The Journey Matters More Than the Destination

Arun Kumar Dudee - Director - Technology Development

 

“Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

 

‘Hello, my name is Rahul Sharma and my booking ID is ZX562847.’

‘Hi Rahul, thank you for calling MakeMyTrip. I can see that you have booked two flight tickets to Goa for 17 Nov. How can I help you?’

‘Yes, I wanted to confirm my hotel booking as well. Can you check that?’

‘Yes, sir. You have booked a Premier room at Hotel Casa … It is confirmed. Is there anything else I can help with?’

‘I’m not sure. Can I also book a bike for local travel while I am there through your platform?’

‘Sorry, sir, we can’t help you with that.’

 

For the past many years, we had been hearing the same story. MMT was the leader in flight bookings and our hotel segment was on a growth trajectory, but we still felt that we needed to address our customers’ requests that were not limited to flights and hotels. Customers wanted more from us. Customers wanted an experience. And as the largest OTA in the country, we needed to deliver.

 

When I started working on ‘Experiences’, the objective was simple— to deliver a superior travel experience that doesn’t stop at flights and hotels, but gives the customer all that they need when they reach their holiday destination. It was an ambitious project whose time had come. All the data and customer feedback was telling us that travel was no longer need-based. People were more invested in experiential travel. As thought leaders in the travel industry, we needed to innovate and the time was now.

 

As usual, our deadline was yesterday. How could we deliver the right product within the fastest timeline? How could we deliver this massive operational challenge at the backend, and create a front end that was simple and also exciting for the consumer?

 

The challenge was huge, but we operate with one simple principle—work on every project like it’s your baby. Take complete ownership and think like an entrepreneur.

 

Barely three months after we had set out, ‘Experiences’ was launched on the app. This was one of the fastest launches in MakeMyTrip’s history. 

 

But our job didn’t end there. We continued to listen to the customer and get feedback on the product. What can we do better? Is the product self-explanatory or does the customer have to jump through hoops to make a simple booking? More than the quick delivery of the product, listening to the customer and continuously improving the product has been our biggest success. Skill can be taught, but the right attitude of owning something from start to finish, and going beyond what you are expected to do is a habit that needs to be inculcated across levels each and every day.

 

The perfect product is like going on a long journey—you are constantly moving, observing and then changing your direction if needed. And a true traveller knows that the journey matters more than the destination.