Social media MIXED MESSAGES
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.
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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
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
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