How many apps and tools do you use when you're travelling for business?
It's been a decade since the Apple app store made its debut and today the average smartphone user has 35 applications installed on their device.
Whether it's booking an Uber, navigating your way in a new city or transferring money, the extent to which technology, and specifically mobile apps, have transformed our lives and the way businesses travel cannot be understated.
However, although new technologies and the rise of the sharing economy has streamlined many areas of our lives, it has also created a need for greater consolidation and a smoother integration of the key technologies that travellers use on a day-to-day basis.
For example, when you think about how many apps travellers use, also consider how many different accounts, pins, passwords and notifications that they subsequently manage.
Ironically, new and streamlined systems that were designed to make lives easier have in some cases had the reverse effect, complicating the way in which we and travellers interact with technology at a day-to-day level.
But it's not just the personal use of technology that has become more complicated. This trend also extends to our professional lives and this is a growing pain point for business travellers.
Despite the associated costs, travel remains essential for many businesses because executives from organisations of all sizes and sectors, recognise the inherent value of getting out of the office and building relationships with people face-to-face. While business travel continues to thrive, major social, technological and economic drivers have transformed how employees travel and travel management technology and policies need to shift to reflect this.
Unifying business travel management tools: one size doesn't fit all
Each workplace is unique When deploying new technology into corporations teams must work collaboratively with partners to understand which applications and technology are already in use, so tools can be integrated accordingly.
For example, if a company uses a messaging platform then it would be logical to start from this point and to have the travel and expense technology integrate to make the booking experience as frictionless as possible. This can also be adapted for other platforms, such as Slack or Salesforce, streamlining processes for travel arrangers, travel managers, procurement and HR. Another example is voice integration, like Siri, so travellers can get the info they need as quickly as possible.
These teams can all benefit from getting some time back in their already busy days. Increased visibility into travel spend, smarter approval processes, the ability to make better sourcing decisions, and reduced processing time of expenses are key ways to do this.
Ultimately, embedding the T&E solution directly in the business environment of the traveller not only improves the experience for the user, it also helps businesses provide more personalised and accurate results for the traveller, improve efficiencies and increase employee compliance to its policy.
The future of business travel
With around 60% of business executives considering implementing developments to their T&E systems in the next 1-3 years, we will see more enhancements in business travel, with functionality in booking, expenses, analytics and reporting flagged as the key focus areas.
While this is positive businesses, and the industry as a whole, need to continue to work towards solutions that are designed to meet both the corporation's and the travellers' needs. From advanced search algorithms and trip intention detection, to cost management tools and applications to automate travel compliance, the future of corporate travel is bright. Technology will be the major driver for these changes, however businesses that take a consultative approach to developing and deploying these new systems will see the greatest success.
So, when it comes to choosing a travel and expense technology, ask internally to the IT departments which messaging or enterprise platform changes are coming in your company. Liaise with HR to understand how they want to keep the traveller engaged while on business travel and ask the traveller which piece of technology (or app) is key for them while on a business trip. If you are lucky, all roads may lead to Rome!