LA Coach Inc.
– Charter Bus Company
COMPANY
LA Coach, Inc.
ROLE
Design Lead ( End -To-End Designer)
SKILLS
UX Research, UX/UI Design
COLLABORATION
Design team, Dev team
The AI-Based Automated Quotation System was developed to solve a key challenge in the group bus rental industry:
delayed, inconsistent, and labor-intensive quotation processes.
By combining AI-driven recommendations, Slack-based team approvals, and Google Calendar integration, the system streamlines the entire journey from customer inquiry to final quote approval and booking.
This hybrid solution balances automation and human oversight, delivering fast, transparent, and reliable service to customers while improving internal efficiency.
Project Overview
INTRODUCTION
🎯
Vision and Challenges
Our goal is to deliver highly reliable service and create positive customer experiences that drive repeat business. We aim to improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction through the implementation of an AI-powered automated quotation system integrated with Slack.
🏢
Company Overview
We provide large-scale group bus rental services based in San Francisco and Los Angeles, serving group tours, conferences, and business travel. Our customer base is diverse, ranging from teenagers to seniors in their 70s, and we are currently preparing to expand into the Las Vegas market.
SOLUTION
User Journey Overview
Request a Quote
Submit your trip details through our website.
Receive an Initial Estimate
AI sends you a quote based on similar bookings.
Track Your Quote Status
See real-time progress updates.
Receive Final Quote
Manager-approved quote sent automatically.
Make Payment & Complete Booking
Easily complete payment and secure your reservation.
Get Trip Reminders & Driver Info
Receive automatic reminders and your driver’s details before your trip.
Track the Bus in Real Time
On the day of travel, follow the bus’s GPS location via live tracking.
Share Feedback After the Trip
Take a short survey to help us improve your next experience.
Manager Journey Overview
Receive Requests via Slack
New quote requests appear with trip info and AI-recommended pricing.
Review & Compare
View similar past bookings for quick benchmarking.
Take Action
✅ Approve: Sends quote to customer
✏️ Edit: Revise and resubmit
Finalize & Log
Auto-send confirmation email and log data in Google Sheets.
Track Payment
Get Slack alerts when payment is complete.
Schedule Trip (After Payment)
Auto-add trip to Google Calendar with reminders.
Manage Customer History
One-click access to full customer records.
Slack-Centered Workflow
All actions and updates are organized in a single Slack thread.
1-4
5-8
PAIN POINT
55.7%
of client emails in the past year began with: ‘We apologize for the delay in our response,’ with quote response times ranging from 2 hours to 7 days.
Hong (A Travel Agency)
The delayed responses required multiple follow-up emails. It was frustrating.
32.9%
of customers either did not respond at all or indicated they would use a different bus service. One major reason was the feeling of being ghosted without any explanation.
David (A Business Traveler)
I booked with another company because the reply took too long.
Trust is key, especially with a first-time provider.
10.9%
of customers expressed dissatisfaction because it was a holiday, making it difficult to reach staff, and there was no access to the driver’s live location on the day of travel.
Kenny (A Travel Agency)
The bus was late, and we couldn’t reach the driver. Snow had blocked the road, but with earlier notice, we could’ve waited calmly at the hotel.
User Pain Points
Internal Operational Pain Points
Repetitive tasks and a disorganized system are making customer management increasingly difficult.
Workflow inefficiencies caused by disconnected systems (JotForm, Slack, Google Calendar)
Time-consuming manual input and repeated sharing of the same information in Slack
Staff must rely on memory to retrieve past customer records using ID-based tracking
Both reserved and walk-in customers are recorded in Google Calendar, making it difficult to quickly identify reservation holders.
PROBLEM DEFINITION
🔗 Integrated Approach
How might we seamlessly connect the customer and manager experience through AI and automation?
👤 Customer Perspective
How might we build trust by providing fast, transparent quotes and clear journey management?
🏢 Manager Perspective
How might we reduce workload through efficient quote approvals and streamlined repeat customer management?
📌Current Workflow
Client inquiry received
→
Staff manually enter details into JotForm
→
Information is shared to Slack and Google Calendar
→
Manager approves via Slack
→
Staff manually send a quotation email to the client
→
Staff manually create and send an invoice to the client
→
Payment is received
→
Staff manually send the driver's information and a trip reminder the day before
Manager
Previous Work Flow
New Client Flow
New Manager Flow
👤 Client inquiry received via phone, web, or email
👤 Client submits quote request via web form
🤖 Submission is automatically sent to Slack
🏢 Staff manually enters details into JotForm and google calendar
🤖 AI generates a pre-estimate based on similar recent bookings
🤖 Pre-estimate is reviewed and shared in Slack
🏢 Staff tags @manager in Slack for approval
🤖 Receives status update via email and checks expected quote delivery date
🏢 Manager approves the quote via Slack
🏢 Manager approves via Slack
🤖 Final quote and invoice are generated
🏢 Staff manually sends the quote to the customer via email
👤 Receive Final Quote & invoice
🏢 Staff manually create and send an invoice to the client
👤 Payment
👤 Payment
🤖 Upon payment, booking info is automatically added to Google Calendar
🏢 Staff manually send the driver's information and a trip reminder the day before
🤖 Client receives driver info and trip reminder
👤 Client Flow
🏢 Staff / Manager Flow
🤖 Auto system
Replace manual processes with AI
SOLUTION OVERVIEW
SOLUTION
🔗 Integrated Web + Slack + Google Calendar Flow
Client inquiry received
→
Staff manually enter details into JotForm
→
Information is shared to Slack and Google Calendar
→
Manager approves via Slack
→
Staff manually send a quotation email to the client
→
Staff manually create and send an invoice to the client
→
Payment is received
👤 Client Quote Request (Web Form)
The client fills out a web form (date, number of passengers, pickup and drop-off locations, etc.)
Additional question: “Have you used our service before?”
AI automatically generates a suggested quote based on similar recent bookings (e.g., $1,120 based on 6 previous cases)
🤖 JotForm Submission → Slack Automation
Upon submission, a quote summary card is automatically posted to Slack
The system checks the client’s email against the Google Sheet CRM and tags repeat clients
Natalie
🚍 New Quote Request (Repeat Customer 🔁)
📅 Date: 2024-04-15 | 🧳 Previous Trip: 2023-04-12
👤 John Kim | ✉️ john@email.com
📍 Pickup: LAX → Drop-off: Las Vegas (2 Stops)
💡 Suggested Quote (AI): $1,120 (Based on 6 similar bookings)
✅
📂
✏️
🗓️
💳
Manager Action Flow
Client inquiry received
→
Staff manually enter details into JotForm
→
Information is shared to Slack and Google Calendar
→
Manager approves via Slack
→
Staff manually send a quotation email to the client
→
Staff manually create and send an invoice to the client
→
Payment is received
→
Staff manually send the driver's information and a trip reminder the day before
🤖 AI Smart Quote Suggestion Flow
The AI analyzes bookings from the past six months with similar parameters. When the user clicks on the suggested quote, a popup appears showing six relevant past cases, including details such as date, route, passenger count, and final quote
🏢 Manager’s perspective
the UX allows side-by-side comparison of these past cases. Inline editing is available for adjusting prices, and deviation alerts highlight significant differences from AI-calculated averages (e.g., “+10% above average”). A memo field is also provided for logging the reasons behind any adjustments. Once the quote is finalized, both the quote and the rationale are sent to Slack and shared with the client.
🤖 Customer History Management (Google Sheet CRM)
Client data is automatically logged and tagged as a repeat user when applicable (✅).
Clicking “📂 View Customer History” in Slack opens the dedicated CRM tab.
🤖 Individual Client History Tab (e.g., Natalie)
Displays a table of past reservations, sorted by most recent.
The summary includes email, contact information, and special notes.
Action buttons: [➕ Add New Booking] [↩ Back to Client List]
Streamlined & Organized Workflow Design
All actions are managed centrally in Slack.
Customer inquiries appear as the main message. All updates and notifications are added as threaded replies, allowing the entire process to be viewed at a glance.
👉 Minimizes redundant communication and prevents information gaps.
❗️Problem
Manual confirmation emails often led to delays and missed communications.
✅ Approve
Solution
Approval triggers an automatic confirmation email — eliminating human error and speeding up response time.
❗️Problem
No centralized system to recognize repeat customers; staff had to manually search emails and Google Calendar.
📂 View History
Solution
View History button provides instant access to past bookings in a table (Date, Location, Quote, Notes).
❗️Problem
AI couldn’t fully handle complex cases (e.g., high/low season rates, overtime). Managers had to explain changes manually.
✏️ Request Edit
Solution
Request Edit redirects to an edit page.
Submitted changes automatically trigger a re-approval request in Slack.
❗️Problem
Booking details were manually entered into Google Calendar — prone to errors and delays.
🗓 Add to Calendar
Solution
Approval or payment automatically adds the trip to Google Calendar.
Future updates sync automatically and reminder notifications are enabled.
❗️Problem
Payment status was tracked separately, requiring manual checks.
💳 Payment
Solution
Clicking Payment shows real-time status.
Updates trigger an automatic Slack notification.
✅
📂
✏️
🗓️
💳
🔑 Key feature
Client inquiry received
→
Staff manually enter details into JotForm
→
Information is shared to Slack and Google Calendar
→
Manager approves via Slack
→
Staff manually send a quotation email to the client
→
Staff manually create and send an invoice to the client
→
Payment is received
→
Staff manually send the driver's information and a trip reminder the day before
🤖 Client Real-Time Quote Status Page
Clients can track the quote lifecycle on a email:
AI Suggested → Pending Approval → Finalized
🤖 Booking Management & Reminders
An integrated calendar UI supports scheduling.
Automated reminders are sent 1 week and 1 day before the trip, including driver and vehicle information.
🤖 Real-Time Driver Location on Travel Day
Clients receive a GPS link to track the bus location.
ETA notifications are automatically sent in case of delays.
🤖 Automated Feedback Collection
After the service, a feedback form is automatically sent to the client.
Final Design
👤 Client Flow
🏢 Staff/Manager Flow
Manager
SUCCESS!
Final Outcome & Business Growth
This AI-based automated quotation system enables us to provide a faster, more reliable, and customer-friendly bus rental service.
By enhancing operational efficiency, automating key processes, and improving communication, we aim to secure long-term customer loyalty and drive sustainable business growth.
71.8%
Faster response time
Average response time reduced from 1 hour to as long as 1 week → to within 1 hour.
20.5%
Real-time visibility for both staff and customers
Faster responses and seamless communication improve customer satisfaction.
58.3%
Reduced manual errors
Automation, operational efficiency has improved, and manual workload, errors, and delays have decreased.