Corporate travel has always embraced innovative methods and tech to effectively communicate with its business travellers. Now with more people choosing remote work, it is even more urgent to communicate with our travellers. Are we providing them with what they need to know? Are our business travellers warned efficiently about covid travel changes? Are there new ways in which travellers want to communicate? How are we helping travellers become knowledgeable about company travel policies and suppliers covid safety measures?
Building Confidence.
With the lifting of the PCR test requirements for visitors to South Africa, relaxations on event capacity restrictions and the opening of borders along with the lifted State of Disaster foremost in the travel news, the industry has experienced a welcome uptick in travel bookings for 2022, and beyond. Now, we need to build on that confidence.
The uncertainty around travel and COVID-safety requirements accompanying the ebb and flow of the virus has highlighted what is perhaps both the most basic and essential driver of our recovery… clear and continuous communication with our clients.
Information availability
Corporate travel has always embraced innovative methods and technology to communicate with its business travellers effectively. Now, with the prevalence of remote work, Thompsons Travel is ensuring that we are using every available channel from WhatsApp to live chat, from online tools to mobile apps and push notifications to communicate with our travel bookers, business travellers and corporates in ways that resonate with them in the “new normal”.
From searching to booking, from the journey to the stay, our omnichannel approach ensures that the information they need is accessible whenever, and wherever our customers need it in their planning process and at every node of the supply chain.
4 things Travellers need to hear:
1. What the current travel and safety requirements are
Concern for safety remains top of mind, and whether they are planning business trips or travelling themselves, our customers need to be able to stay on top of changing safety protocols. Thompsons Travel Restrictions and Visa Requirements Tool keeps users abreast of the latest requirements and updates as they travel.
2. That their safety is paramount
Thompsons Travel proactively supports corporate Duty of Care responsibilities through real-time tracking, live advice and instant support from our travel risk management experts, ensuring that travellers are kept safe and that changing safety requirements can be communicated to them 24/7, wherever they are located.
3. That our travel solutions are transparent and flexible
We value transparency in every aspect of business travel management and encourage our customers to make their own informed decisions. Bookers and travellers making use of Thompsons Travel’s innovative online booking tool has access to a range of competitive global travel deals and savings through our unique buying power. Thompsons Traveller Online can be embedded within a business’s own travel programme, to streamline the travel booking process and provide travel flexibility together with online support and reporting functionality for travel costs and traveller behaviour.
4. That we are with you throughout the journey
Our mobile travel tech gives you and your travellers the freedom to plan and book business trips, car rentals, hotels and other destination services, whenever and wherever preferred while the app’s on-the-go travel receipts upload facility conveniently feeds into travel cost reporting.
Ours is a partnership and we are here to assist with advice, training, the development and updating of company travel and duty of care policies as well as providing the technology to support traveller safety.
Balance technology with the personal connection
Even with all these innovative digitisation and automation advances at our disposal, we prioritise personal connection. By establishing a reliable, personalised communication channel with top decision-makers within our corporates, Thompsons Travel can keep our customers informed, assist them in optimising their business travel arrangements and, more importantly, let them know that their business is valued.
We continue to engage with our travellers, our planners, and our corporates to communicate what they need to know loudly, clearly, and confidently all the way along the road to recovery.
Chat to us today on WhatsApp to start planning your corporate travel management programme.
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