Customer story: University of Aberdeen

• University wanted to protect the welfare of staff and students travelling abroad
• Voyage Manager software formalised processes to improve security and travel logistics
• Academics feel safer and can check-in with colleagues, family and friends easily
• University of Aberdeen has mitigated risk while supporting overseas initiatives

Protecting staff and students in volatile locations

As one of the UK’s top 30 higher education institutions, the University of Aberdeen has an outstanding reputation to uphold.

While Aberdeen may be a relatively safe environment, staff and students represent the university all over the world, and their safety and welfare is paramount.

After hearing one too many stories of dangerous scenarios and near misses – including academics being shot at – the university’s International Office decided to increase security by investing in Voyage Manager’s travel tracking software in 2014, and it has never looked back.

Enhancing travel security in a quick and simple way

Previously, the University of Aberdeen had been relying on informal methods of communication to keep in touch with staff and students abroad, including text message, WhatsApp and email.

“What is fascinating to me is that our perceptions of risk are often unconsciously very biased,” admits Dominic Milne, Senior Strategic Relationship & Sponsor Manager at the University of Aberdeen. “We would think nothing would happen.”

Following a number of incidents that could have escalated into something more serious, the institution decided to upgrade security protocol using travel tracking software – and Voyage Manager was recommended to them by fellow academic organisation, Glasgow University.

With Voyage Manager’s market-leading live notification software, the University of Aberdeen could proactively check on people’s safety in a quick and simple way, including daily automated requests for status updates and consensual location tracking.

“Voyage Manager offered something totally different, yet was so in tune with our needs and concerns,” Dominic shares. “The team understands the nature of our jobs and the places we go to, which makes a massive difference.”

Mitigating risk and providing peace of mind

By taking more responsibility for tracking its representatives abroad, the university has been able to mitigate risk to the best of its ability. This provides huge peace of mind to the staff and students travelling overseas, university officials and everyone’s friends and family.

“We feel empowered having the Voyage Manager system in place because we have access to a lot of security information,” Dominic says. “The more armed we are with flashpoints, in theory, the better prepared we should always be. It’s nice reassurance to offer our team and their next of kin.”

Through Voyage Manager, the University of Aberdeen can now:

• Access a consolidated source of information on people’s whereabouts and wellbeing
• Combine multiple data sources for aggregated updates on everyone travelling
• Automate interactions, reducing reliance on coordinating staff