Corporations require seamless integration of travel management policies, such as trip authorisation, duty of care and negotiated rates with travel providers. These services have traditionally been provided by travel management companies that offer customer service and fulfilment for business travellers.
However, like all consumers, business travellers now have the information and the technology at their fingertips to search and book travel themselves. They expect a simplified travel planning experience and an easy booking process. They want to stay at independent boutique hotels, fly with low-cost carriers or amend their travel simply, while on the go. Concur reported in July 2014 that Airbnb transactions in their expense reports had increased by 27 times year-on-year while Uber transactions had climbed five-fold.
Mobile devices have become the traveller's primary touch point with suppliers, across travel planning stages from consideration to booking. According to PhoCusWright
- Mobile will account for 20% of European travel bookings by 2015
- Almost 50% of travel companies believe that website and mobile will have the highest growth in bookings volumes
- More than one in four mobile hotel searches are undertaken within 24 hours of booking/check-in
As more flexibility and personalisation becomes the norm, business travellers are increasingly demanding self-service capabilities and are relying on technology providers to offer travel distribution through corporate booking tools and mobile solutions where search results are curated to their individual tastes.
These tech-savvy travellers who are comfortable researching their own travel and finding information quickly online find it hard to understand why an experienced travel management company may sometimes not have all of the same information immediately to hand, or be able to offer them the same deals. This need to satisfy this new consumer demand for a simplified travel planning experience has fortunately precipitated changes in travel distribution and point-of-sale systems.
Systems are now looking to mirror consumer websites with image-led tools
Agents are now focusing on customer notifications, real-time feedback, increased content, ie hotels, car, rail and simpler one-click mobile bookings.
To give travellers the fast, comprehensive service they expect and help reduce transaction fees associated with shopping and booking across multiple sites, the best next-generation point-of-sale systems integrate the full range of travel content into a single, intuitive interface. As a result, TMCs can now make bookings for corporate travellers much faster, regardless of where the content resides.
Displaying new content
If we take the hotel booking process as an example, one trend we've seen is the growing demand for even more independent and boutique hotel inventory. According to Euromonitor International, hotel booking value is projected to grow 6% per year, from US$480 billion in 2013 to US$600 billion in 2017 in current terms, using year-on-year exchange rates. This means that travel management companies which address this increasing demand and offer business travellers more choice will reap the rewards.
The best travel platforms allow agents to see lots of different options in the traditional format. However, these can also be viewed side-by-side with a visual map showing which hotels are closest to a traveller's final destination and which are the most convenient to get to. Agents can also view pictures of hotel rooms and facilities to ensure the traveller's experience will be excellent and to ensure they meet their expectations.
And why does all of this matter?
By improving value and enhancing the customer experience, TMCs can minimise the number of bookings made outside the TMC channel. This makes it easier to meet sales targets, secure negotiated rates and fares and also simplifies the process of reporting back to key travel providers.
Corporate travel managers rely on their TMC partners to provide the best possible value for their travel programmes and to give both them and their travellers the highest quality service and support. Travel managers might already be focused on the travel content and service levels that their TMC provides, but have not yet given much consideration to the underlying technologies they use. The point-of-sale systems which are used by the TMC can significantly affect the travel programme and most critically —thebottom line. With the right technology in place, a travel management company can enhance its supporting role and improve all aspects of the customer's travel programme.
Ultimately, this means that business travellers remain satisfied with the corporate travel programme. When the TMC provides unique content, flexibility in the booking process and itineraries that are easily amendable on the move, together with trip authorisation, duty of care and negotiated rates, corporate travel programmes are then offering a service which is above and beyond anything that business travellers can easily achieve themselves.
With the advent of a global economy and supply chain, travellers are now looking for more than just the bare minimum. The business travel sector needs to evolve to address new trends and challenges in order to stay relevant.