Connect automations to the CRM
Journeys triggered by customer data, such as a website visit or a project to follow up.
Personal support for every cruise, on WhatsApp
10,000Travellers a year
89%Read rate
32%Interaction rate
“You request a quote on our website, and we automatically send you a WhatsApp message. I find it a game changer.”
Mickaël CoudertCMO, FiloventThe stakes
Holidays on the water, supported from start to finish
Filovent is the French agency specialising in cruises, tours and boat rental.
Its promise: authentic time at sea, far from the mega cruise ships.
Present in 82 countries, it offers everything from boat rental with or without a skipper to all-inclusive cabin cruises and private charters.
Founded in 1995 by Philippe Brunet, the brand owes its success to its tailored approach: every customer has a dedicated adviser, before, during and after the trip.
The goal: keep that support personal and responsive as the team grows and requests multiply.
1995Founded
82Countries
4.7/5Avis Vérifiés
“We are a travel agency with advisers. We plan the trip and support the customer during and after the cruise: there’s a real human side to it.”
Mickaël CoudertCMO, FiloventChallenge
WhatsApp, the advisers’ go-to channel
To keep that bond, the advisers naturally reach for WhatsApp, the app travellers check most on their phones.
Each of them uses it from their own phone, with a personal account. Conversations stay siloed, with no shared inbox.
So Filovent looks for what it already has for email with Zoho Desk: a single space for WhatsApp, shared by every team.
Philippe Brunet meets the WAX team at a trade show.
“We used personal WhatsApp accounts, on shared office phones. We had to centralise.”
Mickaël CoudertCMO, FiloventStrategy
A centralised WhatsApp for sales, marketing and concierge
With WAX, Filovent centralises its WhatsApp conversations, with a space per team and per market: France, Italy, Spain, Germany.
Sales advisers follow every project from a shared inbox. If one of them is away, a colleague picks up the conversation.
The marketing team relies on WAX to engage a base of more than 300,000 contacts, with RCS as a fallback when WhatsApp cannot reach a customer.
“Everyone uses WhatsApp, even older generations. For me, it’s the number one app for communicating on your phone.”
Mickaël CoudertCMO, FiloventIn practice
The welcome flow, a first conversation with an adviser
As soon as a traveller sends a request on the website, the welcome flow sends them a WhatsApp message, with Filovent’s destinations and brochures.
The customer can reply right away, and their adviser carries on the conversation to build a tailored offer.
For a cruise project often weeks in the making, this quick first contact makes all the difference.
Each team and each market has its own welcome flow: rental and cruise in France, then Italy, Spain and Germany.
In France, RCS acts as a fallback: a traveller who cannot be reached on WhatsApp gets the same message by RCS.
89%Read rate
32%Interaction rate
“In sales, if we can’t reach a customer on one channel, we try another. RCS maximises our chances of reaching them.”
Mickaël CoudertCMO, FiloventIn practice
Black Friday and brochures: inspiring travellers all year round
The marketing team also uses WAX for its big moments: Black Friday, boat shows or an offer on gulet cruises.
The channel also helps win back past customers, by sharing the digital brochure to make them want to sail again.
Every reply opens a conversation with an adviser: the campaign becomes the starting point of tailored support.
86%Black Friday read rate
12%Black Friday interaction
“WAX let us share our digital brochure quickly. Filovent is not just an agency, but also a creator of inspiration.”
Mickaël CoudertCMO, FiloventIn practice
Concierge support, reachable all the way on board
Once the contract is signed, the concierge team takes over on WhatsApp: cruise preparation, provisioning, transfers and the unexpected on site.
It also sets the mood on board: before each charter, a flow sends the skipper the friendliness charter to sign, then a reminder.
Customers keep a responsive contact, even from the deck of a sailing boat on the other side of the world.
“Can’t find the boat when you arrive? You send a message, and the concierge team replies straight away.”
Mickaël CoudertCMO, FiloventConclusion
WhatsApp, from first contact to return to port
Today, WhatsApp supports every step of the trip at Filovent:
- A welcome message that engages every new lead
- A shared inbox for sales and concierge
- Campaigns that engage the base at key moments
- RCS as a fallback to reach every customer
Next step: automations connected to the CRM, to follow up on a project left on hold or win back past customers at the right time.
“WAX is easy to use: someone new to the tool understands very quickly how it works. The automations are very well designed, and the support is good.”
Mickaël CoudertCMO, Filovent
What comes next?
The projects Filovent is preparing with WAX.
Win back past customers
Offer them their next cruise at the right time.
Open new markets
Dedicated WhatsApp numbers for Brazil and Poland.
600+ brands trust us
There is a conversational use case for every brand, in every industry and on every market.
More case studies
See all cases
Frequently asked questions
Book a demoTraditional chatbots primarily answer customer questions. WAX combines customer data, campaigns, automation, commerce and AI across the customer journey to help brands engage customers, drive purchases, build retention and provide customer support.