Courage is mastery of fear
WHEN Spencer Travel opened its doors, the internet in Australia was still in its infancy. It connected us to the “world wide web” - a looming threat that was to spell doom for travel agencies.
Whilst technology has completely re-shaped the industry, reports of our demise - as Mark Twain put it - “have been greatly exaggerated”.
In 1998, Spencer Travel had one email-enabled computer. That machine was checked twice a day: once in the morning and once just before closing. How things have changed.
I recall this not only because Spencer Travel is turning 20 and I’m getting nostalgic, but because the recent CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation & Corporate Travel Summit in Sydney painted an astounding picture of technology roaring down the pipeline at us.
Airport execs spoke of a future of frictionless customer journeys from the couch to aircraft seat – mobile technology and biometric systems combining seamlessly to get you swiftly to the airport, through check-in and security, into your seat and on your way.
Hoteliers are working towards a “book, stay, walk away” paradigm with the entire experience enabled by your mobile device. In this new world, guests simply walk out at the end of their stay, making the conventional check- out process redundant - a very appealing scenario for corporates who typically value convenience over price-point.
Elsewhere, airline chat-bots like Scoot’s MARVIE, for example, are becoming transactional. And it is said that 10% of travel is booked using voice as consumers become more comfortable with their Alexas and Homes.
What will the travel management company of 2038 look like? It’s hard to know given the technological landscape probably hasn’t even been imagined yet. No doubt asking your Alexa to book a Hyperloop trip from Mumbai to Pune will seem quite old-hat.
Many will gaze to the future with some trepidation, but that’s actually OK. Twain also said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear”, and I tend to agree with him. Businesses that look for ways to master new technology and use it fearlessly to empower their people and enhance their service will always thrive.
The tech-fuelled future of our industry will be exciting, but wouldn’t it be nice to only check your email twice a day? Surely, there’s an app for that.
Businesses that look for ways to master new technology and use it fearlessly...
thrive’ will always
Penny Spencer is the managing director of Spencer Travel and the founder of the Travel Industry Mentor Experience (TIME), as well as a past finalist in the Telstra Australian Business Women’s Awards.