Within 10 days of switching, everything changed. Proposal turnaround dropped from 3-4 days to same day. Conversion rates jumped from 25% to 45%. Payment processing that used to take 7-10 days now happens within 24 hours. The result? 31% revenue growth, 15 hours reclaimed each week, and a 20% increase in average booking value.

This is how they did it.

Who are you and what does your company do?

We’re the founders of Ololo Safaris, where we create intimate, conservation-focused safari experiences across East Africa. We’re not about ticking boxes or racing through parks — we design journeys for travelers who want to slow down, connect deeply with the wilderness, and understand the delicate balance between wildlife, communities, and conservation. For us, that means fewer vehicles, longer stays, and guides who not only tell you what you’re seeing, but why it matters for the future of the continent.

What challenge led you to look for a new platform?

Our biggest frustration was the disconnect between the magic we create on the ground and the clunky process of getting clients there. I’d spend entire afternoons formatting proposals, juggling WhatsApp messages with lodge managers, and tracking payments on spreadsheets that would make an accountant weep. Meanwhile, competitors with slicker systems were winning business simply because they replied faster. I was sure there must be a better, more streamlined way of doing things.

Why did you choose Waybird over alternatives?

Waybird understood that we’re selling dreams and not just trying to get bums in beds. With some other platforms we tried it felt a little like glorified booking engines, but Waybird let us showcase each journey with space to tell stories and add our own content and images. Plus, the payment integration meant I could finally stop being a part-time debt collector. But honestly? It was seeing our first proposal in Waybird that sold me. It looked like something Apple would design for safaris.

How quickly were you up and running?

We went from skeptical to converted in 10 days. The platform is ridiculously intuitive — my assistant figured out most features before I’d finished my coffee. We sent our first Waybird proposal on day three and closed the sale on day four.

Jim Chapman & Charley Chapman, Founders of Ololo Safaris

How has Waybird changed your proposal creation process?

I used to block out entire mornings for proposal creation. Now, I can craft something beautiful during a lunch break. The real shift though is how much time I now have to be creative — instead of wrestling with formatting, I can focus on personalizing each journey and really tailoring each aspect to what my guests want. My proposals now read like love letters to Africa rather than procurement documents!

What about payments and collections?

Game-changer doesn’t even cover it. We’ve gone from sending banking details via three different emails (and praying they work) to having clients pay instantly with their preferred method. The automated payment reminders are so polite yet persistent that I’ve actually had clients apologize for being late. That never happened with my awkward follow-up emails.

How has it impacted your conversion rate?

We’ve jumped from converting maybe one in four enquiries to nearly half. Speed is part of it  (we’re often first to respond now) but it’s also the experience. Clients can virtually walk through their safari before booking and they’re emotionally invested before they’ve even paid the deposit.

Has your average booking value changed?

It’s up by about 20%. Waybird makes it so easy to showcase add-ons that clients are now choosing experiences they wouldn’t have known to ask for. From cultural visits with the people from the Hadzabe tribe to practical helicopter transfers, they see it, they want it… and then they book it.

What operational time savings have you seen?

I’ve reclaimed about 15 hours a week. I can now spend so much more time on what actually matters — building relationships with new camps, training guides, or occasionally remembering I have a family. My wife sends her thanks to Waybird!

Can you quantify the revenue impact?

We’ve grown revenue by 31% in one year, but more importantly, we’ve grown sustainably. We’re not just booking more trips; we’re booking better trips with clients who truly get what we’re about.

Let’s talk numbers—what are the key before and after metrics?

• Proposal turnaround: 3-4 days → same day
• Enquiry conversion: 25% → 45%
• Payment processing time: 7-10 days → 24 hours
• Weekly admin hours: 25 → 10
• Client revision requests: 3-4 per booking → 1-2 per booking

Which Waybird features have been most impactful?

The visual itinerary builder lets clients see their journey unfold like a story; the images are big, powerful and really give clients an idea of what they are going to experience. The multi-currency payments have eliminated those “what’s the exchange rate today?” panic moments. Mobile optimization means I can make updates from my phone in the bush. And the template library means consistency without sacrificing creativity.

Any surprises or unexpected benefits?

Clients now share their itineraries with friends like they’re showing off Instagram posts. That social proof has generated more referral business than any marketing campaign we’ve run. Also, my stress levels have plummeted. Turns out, not constantly worrying about admin makes you a better safari planner. Who knew?

What hesitations did you have initially?

I’m old school. I like printed maps and handwritten safari notes. I worried we’d lose our personal touch by going digital. Instead, digitizing the boring stuff has given us more time for the personal touches that actually matter.

What advice would you give someone just starting with Waybird?

Don’t overthink it. Start with one killer template for your most popular trip, make it absolutely sing, then build from there. And use the payment scheduling feature from day one — your cash flow will thank you.

What feedback have clients given?

“Professional but not corporate” is my favorite review. Clients feel like they’re booking with experts who know their destination like the back of their hands but who also happen to have their act together technology-wise. Several have mentioned they chose us specifically because our proposals felt premium and sophisticated.

What’s the ROI?

We covered Waybird’s cost in the first two months. Everything since has been profit and peace of mind, both of which are equally valuable in my book.

What’s next for you with Waybird?

We see a long relationship with Waybird, and are super grateful for them listening to our requests and taking quick action on any issues that arise.
Thanks so much!! 

The post How Ololo Safaris Increased Revenue 30% with Waybird appeared first on Waybird.

Waybird’s story begins in 2014, when we launched Timbuktu – a travel-tech company specialising in multi-destination trips to some of the most remote and inspiring corners of the world (Africa, Asia, Latin America, and beyond).

Over the years, we’ve navigated the challenges of building a brand, weathered the storms of Covid, and found ways to scale our business in a rapidly changing landscape.

Building a travel company is complicated

As we grew Timbuktu, we found ourselves running into the same frustrations many independent travel advisors face today. For our team of travel advisors, the tools for planning and selling travel were fragmented, only solving pieces of the puzzle. And when it came to showcasing complex, multi-destination itineraries, the content just wasn’t compelling enough.

So, we took the plunge and decided to build our own tools and technology to streamline the process of designing and selling trips. And, along the way, we realised something important: we weren’t alone.

Independent travel advisors across the world face the same challenges every day. And now, we knew we could help.

The deeper we explored the opportunity, the clearer the need for a new kind of host agency became. One built specifically for modern travel advisors who want more control, more profit, and more time creating spectacular travel itineraries without the added admin.

In 2022, we decided to make the technology, content, infrastructure, and insights we’d developed available to independent travel advisors globally. The result? A platform and partnership designed to empower advisors to scale their business faster and with less friction.

Say hello to Waybird: A platform that brings the traditional travel agency model into the digital age

The traditional model of booking hotels and tours on behalf of clients and collecting commission after travel is one that many advisors know well. It works perfectly well for simple trips, but when you’re handling complex itineraries with multiple moving parts (flights, accommodations, experiences, transfers, DMCs, etc.), it becomes cumbersome.

Not to mention:

• Commissions are paid months (sometimes years!) after booking.
• Margins are often dictated by hotel rates, limiting earning potential.
• Managing supplier payments in multiple currencies creates headaches.
• A client’s experience can feel fragmented.
• Creativity and freedom to curate a cohesive, seamless tour experience is stunted.

Having built our own successful tour operator, we were well aware of all of these sticking points. Waybird is a way for independent advisors to plug into our infrastructure – and take advantage of our years of expertise – without becoming fully-fledged tour operators themselves.

With Waybird, you can:

• Offer clients a seamless, “one-price” packaged experience.
• Tap into our network of vetted DMCs and suppliers, with preferential rates to boost your margins (or use your own, if you prefer).
• Set your own pricing and control your profit.
• Earn profit upfront, not months down the line.
• Leave the supplier payments, licenses, and insurance to us, so you can focus on your clients and business growth.
• Build and operate your own brand with our full back-office support.

Waybird is a fully integrated platform – no more juggling tools

Most travel advisor tech is disjointed. You might use one platform to build proposals, another to accept payments, a third to create invoices, and a fourth to manage bookings.

At Waybird, we’ve solved this fragmentation with a fully integrated platform that’s built specifically for multi-destination travel.

In one simple system, you can:

• Create stunning, personalised proposals in just 5 minutes.
• Accept client payments seamlessly.
• Automatically generate invoices, receipts, and essential post-booking documents.
• Manage client communication and admin with ease.

The result?

A 2x increase in booking conversion rates and up to a 70% reduction in admin time, allowing you to handle more inquiries and grow your business faster.

Waybird makes multi-destination travel simple

Designing and quoting complex, multi-destination trips is one of the most rewarding, but a time-consuming part of an advisor’s job. Between supplier negotiations, availability checks, and endless back-and-forth emails, it can feel overwhelming.

That’s why we built live availability and dynamic pricing directly into the Waybird platform. As you build a travel itinerary, you’ll get real-time estimated pricing and availability for hotels, flights, transfers, and more. This will help you deliver faster quotes and ultimately, convert more clients.

Waybird’s curated content inspires… and converts

We learned the hard way that most destination and property content out there is pretty generic. Your clients don’t want fluff, they want the why. Why should they choose this tented camp in the Serengeti over that one? When is the best time to go gorilla and chimp trekking or to visit Cape Town? What is special about this lodge in Patagonia over the hundreds of others?

With Waybird, travel advisors have access to our growing library of over 3,000 handpicked hotels, experiences, and itineraries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. If the lodge or destination isn’t available yet, you can easily add and create your own, anywhere in the world.

Our content is trusted and curated by independent researchers and travel journalists. It’s designed to help you inspire clients and close sales. And it’s fun, quirky and a little bit different.

Empowering travel advisors to sell smarter, earn faster, and create effortlessly

At Waybird, we believe independent travel advisors deserve more: more freedom, more profit, and more time to craft incredible trips for their clients.

We’re here to help you build your business, your way. Want to get started with Waybird? Apply for membership.

The post Waybird: The host agency, reinvented appeared first on Waybird.