Question Time
CAN SBTs REDUCE THE RISK OF MAVERICK TRAVELLERS?
Jason Geall, vice president, global sales and chief marketing officer of GetThere, answers an anonymous buyer’s query over whether SBTs will ever be able to manage package holidays?
Q.
Jason Geall VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL SALES & CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, GETTHERE Jason Geall is responsible for leading the North America and EMEA sales teams and the brand and customer marketing team, in addition to overseeing GetThere’s business across EMEA. He joined GetThere in 2009 after three successful years as the head of UK sales for Eurostar. Prior to Eurostar, Jason was national sales manager for
jobsite.co.uk, a leading internet recruiting solution for recruitment agencies and corporations.
SOME of my customers are now booking package holidays for
business trips, looking at the short-term value only. Any views on overcoming that? Obviously, my team highlight all the risks of not going through recommended channels but, ultimately, when budgets are managed locally and the customer insists, the options in terms of control begin to run out pretty quickly. We're asking our TMC to book the package on our behalf, so we can at least have some visibility, but what I'm curious to know is if SBTs have considered packages and whether the advantages of them (albeit shallow) could ever be worked into the product offer? Unlikely I know, but has this ever come up before in conversations you've had with customers or industry peers?
A.
I FEEL really strongly about the industry being better connected
" Many people believe they can get a better deal themselves and, sometimes, package holiday itineraries can look like a good deal"
on these issues, to ensure the future of 'managed' travel is secured and improved in an environment of more savvy traveller, changing demography among the corporate travel set and, essentially, broader choices out there on the open market. I don't proclaim to
have all the answers, but I believe that one way of combating this challenge and getting everybody clear on the broader value benefits other than the face price of the trip, lie within data and thereafter the analysis of this data to develop clear and engaging
employee communication. Ultimately, most people are good corporate citizens. But as with most things in life, people need to be clear on why they need to do things the way they are asked. Many customers believe they
can get a better deal themselves and, sometimes, package holiday itineraries can look like a good deal. In the US, for example, I know
Travelocity business have had a way of diverting corporate customers over to their Travelocity dynamic packaging option. The corporate/TMC loses the commission and, due to the nature of the fare types bundled into the packages, any changes are open to steep charges. So back to the first thought around
data. It's not often that you can find a travel management leader who points to a specific answer around what difference they make to the bottom line as a result of the overall travel programme. When you boil it all down, what does
compliance with your programme deliver in financial efficiency to the business? In having this visibility, the data can be crafted into key internal marketing messages. This helps drive a compelling story to travellers as to why embracing the travel programme is important to their company's performance, and the difference they make to the business by using it. As for the point around whether SBTs
have considered building in packaging capability, I think we are already seeing an ongoing improvement in the overall shopping experience and capabilities provided by SBTs in general.
I think the key here is for technology companies, like GetThere, to continue to develop the overall shopping experience, while providing policy, control and workflow mechanisms that are almost hidden to the traveller. Giving customers something that they would choose to use rather than having to use will counteract the need that some people have to shop in the unmanaged environment. If you add that to giving travellers clarity around why you are asking them to work within your programme, along with the ultimate benefits that your programme delivers back to the company, you should be close to having a compelling proposition for travellers that might otherwise stray from policy. I really think there is a collective responsibility across the business travel community to be connected in order that we are able to navigate through the change that we are seeing. A greater clarity on why managed
travel is good for business is still needed, but we must also ensure that the supplier networks are not only keeping up with consumer technology but actually looking to lead the way.
IF YOU have a business travel issue you would like advice on from an expert, email us at:
help@thebusinesstravelmag.com
20 I THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE
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