Martin Ferguson talks to Vickie Robson, senior operations coordinator at underwater remotely-operated vehicle firm Rovop
How long have you been in your current role, and what are your responsibilities?
I have been in this role for two years and am responsible for ensuring our personnel get to the worksite in the most cost-effective way. We deploy people all over the world, to vessels, rigs and wind farms. I also ensure they have all the certification and visas required for working in the various different locations. I have been in personnel logistics for nearly ten years and was approached by Rovop two years ago and asked if I would like to work for a growing and innovative company: of course, I said yes!
How many travellers and trips does your team handle in a year? And of those employees, how many are frequent travellers?
If we are fully crewed up and all systems are out working we would be handling 2,160 flights per year – 180 per month, not including travel for office personnel. 90 per cent of these travellers would be frequent travellers, crew changing every month. At the moment the industry is very quiet so we are not booking half as much travel.
How is your team structured?
As the senior operations coordinator, I report to the operations manager. I have two operations coordinators that report to me.
What are some of the key elements of your policy?
We always book economy or marine/offshore tickets. For office staff we also book economy tickets. More often than not we don’t book in advance due to the nature of the business and the timing of when we receive information of a crew change. Crew changes can be affected by weather or project delays; however, with a marine/offshore ticket we have more flexibility as the tickets are fully refundable and have a 40-kilo baggage allowance, so if we do need to change a flight at the last minute we can do so without penalties.
How do you convince travellers to comply with your policy? What are your most effective methods of communications?
We have a travel policy and we book all the travel. This is so we can keep the spending in check, and is also a security measure. If we book the travel, especially in countries that are high risk, we know where the individuals are in the case of an emergency as we are responsible for their safety and welfare until they get home. Once travel is booked we send them an email with all the details on it: flights, hotel, travel letter, project notes. We also phone them to ensure they are familiar with the job and, if required, reiterate the need to book the most cost-effective method to and from the airport.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face in your role?
Trying to keep the costs down in a struggling industry while trying to maintain the same standard of service. It’s more challenging trying to keep the flight costs down as we cannot often book in advance, which means we usually have higher fares – this can also apply to offshore/marine fares. Splitting tickets and using low-cost carriers is one way of keeping this down; however, this can sometimes be a false economy as we need to ensure our travellers have 40 kilos of hold luggage for their work gear. Once you add this to a low-cost ticket it can be the cost of a normal carrier like KLM or British Airways.
What makes the relationship with your TMC and supplier partners successful?
A mutual understanding of the industry and how it works. Sometimes we ask for a fare and it may not be the best option – splitting the tickets may be cheaper, and it still gets the traveller to work and back home in the time. Constantly talking to the TMC and ensuring we have good relationships is key.
Do you think ‘sharing economy’ suppliers will feature in your future accommodation programme?
Yes, most probably. We are always looking at ways to keep costs down.
What excites you most about the future?
Getting more work, a return to high volumes of travellers and lots of work for us trying to source good fares and accommodation. Working with our Houston office and the challenges this may present. Hopefully, working in countries we haven’t been before and successfully deploying our personnel to these destinations with ease and in a professional manner.
What would you be if you were not a travel coordinator?
I would be a vet. I love animals. I often think I may have been a dog in a former life. I can’t walk past one without giving it a pat. If not a vet I would love to have a trade, maybe as a joiner. The variety of work they do, and not having to work in an office environment, is very appealing.
ROVOP is a subsea remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) service provider, based in Aberdeen. ROVs are unmanned underwater vehicles widely used by the offshore oil and gas industry, as well as the renewable energy sector, for a range of tasks including inspection, repairs, drilling and cable-laying.