THERE ARE CHALLENGES,


SUCH AS THE TECHNOLOGY’S ABILITY TO WORK ACROSS DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIES


things. For anything more complex than point-to- point, travellers are advised to speak to the TMC. This buyer’s philosophy is that employees should not be spending their time booking travel. One of the main hindrances she encounters is the amount of time needed for training to use a corporate self-booking tool. The 80/20 rule probably applies to most companies in that it’s 20 per cent of employees making up 80 per cent of a company’s travel. The buyer adds: “Unless you use it regularly, you


won’t remember, so you’ve got to use a tool that is simple and maybe looks like websites you use.” The buyer would also like to see functionality built in, enabling travellers to make changes to bookings after they have first been made.


The sentiment chimes with research from Egencia revealing that almost 50 per cent of travellers see the ability to control bookings themselves from initial stages to any required changes as the most important element of a travel programme.


Egencia unveiled its Online Air Exchange tool earlier this year, enabling travellers to change flights


buyingbusinesstravel.com


themselves via desktop or mobile. The technology automatically displays any penalties and charges travellers might incur.


EVOLVING TECHNOLOGY The next stage of evolution for corporate booking tools will be eagerly watched. It’s no surprise that content delivered via IATA’s New Distribution Capability technology standard is a concern for the travel management community. In an open letter to the “Business Travel Value


Chain”, IATA’s Travel Manager Advisory Group called on everyone to do more. The missive, for example, said it wished to see more from self-booking tools, the GDSs and aggregators in terms of “how NDC content will be featured and the developments around policy applications” now relevant with the advent of ancillaries, fare bundles and personalisation. While Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport have announced various TMC and airline pilot partners for their NDC initiatives, many online booking tool specialists have been quieter.


2018 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 89


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