Although business travellers go where they are told, they increasingly want to go their own way and expect the same level of service as when they go on vacation, according to their preferences and lifestyle. With millennial and Gen Z travellers setting their own rules and demanding a more satisfying end-to-end travel experience, more companies are starting to prioritise travel satisfaction over cost savings. Or rather, travel managers are exploring how to drive savings through increased travel satisfaction. It's a major shift for business travel, so how can it succeed?
1. Focus on automating where you can
Business travellers are more likely to experience frequent changes to their itineraries than leisure travellers. A typical trip may need to be changed a number of times in terms of dates, times and destinations, and the manual process of doing this is long-winded. It may take as much as 45 minutes to make and confirm the changes, and then communicate the changes to the traveller as well as the airline and the hotel. Many TMCs still have not taken advantage of the automation opportunities that exist here to reduce the effort to a couple of minutes.
One of the challenges is that today's automation solutions are often fragmented with multiple offerings that address only parts of the workflow. TMCs often have to work with multiple solution providers to address their needs, and the lack of a holistic approach can result in a patchwork band-aid. There is an opportunity to make the process of automation less complex for agencies to implement and manage by embracing new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and chatbots. And as these technologies continue to mature, automated processes to support traveller self-service through the entire journey will help reduce overheads and improve experiences for travellers by servicing them better and anticipating their needs.
2. Remember, not everyone is the same
Travellers want personalised experiences because they want to feel like their interests and
preferences are considered seriously, and receive a service that is unique to their needs. A business trip is not a holiday, but business travellers' expectations are no different.
Beware though, as one-size does not fit all. Engaging and rewarding travel experiences are based on individual needs. To achieve this, a successfully managed programme needs a deep understanding of individual traveller behaviour, and for that, data is essential. Travel produces enormous amounts of data and it's never been cheaper to store raw data and extract meaning from it to understand the habits, preferences and needs of every traveller. But data is incomplete if travellers book through many different channels or out of programme.
3. Think about the end-to-end experience
Travel satisfaction is not singularly about flying business class, staying in a fancy hotel or getting from point A to point B quickly and comfortably. It corresponds with every aspect of business travel; from booking and the reimbursement of expenses to the possibility of working on the go and balancing work and personal life. Our research shows 54% of UK business travellers like to maximise their travel opportunities by adding a few leisure days on to a trip. Almost half of them (47%) also say that they like the fact that their business trips give them time on their own, away from the family and the responsibilities of home life, so it's not all hard work.
Booking is often a core pain point for travellers but an overall seamless experience drives satisfaction for business travellers. To succeed, companies committed to increasing employee and traveller satisfaction need to focus not only on booking but every aspect of the journey and acknowledge the diverse generational needs of travellers. Only from this perspective can companies start to implement changes to their travel programmes that have an impact on employee satisfaction.
4. Focus on technology as 'offices' become more varied
The mobile-ready generation expects personalised, user-friendly experiences and, in the office, they're fast outnumbering the more experienced employees. Work-life balance, and therefore combining business and leisure, are often top new travellers' list of priorities, so they do not hesitate in buying the latest gadgets to help provide the freedom to work from anywhere, reshaping the definition of 'office'.
To meet these demands, companies must adapt and provide the right tools to connect with the modern business traveller. The latest generation of travellers spends a considerable amount of their time staring at a smartphone, and thus, at any point of the journey travel managers can support and directly engage them.
Mobile has not only reshaped how we work remotely, it is also playing a growing role in travel booking and transactions. Our research also highlighted how one in three travellers now books on a mobile device. We believe 70% of all OTA bookings will be via mobile by 2020, with global smartphone ownership forecast to rise by 50% from 3.8 billion in 2016 to 5.7 billion in 2020. Outside of mobile bookings, everything from secure payments and itinerary management tools, to hotel room keys and concierge services can now live in our mobile devices.
Although mobile has already become the new norm, emerging technologies are starting to influence travel even further. Tools such as voice search, wearables and bots have already begun to take off. Others, such as blockchain, augmented reality and artificial intelligence, are still in early stages, but have a tremendous potential to transform business travel. Travel managers may not be always available so chatbots powered by data and artificial intelligence can assist travellers, anticipating and learning how to reply to repeating and similar queries. For example, a chatbot may come in handy for travellers looking to find out how to amend a hotel stay.
ROI as improved compliance
Rather than implementing carrot and stick methods, enhancing traveller satisfaction is a much more effective approach to corporate travel policy compliance as it can change behaviour. There will be an ultimately more satisfying experience if travel managers look into and analyse travellers' profiles and booking data, or make use of AI driven by data and analytics, to build a bespoke travel experience that's more in-line with leisure trips.
Measuring the return on investment (ROI) of business travel continues to be a challenge for travel managers. Many trips are about building relationships with clients and closing deals. So, simply put, how do you measure the value of a handshake? While there might not be a single metric that demonstrates the link between travel satisfaction and return on investment, there are long term gains for any business. This new approach does not need to come at a cost, but any costs that are incurred should be offset by an improved compliance rate.
As travellers start to feel like their business trips have their exact requirements and preferences in mind, complying with policy becomes a no-brainer. A personalised travel experience, combined with duty of care and 24/7 support, guarantees not only personal and professional needs are met but the commercial needs of the company too.