tants with holograms to ease and influence the decision-making process”. “Applications such as Apple’s Siri, IBM’s
Watson, Google Now and Microsoft’s Cortana will become increasingly intel- ligent and provide the business traveller with a virtual assistant that can not only predict the next stage in travel but also recommend alternatives and side activities,” says Amadeus in its report. Fellow travel technology firm Travelport
agrees with Amadeus’s central premise about the increasing power of the traveller. Steve Elliott is senior director of corporate solutions. “Increasing recognition of the role of travellers and the impact of tech- nology on their experience is creating a new wave of innovation and opportunity to lead change,” he says: “Personalisation will continue to evolve and progress, but given the complexity of the travel industry, it will do so at a measured pace – for both technology and offline services.”
SELLING DIRECT As Continental’s Bruss hinted, there is a growing trend for travel firms, particularly hotels and airlines, to target travellers di- rectly, and technology combined with vast amounts of data harvested from loyalty schemes are only making it easier for them to do so. This makes life potentially trickier for buyers if their travellers are tempted to take up the offers that are sent directly to them. For example, Marriott last year offered free wifi to loyalty programme members but only if they booked direct on the group’s website – a move heavily criticised by the Institute of Travel and Meetings (ITM), and others. “Airlines are pushing all sorts of offers
to travellers through their apps but where does governance, control and negotiation fit in with this?” asks HRG’s Brindle. “How can travel buyers and managers ensure that this kind of upselling to travellers doesn’t blow the budget? Suppliers will dangle the travel carrot because they have more access directly to travellers.” But it’s not all bad news for the managed
travel industry. Amadeus thinks that travel management companies (TMCs) may have an in-built advantage over other travel sup- pliers. The tech supplier argues: “TMCs are the first to know a traveller’s itinerary, they know the traveller profile, what their travel history is and what the policy – in whatever shape or form – allows you to do. In MT3.0, there is a golden opportunity to keep the traveller engaged in an end-to-end app experience.”
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
Key takeaways
the provision of more personalised and tailored services to travellers – often referred to as traveller-centricity.
to vary greatly between industry sectors and companies.
way for buyers to combat the increase in direct targeting of individual travellers by suppliers.
the use of mobile devices, will give more power to travellers to make decisions on the road.
more with their travellers and offer them the technology that discourages them from doing things that are out of programme and policy.
reduce leakage and ultimately help con- solidate tracking and spend, and enhance customer satisfaction.”
DRIVING BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE Whether you believe in MT3.0 as a concept or not, there’s no doubt that technology is driving behavioural change, and travel suppliers will continue to covet a direct rela- tionship with corporate travellers – whether their employers like it or not. So what is a buyer to do to cope with these changes? ACTE’s Greeley Koch says that establish-
ing a “partnership” with travellers is vital for buyers in a traveller-centric environment. He adds: “Travel managers should engage their travellers in a team partnership, em- powering them to make certain decisions in fulfilling the corporate objective. This means developing a communications programme for monitoring feedback, especially in determining what works and what doesn’t. Travel managers will have to become as computer savvy as their travellers, and thoroughly cognisant in travel apps.” Caroline Strachan suggests that buyers
Caroline Strachan adds: “Some TMCs
already thrive by delivering personalised service – it’s their high-touch USP [unique selling point]. Others will be invest- ing heavily in ‘know me’ technologies to help personalise the traveller experience but on a large, global scale. The global distribution systems and other technolo- gies have an interesting role to play here by delivering a rich connection between the supplier and the traveller. IATA’s New Distribution Capability [NDC] is a great example of the opportunity for more personalisation.” Jon West is UK managing director for
corporate hotel booking specialist HRS. He says the key factor is to “provide the right content that matches the choices allowed within the travel policy” and “make it as easy as possible for users to book”. This includes providing real-time data from preferred hotels, as well as supplying per- sonal recommendations based on previous booking behaviour.
“This gives such a personalised ex- perience and makes it so convenient for the booker that there will be less tempta- tion to stray from policy,” he adds. “It will
may want to “start with a large blank sheet of paper and map out what’s most impor- tant to my company,” and says it could be an opportunity for buyers to show their mettle within their organisations. “For example, if talent acquisition and employee engage- ment are major issues then a MT3.0-style programme may be exactly where to head,” she says. “If reducing cost is a priority, MT3.0 may be an option if the necessary controls or limits can be built. I don’t believe there is a one-size-fits-all solution, but that’s the exciting part for a buyer and our in- dustry. Now’s the time for the buyer to grab this shift and shine in their company.” As with many things in travel manage-
ment, so much depends on a company’s individual goals and strategies as well as the industries in which they operate. But regardless of what labels are used for it, change is definitely in the air – although most use the word ‘evolution’ rather than ‘revolution’ when discussing this subject. Let’s leave the last word to Amadeus:
“New challenges demand a combination of fresh solutions, business model and techni- cal innovation. Anticipating needs begins with knowing and predicting customers’ behaviour and preferences in order to make the right offer at the right time through the right channel.”
It all sounds so simple – but as everybody
knows, the devil is in the detail. Good luck, travel buyers of the world.
BBT MARCH/APRIL 2016 75
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