Autocares Bermejo is a family business with a familiar situation: a good reputation, loyal customers and operations that worked because three people knew everything by heart. At 30 monthly services, it held together. When they started winning schools, agencies and events, it no longer did.
Selling more wasn’t the problem
They had demand, but not visibility. Bookings arrived by phone, email and WhatsApp. Changes were recorded in different places. Invoicing meant reviewing conversations at month-end.
- Duplicate services twice in three months.
- Drivers assigned late.
- Invoices missing extra charges.
- Customers asking about statuses nobody could see quickly.
First step: organise bookings
We didn’t start with reports or automation. We started with the basics: one booking list with clear statuses. Requested, quoted, confirmed, assigned, completed and invoiced.
Before accelerating, you need to know where each service stands.
Second step: repeatable rates
Bermejo quoted well, but each salesperson had their own approach. We created rules for school trips, transfers, charters, weddings and agencies, so judgement would start from a common base.
Third step: fleet and drivers
Assignments moved into a shared schedule. Each service was linked to a vehicle and driver, with alerts for timing clashes or documents nearing expiry. This reduced last-minute internal calls.
What changed in numbers
- Average quote preparation time: from 14 to three minutes.
- Month-end close: from four days to one.
- Services unassigned the day before: almost zero.
- Forgotten extras: a clear reduction from month one.
What wasn’t perfect
The first week was difficult. Two people still recorded changes on paper out of habit. We solved it with a simple rule: if it isn’t in Ruttio, it doesn’t exist. Tough, but necessary.
The lesson was clear: growth doesn’t require everything to be automated on day one. It requires critical information in one place and the whole team respecting it.
