The Review ➔ Click Travel enters rail market
BTMS NEWS
THERE'S a third player in the corporate rail booking tools
arena and its from Click Travel. The technology-focused TMC
used its second appearance at the Business Travel & Meetings Show to push its new platform which is pitched in direct competition with the Evolvi and thetrainline tools which currently dominate the market. Two years in development, the facility is “a brand new rail product designed and built from the ground up by Click Travel,“ says managing director Simon McLean, who aims to win over a share of the market from its competitors but declined to name specific targets. “Rail is incredibly complex and expensive to get into so now we have to make waves,” he says. “We all have the same fares and availability, but our unique selling point is pre-trip approval – if we’re not on Evolvi’s next SWOT analysis we’d be disappointed. “Essentially we’re a software firm
that does the service side too. Our technology is fundamental to what we do and people love our stuff because it’s so user-friendly,” says McLean, who added that 92 per cent of the TMC's business is carried out online. In addition to pre-trip author- isation, features of the new tool include travel compliance, direct connects to rail inventory, and full
ON THE GROUND
EVOLVI WARNS OF CHALLENGES ON THE HORIZON
RAIL travel is enjoying a clear renaissance, with GTMC figures revealing a return to 2008 volumes and ten per cent growth last year alone. Meanwhile, Evolvi – which currently handles over half of all rail transactions with TMCs – reported a decrease in average transaction value, from £66 to £61 in 2010, indicating a shift to more strategic buying. “The overriding reason for
functionality for ticket on departure and ticket delivery. McLean says offering the tool
out to affiliates as a white labelled product has been considered, but “currently that’s just a distraction.” Existing clients of the TMC use Evolvi and thetrainline, but “long- term, commercially, it’ll be in their interest to switch over to our new product,” he says. Clients that adopt the tool will be offered training in the form of regular webinars or, for larger clients, onsite training sessions. Click Travel's long-term plan is to
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have its own inhouse technology covering all aspects of corporate travel. “You’ll have one log-in screen and you won’t have to go anywhere else,” says McLean. The next development is due in May when it plans to launch a new expense management product. One area which remains off-limits though is meetings management. “Technology does not solve every- thing, and meetings are more of a touchy-feely subject,“ explains McLean. “PAs need the personal touch, and it would require a big change from suppliers.“
this is growing awareness of the cost advantages that smart procurement delivers,” says Ken Cameron, Evolvi's managing director, who also warns of the hurdles ahead. “Looking ahead, there will certainly be challenges in 2011, particularly as a result of the government’s austerity measures,” he continues. ”There are also concerns about the effect of the change in the rail fare formula, but my view is that this will likely prompt even more corporates to consider consolidating their rail spend within a managed travel policy environment. And this could present new opportunities for the TMC community.”
FIRST GROUP
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