Business travel is one of the fastest changing segments of the travel industry today. The accelerated digital environment allows executives to conduct business in unprecedented ways – you could begin a business transaction over a conference call this afternoon, and fly out to seal the deal in person tomorrow morning. In order to keep pace with these changes, travel management companies need to provide business travellers with more agile and responsive products and services.
As the nature of business travel has changed dramatically over the last few years, travel technology has had to evolve and adapt to a point where technology itself is driving how business travellers interact with the world. From integrated databases to smarter search capabilities, here’s how technology is redefining business travel:
Mobile apps
Thanks to the mobile revolution, today’s business travel can be booked anytime, anywhere. Mobile capability is no longer considered a “nice to have” – especially for millennial business travellers who have grown up with the technology. Leveraged correctly, a mobile app is an essential component of the business travel ecosystem, allowing for instant bookings (within travel policy), up-to-the-minute confirmations and travel updates, and seamless communication.
Digitised payment processes and document tracking
Giving your business travellers the flexibility to make in-policy travel-related payments anytime from the device of their choosing is essential to remaining relevant in today’s digitised environment – and allows for seamless processing. Digital payments also provide real-time data and reporting about your travellers’ purchasing trends, buying history and other metrics which are key to your cost-saving strategies.
Intelligent search data
From autofill and past history to advanced search criteria, today’s business travellers rely on search engine capabilities to research and source their travel requirements. Businesses using dedicated online booking tools can leverage this data to further streamline their procedures, by way of storing their frequent travellers’ details and preferences.
Efficient processing
Business travellers often travel on tight deadlines and within financial constraints, and need to deal with delayed flights and changing schedules with as little disruption to their professional objectives as possible. A streamlined travel management system is crucial when it comes to efficiently and effectively facilitating bookings. Here’s why:
- The seamless management of requests, quotes and sales across channels allows for streamlined workflows.
- Automated invoices and reconciliations mean that these workflows become highly scalable with more accurate operational information.
- Reporting tools allow you to estimate, forecast and make highly informed decisions to improve operations and budgeting.
Want to know more about how we use technology to ensure seamless business travel? Contact Thompsons Travel today and let’s talk about leveraging the right travel management tools for your business.
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