Customer story: Crumbl's sweet success

As the fastest-growing cookie company in the United States, Crumbl has gone from opening their first store in 2017 to having more than 1,000 bakeries in 50 states. In 2023, the company also began expansion into Canada.

 “Crumbl has field trainers that travel to be on site with our franchise partners for one to two weeks,” explains Cheree Johnson, Crumbl’s travel coordinator. “There’s a lot of traveling involved.”

 During this critical time of explosive growth, Crumbl needed a travel management partner that could keep up with their rapidly changing needs. But before switching to Christopherson in 2022, Crumbl’s travel management solution was costly and inadequate, leading to widespread frustration.

 Choosing Christopherson

 When Johnson was hired by Crumbl, they were in the process of searching for a new travel management solution. Christopherson was on the short list, and Crumbl asked her if she knew anything about the TMC. As it happens, Johnson had used Christopherson at a past organization and could speak firsthand of the superior service and technology solutions that set them apart.

 “They asked me in my interview if I’ve ever worked with Christopherson, and I said, ‘Absolutely!’ My experience with them helped make the final decision,” she says.

 Bigger cost savings

 Before switching to Christopherson, Johnson learned that Crumbl was paying high transaction, contact, and annual fees.

 “I about fell off my chair,” she recalls. “That’s just not normal.”

 In addition to reducing travel management fees, Christopherson negotiated lower rates with airlines, hotels, and car rental companies.

 “With Delta, we’re now contracted for saving on every ticket,” says Johnson. “And our account manager was able to negotiate some hotel agreements that I hadn’t had been able to get access to. By moving to Christopherson, we’ve saved more than 15 percent in a six-month period.”

24/7/365 customer service

 According to Johnson, Crumbl’s previous travel management solution severely lacked customer support.

 “We had one person to contact, and it would take days to get responses from her,” she recalls. “It was frustrating.”

 Compared to Christopherson’s team of seasoned travel advisors who are available to assist clients 24/7, 365 days a year, the difference was night and day.

 “One of the most important things to me as a travel manager is customer service, and Christopherson just excels at it,” says Johnson. “With Christopherson, I always know I can message somebody and get an immediate response.”

Unmatched customization

At Crumbl, change is the norm, Johnson says. “Our CEO likes to pivot.” And with Christopherson, Crumbl has been able to customize their travel program to quickly accommodate their changing needs.

“When we first got everything set up with Christopherson, I had to go back several times to our account manager and ask, ‘Okay, can you change this?’ For example, our VP of finance requested a monthly report that breaks down travel by department. I went to our Christopherson account manager, who worked to get it exactly how we wanted it.”

 In another instance, Christopherson was able to adjust Crumbl’s travel policy, including a new pop-up in the OBT that warns travelers when they aren’t booking far enough in advance.

 “At the first of the year, our VP asked why everything was so costly. I told him that nobody was booking in advance. That was our biggest issue,” Johnson recalls. “Now, I can pull a report and see who’s not booking outside the required 14 days. Anytime I’ve come to Christopherson and needed a change, it has been done really quickly.”

Significant time savings

In addition to Christopherson’s consultative program management, Johnson saves time and money and simplifies her work by using Christopherson’s powerful technology.

 “Recently, we were trying to get insurance set up, and my boss said, ‘Hey, I need all these questions answered about rental cars.’ I was able to go into Prime Analytics and pull all the information she was asking for in minutes,” she says.

 Johnson also relies on Christopherson’s proprietary travel management platform to keep things current and make data-driven decisions.

 “I use it a lot,” she says. “I can go in and add users or delete users when people have left the company. I’ll also look for unused tickets, even though we also get a monthly report. I love the customization of the platform. And I love that I can go in and get actual real-time data.”

A sweet partnership

 Since becoming a Christopherson client in 2022, Crumbl has enjoyed consultative program management, flexible booking options, a real-time view of Crumbl’s travel program, personalized service with 24/7/365 support, greater cost savings, and comprehensive data and reporting insights. And Johnson has been able to work with greater efficiency.

 “I appreciate everything that Christopherson does for us,” she says. “They make my job easier.”

 Now that’s pretty sweet!

► You’ll also like: 5 sources of corporate travel leakage (and how to fix them)