TROUBLESHOOTING
lenses/antibiotics for the exact duration of their original trip, so then needing to seek medical care to get a repeat prescription or replacement,” adds Walker.
FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS AND STRIKES Cancellations and strikes are inevitable. Having the right tracking technology in place so travellers can be contact- ed and rebooked is essential, but so too is common sense. Blue Cube Travel had a client – the boss of a private investment house – who was booked to travel to Tokyo on a Monday and wanted an Air France option. Air France was on strike and randomly cancelling flights, so Blue Cube booked and ticketed with an alternative airline as a back-up, with the assistance team monitoring Air France flights throughout the weekend and regularly updating the traveller on the status. Meanwhile, if an employee ends up stranded, a TMC should be able to pull a report, and Rosie Mohammad, head of travel for the law firm Pinsent Masons, says she will be able to identify the employee. “Nine out of 10 times the traveller will contact the TMC, but if they’ve booked out of policy and have done their own thing we don’t say, ‘we’re not going to help you’. We help as much as we can but sometimes the TMC will not be able to touch that booking if it’s been booked through a third-party,” she emphasises.
TIME-WASTING EMPLOYEES Many travellers book outside company policy because they want to earn loyalty points from a certain airline or hotel chain. Perhaps they are unhappy with the cabin class of travel they are permitted to use. “Travellers think that booking their own flights or hotel online rather than through their TMC partner will save the company
AS SOON AS THERE’S ONE ISSUE WITH THE ONLINE TOOL, THE EMPLOYEE LOSES TRUST
money,” says Paul East, chief operating officer, UK/Europe & Americas, Wings Travel Management. However, as East points out, in reality travellers aren’t getting a better deal as the booking may have changed or there may be cancellation fees associated with it, or they have not included added-value extras that have been ne- gotiated as part of the travel policy with preferred airlines and hotels. Mohammad points out that her firm has a well-man- aged programme with a fare match guarantee, but there are always occasions when travellers go “off-piste” on the internet. “We have a minimum leakage of less than one per cent,” Mohammad says. However, some travellers do opt for “savings” on the likes of Skyscanner and Booking. com and it’s not particularly helpful. “Travellers come up with an option they’ve spent hours searching for, which is a false economy,” she says. Lawyers at her firm charge up to £500 an hour for their services, yet they’re “looking on the internet for a saving of £10, which actually doesn’t work out to be a £10 saving because there’s a whole manual process to go through”. Judith Heinrich, managing director of Travelocity Consulting, admits it’s tricky to encourage certain staff to use the internal tools. “Employees are usually presented with OBTs without training, which can be a deterrent. The personal interaction and communication is lost. “As soon as there’s one issue with the online tool, the employee loses trust and starts booking outside the recommended tools.” Heinrich emphasises that online booking tools, rates, deals and especially travel policy need to be reviewed on a regular basis. “The corporate needs to appoint a champion for the OBT to ensure they serve as the first point of contact,” she concludes.
LAST-MINUTE BOOKERS Even now, it seems employees still love to leave booking to the last minute. “It’s usually because employees have not been able to organise their diary,” says Heinrich. “A simple policy where trips should be booked for 14 days in advance can be introduced using OBTs where a break in travel policy can be logged, or trips declined.” Mohammad admits some last-minute bookings are
unavoidable, but it’s important that the TMC deliver a 24-hour service. “Even if I’m booking in the middle of the night, I know that my TMC will work,” she explains. One buyer told BBT that if a booking is made within three weeks of departure, the employee must explain why to the chief executive. Daunting stuff – but it proves effective. It isn’t easy being the sheriff in town, but staying one step ahead is a sure-fire way of keeping the bandits at bay.
buyingbusinesstravel.com 2019 MARCH/APRIL 71
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