshot app while checking off tasks throughout the day. In the event of flight delays or other operational issues, tasks and schedules adjust automatically in Springshot, alleviating hours of manual work.

Thanks to Springshot, Swissport allocators and ramp agents have visibility into—and control over—their entire shift. They have more time to plan, yielding quicker reactions and smoother operations. Given Springshot reduces unnecessary telephone calls and texts, ramp agents are also able to communicate more effectively. Most important, they are happier and more productive.

And off we go. Over the coming months, Swissport and Springshot plan to repeat this success across Swissport’s operations in South Korea and Japan. Stay tuned.

For a number of us, smartphones are just a way of life. They’re how we check email, navigate directions or look up answers to life’s ever-important questions. However, some people prefer to only use their phones as one thing: a phone!

That’s the case for many of the workers who are servicing the aircraft and transferring the luggage that passengers need to reach their final destinations. At Springshot, we’ve made it our mission to make their lives easier by using technology to empower and enable them as they go throughout their workdays, which is why we embarked on a journey to streamline the Springshot user experience.

As a result of these efforts, we are so pleased to announce that the new user interface received an Honorable Mention at the UX Awards. The UX Awards recognize the leaders in the digital world who are designing products and experiences that solve real-life challenges, and winners are named by a panel of judges. Brian Braunlich, our Product Manager, was on hand at the UX Awards Summit on November 9th in Palo Alto to give a presentation about Springshot, and Tan Ma, our amazing designer, was there to formally accept the award.

When we started the redesign of the user interface, we went straight to the source: the teams who are using our app every single day. Some employees are smartphone savvy while others are less familiar with this type of technology, and we needed to create an intuitive experience that would accommodate all levels of experience. Our team followed these users through a typical day and asked questions to better understand what they need, want and what motivates them to do a great job. We saw how they used the Springshot app and gathered feedback about the things they loved and the things they wished would change.

After our days in the field, we took that information back to our headquarters and, led by Tan, we began the process of setting goals so we could deliver on expectations. Built on the premise of being useful, usable and beautiful, the new Springshot interface allows our users to flow seamlessly through their workdays, cutting down the time and steps it takes to complete a task by as much as 50 percent.

With the new user interface, we are empowering travel industry workers like never before, and we are thrilled that the UX Awards recognized for our efforts to make Springshot better than ever.

During the course of my life, there have been a handful of events and opportunities that have unexpectedly become profound teachable moments. One such time was my visit to the US Aviation team at OGG in Maui, Hawaii.

How many times have I boarded a plane, squeezed my luggage into the overhead lockers, and settled into my seats, without a second thought about the team of dedicated workers who prepped that very same plane just minutes prior to boarding? These are the workers who cleaned every seat, ensured that every seat belt was in working order, wiped every tray table, arranged all the front-pocket items, and cleaned and sanitized the bathrooms from the previous flight. For me, the answer was many.

My team and I visited the US Aviation outfit at the OGG airport in Maui for the purpose of telling the stories of these tireless workers and shedding light on what happens behind the scenes at an airport. Prior to our arrival, I had no idea just how impactful these stories would be.

As soon as we landed in beautiful, sunny Maui and breathed in the salty, warm air, we could feel that it was a special place. We were greeted by Corey Brown, the Station Manager for US Aviation, and Tyrone Duncan, a Cabin Cleaner. Tyrone had recently just completed his 1,000th mission emptying the aircraft lavs, and we were there to tell his story and meet his family. His openness and outgoing personality made our job easy. We followed him to the ramp and watched him as he completed his work. Emptying waste is no glamorous job, but he laughed and joked with his colleague, Lilly. Their spiritual, positive attitude helps them start every day fresh, free of yesterday and ready to do what is needed for their team.

After each mission, the teams go back to the hanger to wait for the next plane to arrive. This is repeated 10-15 times a day, sometimes more, every single day. From what I saw, it is all done with efficiency, dedication, smiles, laughter and a Shaka, the traditional Hawaii wave. They have an incredible work ethic, are thankful to have a job, and will do their best to get their tasks done on time so that passengers can board and the plane take off without any delays. As we watched the hub of constant activity – the carts and machines coming and going, bags being loaded, food being delivered, maintenance crews moving from plane to plane, flights being refueled, and cleaners attacking their jobs – we were amazed to see each worker moving with positivity and focus.

A team that works this closely together must have a great manager, and the secret, magic sauce at US Aviation comes in the form of the fabulous Corey Brown. I find it hard to put into words how incredible this man is. As soon as a plane lands, Corey coordinates the whole ramp and cabin workforce, which is no small feat. It is a logistical dance that he maneuvers with gentle efficiency and commanding presence. His phone never stops beeping and ringing with texts and messages with various issues, delays, someone calling in sick, or a truck stalling. The list never ends.

Even during our interview, he put out several fires, but would hang up the phone and laugh, which immediately dispelled any potential stress in the room. Corey’s laugh is the most contagious I have ever heard, and it made us all laugh until we had tears in our eyes. This man is a true gem of a person and his team clearly knows it and appreciates it. They all want to work hard to make him proud and to earn his trust and praise. When asked how he commands respect from the people who work for him, his response was, “If you give respect, you get it.” To Corey, It is as simple as that.

After his shift, we met up with Corey to get to know him more on a personal level. He took us to his local hangout where we ate delicious food, told stories, and laughed some more. I looked around and saw that everyone was smiling and everyone was welcoming us as though we were guests in their homes. It is clear that this is the Maui Way, and this Aloha Spirit is something that makes them all very proud. Whether at work or at home, they work as a team, and the positive Aloha Spirit guides their every move. Corey ended our evening by comparing people to the ocean: “We are all like the ocean, just coming and going, flowing and working all together.” Lessons for us all. In a time of general uncertainty and negatively in the world, this whole visit proved to be a huge breath of warm, fresh air.

I cannot wait to see what our incredibly talented videographer, Henry Dombey, and photographer, Paul Kirchner, put together. They not only captured the true essence of these amazing people, but woke up at 5AM every morning to photograph the sunrise, and rushed back in the evening to catch the sun setting over that same beautiful ocean.

To the whole team at US Aviation: Thank you so much for taking the time in your immensely busy and stressful schedules to show us around and teach us about all the things you do every single day to ensure that any given plane takes off on time. To Tyrone Duncan and Corey Brown: Thank you for being so gracious and accommodating in allowing us to tell and share your stories. To me, you are the definition of Heroes. To Henry and Paul: Thank you for your ability to tell a story in such a natural, fluid, and meaningful way. To Hannah, aka ‘Hashtag Hannah’: Thank you for your support and never-ending positive attitude. And finally to our CEO, Doug: Thank you for trusting us with this important Springshot Mission. I feel truly lucky to have experienced the Aloha Spirit in person and I intend to keep it alive! Mahalo, Josephine.

When Numbers Align: Tyrone Duncan is living life bu the numbers, and those numbers are creating a full and vibrant story.

3, 13, 17, 5, 19, 1500, 3, 26, 715, 1000, 8, 1. To a bystander, this may seem like an unsolvable cipher or a math teacher’s idea of a cruel joke, but to Tyrone Duncan, each number is the symbol of a milestone along life’s journey. These are numbers life has handed him; numbers he’s folded into his pocket ever-so-carefully and carried with him to the next stop along the way. They represent birthdays, anniversaries, events – but they are only meaningful in context. When looked at in the context of the larger story, these numbers show a life ordered more perfectly than the one he would have chosen for himself. Now, with each number firmly in hand, this Maui-based airport Team Leader is living the Hawaiian dream with his family by his side.

Tyrone Duncan was born in Kansas, and he moved to Atlanta when he was a young boy. It was in Atlanta that, on September 3, his father died the day before he started high school. He was just 13 years old when he became the son of a widow now raising three children alone. Atlanta is also where the kid who loved to draw attended the Art Institute, where he began a 17-year career working at Kroger, and where his extended family still resides. Atlanta is home; and that home served him well when he found himself a single dad to a five-month old daughter and 19-month old son. His mother stepped in to help raise his two children, both too small to know that Grandma had now become Mom. To support his family, Tyrone took on a second job as a chef during the 1996 Olympics, unknowingly demonstrating a work ethic that would inspire his two small children.

Sometimes, seemingly innocuous events can pivot one’s life in a direction that is far beyond the bandwidth of the imagination. A few years ago, if someone had asked Tyrone where he would retire, he likely would have said Atlanta – but life had other plans. Every day, online gamers formulate a set of letters into words – much like Scrabble – and they lay those game tiles down on a virtual board against an unknown opponent. One day, that person was Tyrone, and his first play was a 1500-point word against a woman named Jennifer Gardanier, a Health Information Manager in Makawao, Hawaii. As soon as she took her turn, he messaged her, “Most people would have quit after a first word like that.” Her response: “I’m no quitter.”

Intrigued, Tyrone started a conversation, and that conversation turned to many more. Soon after, Tyrone found himself meeting Jennifer in person and, ultimately, proposing to her the moment he arrived at the airport in Hawaii, his one-way ticket in hand. They now share a son, Tré, who is the third child for each. Always the workhorse, Tyrone splits his time between two jobs, one at the Maui Airport, where he does fleet work to maintain the aircraft, and the second as a cook at Outback Steakhouse. He’s surrounded by more love, friends and family than he ever could have imagined, including his daughter, who moved to be with him in Hawaii on his birthday, January 26.

He has settled seamlessly into life and work in Hawaii, and life certainly isn’t done handing him numbers. Maintaining an aircraft includes things like ensuring that seatbelts are in working order, wiping down tray tables, and cleaning the lavatories and dumping the waste. It’s the last duty that workers shy away from, but that’s the very duty that Tyrone decided to master. He did this for every plane that he worked on and, one day, he noticed that his aircraft count was fast approaching Hank Aaron’s home run record of 715. Not to be outdone, he decided to aim for 1000 and, on the day that 1000th plane rolled in, his coworkers lined up to cheer him on as he marched himself into his own personal record book.

Recently, Tyrone started to draw again, and he drew a picture Tré when he was eight months old. Responsibilities don’t often leave time for hobbies, and he’s instilled that sense of responsibility into all of his children. His older son is now living in Pittsburgh and is a recent college graduate. He’s the first of the family to earn a degree, and the pride in Tyrone’s voice is evident when he shares the news. Investing in his kids was the right choice. He hopes that perhaps, some day, his son can join him on the beautiful island he now calls home. “People have to tell me to put my phone down because I’m always taking pictures,” he laughs. “But there’s natural beauty all over!”

It’s clear that the artist in him still lives, and perhaps he will draw more often in the future. But, for now, he’s happy to capture each moment in photos, and he’s excited to see what the next number in his life will be.

At Springshot, we are thrilled to partner with organizations who view their people as their most important asset. To those who have had the pleasure of flying on one their jets, it’s no secret that JetBlue is built on this very premise. Each day, this airline delivers the best possible customer experience by placing its crew members front and center and acknowledging the amazing service they offer their guests. As a testament to this, JetBlue crew members recently gathered at a lunch and learn hosted by JetBlue ventures to hear presentations about up-and- coming technology for the travel workforce. Employees could then choose their favorite platform, and Springshot was voted the winner.

To help keep JetBlue at the forefront of aviation excellence, the airline recently established JetBlue Ventures, an investment fund located in the heart of Silicon Valley. JetBlue Ventures seeks to partner with, invest in, and accelerate the growth of the best emerging travel technology companies. Their team is searching for innovative solutions and, so far, has been approached by over 400 companies. Of the 400, four were invited by JetBlue Ventures to present at JetBlue’s New York headquarters, one of which was Springshot.

Over 300 people expressed interest in attending the lunch and learn and, on the day of the presentations, more than 150 JetBlue employees jammed into a room designed for 100. Each company was given ten minutes to present and answer questions. JetBlue employees were curious, engaged, and excited about each company throughout the entire event. At the end, when employees voted for the platform they liked best, Springshot was named the winner. True to our vision, our presentation focused on cultivating productivity by empowering and celebrating the people on the front-line who strive to make JetBlue an amazing airline each and every day. Based on the audience participation, it was clear that JetBlue has built an authentic, employee-first culture, and that its values are culturally-aligned with ours. The combination of engaged employees and the creation of JetBlue Ventures is a testament to how hard JetBlue has worked to ensure that it continues to grow its cultural vision.

At Springshot, we are incredibly humbled that our message resonated with an organization of this magnitude. We look forward to continuing our partnership with such an incredible team.

At Springshot, we’ve always had a vision of combining the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley with the mission of focusing on what matters most: people. It’s been our primary goal to build a workforce optimization platform that genuinely engages and validates those performing some of the most arduous and backbreaking service jobs.

Over the last five years, we’ve been incredibly humbled by the thousands of travel and hospitality employees who have used Springshot to feel both seen and heard. We’re proud to share that Springshot has now been recognized by technology innovators, venture capitalists, and travel industry peers as the best company of the Plug and Play “Travel and Hospitality” accelerator program.

Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Plug and Play is a vertical-focused startup accelerator and coworking space founded by tech entrepreneur, Saeed Amidi, who has invested in companies like PayPal, Dropbox and Lending Tree. Since 2006, it has created opportunities for thousands of entrepreneurs by giving them access to mentorship, networking and funding. After identifying the technology gap in the travel and hospitality industry, Plug and Play crafted a three-month program that was designed to mentor and accelerate the best up-and- coming technology and entrepreneurs in the space. It was immediately clear that they had struck a chord when over 800 companies applied to participate.

Plug and Play was then charged with narrowing the pool of applicants down to 40. Those 40 companies, including Springshot, presented to the Plug and Play team, with 20 being selected for the program. During the three-month period, the Springshot Team met with numerous airlines, travel companies, and investors, in an effort to gain further insight into the technology needs of the industry as well as exposure for its platform. The program culminated with an Expo, where each company had the opportunity to pitch their brand in front of airlines, venture capitalists, hotel brands, and online travel sites. After the presentations, attendees voted on their company of choice. Springshot was voted the winner.

Being recognized with such a high honor is both humbling and validating. Why? Because our presentation focused on people, and that message resonated most. The Springshot vision has always been about delivering technology that allows companies to invest in employees first. When a company puts employees first, it creates an engaged and more productive workforce that delivers a winning customer experience. We’re proud to demonstrate each day that workforce technology doesn’t have to be “big brother,” and when you connect, empower, and reward front-line employees, everyone wins.