Making it CLICK
A breed of new technology-based travel management platforms are shaking up the global business travel market, writes Rob Gill
The user experience of online booking tools provided by traditional travel management companies has long been a bugbear of both buyers and travellers, with a typical comment being: 'why can’t these tools be as easy to use as consumer travel sites?'
Quite reasonably, TMCS usually reply that their online booking tools are doing a lot more complex work than a consumer booking platform. This includes giving travellers access to negotiated rates with preferred suppliers, adding travel policy requirements and offering tracking abilities to improve duty-of-care. But TMCS are now facing renewed pressure from a new breed of technology-orientated business travel specialists – including Travelperk, Tripactions and Lola – who are well funded and are already making inroads into the corporate market, particularly at the SME end of the spectrum.
User experience, or UX as it is often called these days, is everything to these new entrants and the chief selling points for their platforms are their ease of use and access to a wider range of travel suppliers. This is also backed up by customer support services for travellers and providing the capabilities buyers are looking for, such as the inclusion of their travel policies, approvals processes, invoicing, tracking and reporting.
Richard Viner, UK Country Manager for Barcelona-based Travelperk, says: “We are different from traditional TMCS because we offer a shopping and booking experience every bit as good as the one you have when booking your holidays. In some ways it’s even better, as we believe we’ve built the world’s largest bookable inventory.”
Tripactions says it can reduce the average booking time for a business trip from 60 to six minutes, as well as increasing adoption and traveller satisfaction rates, which in turn drives higher savings for the client.
Ariel Cohen, Tripactions co-founder and CEO, adds: “Business travellers expect the same convenience, choice and instant gratification they get as consumers, yet until now the vast majority of the corporate travel management industry has failed them.
“We’re building on our history of innovation, reimagining the TMC to give enterprises and their travellers unheard of choice and transparency to earn their trust.
“Travel managers no longer have to compromise; they can finally get a great user experience and scalable global infrastructure in a single platform.”
TMCS under threat?
With this influx of new tech-based competitors, are the traditional TMCS quaking in their boots? Or are the likes of Travelperk and Tripactions more of a competitor in the SME market than for larger global corporations looking for a multi-country or global approach to their travel management needs?
Caroline Strachan, managing partner at consultancy Festive Road, says Expedia’s tech-based TMC Egencia was a forerunner to the new entrants now making their presence felt.
“If I were a betting woman, I’d be sure to place a bet on the likes of Tripactions and Travelperk’s ability to run fast and solve problems legacy players haven’t even thought about,” she says. “Their ownership of every customer touchpoint is what will make the difference, whether it’s online, mobile or with an agent, the platform experience is all the same.”
John Hobbs-hurrell, international partnership manager for WIN Global Travel Network, believes the new tech-based players will “become just another competitor” over the next few years.
“Content and user experience will be key, giving the end user confidence in the pricing, and the booking process leads to higher adoption levels,” says Hobbs-hurrell.
“TMCS will need to match that offering via their own solutions. Providing the customer choice, around-the-clock support and a blend of online and offline will ensure the traditional TMC remains a viable solution.”
Content and user experience will be key, giving the end user confidence in the pricing, and the booking process leads to higher adoption levels”