Social networking tools can help in a crisis, but they can also create challenges for travel professionals, says Tom Hall
As mobile and tablet use becomes ubiquitous, a new spate of social networking tools are helping business travellers and their employers stay better informed, but how to use the data can be the biggest challenge.
While publicly discussing potentially sensitive details of your trip on social networks is still a corporate faux pas, social media is big in business travel, with 85 per cent of respondents in an Embassy Suites survey saying they would follow a travel brand on social media in order to learn about travel deals, travellers’ experiences and a brand’s latest news.
More than three-quarters said online travel reviews are critical when preparing for business travel. Meanwhile, a separate survey conducted by Expedia and its business travel arm, Egencia, found that younger business travellers are much more vocal on review sites, such as Tripadvisor or Yelp, positing that this is because they have grown up with the technology, as opposed to necessarily being more vocal.
Just 11 per cent of business travellers lack smartphone access, according to a Concur survey, which also found that – just like their leisure travel counterparts – 60 per cent are keen to use the likes of Twitter and Facebook when on the move. The business traveller’s app arsenal has become increasingly sophisticated and personalised. Hotels, airports and airlines are coming up with interactive options for social media integration, while third party apps, such as Microsoft’s Yammer and Concur’s itinerary planner Tripit, are allowing TMCs and employers to tailor the finer details of a trip, engaging employees and gaining data on their return.
Slow uptake
Improvements to the business travel experience are coming from all angles. Airlines and airports are embracing the mobile marketplace, with SITA research heralding an age of paperless boarding in the next five years. Meanwhile, by 2015, 90 per cent of airlines and airports will provide flight status and tracking applications for mobile devices, increasing social networking integration options. Uptake in this area is relatively slow, however, with only two in five (40 per cent) of app-using travellers leveraging airline apps, and less than a third (32 per cent) using airport information apps like Gateguru or the Heathrow app “often, regularly or occasionally”.
Microsoft’s social network Yammer is gaining popularity among business travellers. The software allows corporate travel managers and employees to create groups designed to discuss, for example, an upcoming trip. The software also interacts with apps such as Tripit, which allows colleagues to see who is on a trip, and details of the trip. Yammer is about collaboration, with colleagues able to co-edit a document in real-time to ensure travel details are swiftly and accurately conveyed.
Microsoft’s employee engagement manager, Susan Baig, says the possibilities for the business traveller are vast. “The software
allows staff to raise queries or problems, the idea being to have quick solutions provided. There’s nothing really like this out there – the only similar things I’ve seen have been companies’ own internal portals. However, this provides a ready-made solution that companies can get involved with instantly.”
Widespread adoption
The options for social media use during a trip have increased with the widespread adoption of wifi on planes, in hotels and at airports. Meanwhile, moves by the Federal Aviation Authority in the US to allow the use of electronic devices at any time in-flight is a landmark change that will give business travellers a further window for interaction. Concur found nearly 90 per cent of business travellers agree access to mobile devices improves the overall travel experience, allowing them to use their time onboard more productively.
Yammer also comes into its own during a trip, conveying information on the move and providing a platform for feedback at key times during a staff member’s trip. While manuals and itineraries are useful, for many an email can feel too formal, according to Baig.
Yammer provides a place for an employee to vent their frustration with a hotel, share travel tips, be informed of flight delays and get key information from managers about changes to itineraries.
For more urgent contact with employees, other steps can be appropriate for ensuring duty of care during a trip. Sparrows Group’s
travel manager Ryan Taylor recommends International SOS, a data feed used to convey crucial messages via preferred channels, such as SMS or email, ensuring the traveller is connected to their company and their travel team by increasingly sophisticated mobile devices that can enable locate-and-assist services through reliable SMS and GPS technologies. “In the past, I have tracked anywhere from 10-15,000 travellers at any one time using this system. I have used it for sending vital emails, SMS messages and the like. It’s a platform I hope to bring in here [Sparrows],” he says.
Airplus data shows that 34 per cent of its customers are working with a third-party security/duty-of-care company such as iJet or International SOS to track their travellers. Data feeds from the TMCs are used to track traveller locations and collect information from multiple sources. This data can allow companies to create travel risk management strategy, from development of policy and standardised procedures through to execution of assistance in an emergency. Online portals can also be useful when dealing with emergencies. “We were able to help a company track its staff in Iceland when the ash cloud incident occurred,” says Airplus marketing manager Julia Surry. “They were able to get in touch with them and ensure their extenuating circumstances for payment were met. It’s an example of how social media can adapt to evolving circumstances.”
Worrying precedent?
Apps have emerged to help corporate travel companies improve their data mining. One example is Contgo, a cloud platform that allows companies to track, locate and communicate with their travellers with real-time traveller data. The app allows communication and social sharing with geo-location, requiring an opt-in from travellers to disclose their current location via SMS when a wifi, roaming or mobile voice connection is not available.
This precedent is worrying for some. Airplus research warns that the quest for ‘big data’ – which could be aided by traveller tracking – can invade privacy and contravene laws in some countries. Its report asks: “Will travellers agree to be tracked if they’re paying for their own phones? Should travellers be tracked at all times while travelling on business, even during their personal time? What are the parameters around geo-fencing – the automatic notification to the company if a traveller enters or leaves a pre-determined location?”
As integration between apps and software improves, social media in travel management offers answers.