The Business Travel Magazine December/January 2018/19

Technology / TMCs
detail is not available from proprietary tools
– R&M built the wherewithal to provide it.
Boatwright is a protagonist of apps. “A
desktop tends to be optimised for professional
use and a mobile app is generally
for travellers who are en route. The use
cases are different and they do not need to
be the same,” he says.
“A mobile responsive website is inevitably
a compromise because a mobile screen is
four inches by five inches. We have
optimised each form factor – website and
app – for how it is used.”
Meeting in the middle
BCD combines in-house design and build
with third party partnerships. The company
bought the assets of start-up GetGoing,
which formed the basis of the TripSource
Hotels booking platform. TripSource
simplifies travel for employees while keeping
them on the straight and narrow, all available
through mobile devices and voice-enabled
technology such as Alexa.
Programme intelligence platform
DecisionSource (built inhouse) allows travel
managers to monitor spend and travel live,
using reporting and analytics.
“These optimisations are fed into the
TripSource platform and into the hands of
travellers seamlessly for maximum
efficiency,” says BCD's Karmis.
The tool includes a security map that
displays traveller locations and informs travel
managers of potential risks worldwide, who
can then send out hazard alerts via
TripSource and ask travellers potentially at
risk to 'check in'. In addition, BCD works with
start-ups whose technology is available via a
shop, SolutionSource, where clients can
choose tools according to their needs.
Also giving one view for client and agent
is Clarity’s Go2Book platform, providing
tracking, communication with travellers,
booking and more, plus MI from new
Go2Insight+, launched in February.
“Using cutting-edge technology such as IBM
Watson, we have created a data aggregator
which can take in multiple data sources,
mine them and deliver new insights to the
client within a fraction of the time it takes a
traditional management information tool,”
says Head of Sales, Ewan Kassir.
Clarity has integrated rail travel into its app
so that travellers are notified of delays via
the app, “giving a single destination for all
itineraries, travel info and
updates”, Kassir explains.
The digital TMC
Elevating technology to art form
and aiming to become the first
digital TMC is CWT.
“It is about making bold
investments in innovation
and our people to enhance
and improve the
traveller/attendee
experience by integrating
our tools and the data we
have access to, to
deliver more
intelligence and
content,” says Kelly.
“This allows clients to
communicate with
travellers more
effectively and pulls more
and more of them into
compliant booking paths.”
Data is everything and facilitates
personalisation, the travel industry’s
Using cutting-edge
technology such as
IBM Watson, we have created
a data aggregator which can
take in multiple data sources,
mine them and deliver new
insights rapidly”
latest fixation, and CWT is constantly
updating its offer. Most recent innovations
include revving up for the next phase of a
chatbot pilot to give instant messaging in
CWT’s mobile app and a travel consolidator,
which enables organisations to aggregate
disparate sources of data – such as travel,
card, expense and HR data – to identify
hidden costs and rogue spend. It allows
travel managers to improve compliance and
identify missed savings opportunities to
increase negotiating power with suppliers.
One outstanding example of CWT’s digital
dexterity is RoomIt, a home-built hotel
distribution business, giving travellers rooms,
tariffs, amenities and loyalty programmes
sourced from retail sites, negotiated rates
and other large content providers.
“During 2017, year-on-year hotel revenue
growth was up 13%, underlining the
importance of better content and hotel
booking capabilities,” says Kelly.
Start-up sensations
In addition to home-grown efforts, CWT also
partners with tech start-ups via incubator
Plug and Play, as well as buying in third-party
tools. An example is Yapta, which allows
agents to look for lower air and hotel rates
once trips have been booked, allowing
rebooking where appropriate and without
any effect on the traveller.
Even those whose idea of technology is a
Bakelite telephone are benefitting from
TMCs’ labours of digital love and leading a
more informed, efficient and safer business
life; and their travel managers are profiting
both administratively and financially.
The drive to have more, better analysed
and fully aggregated data and enhanced
functionality ensures that in every sense,
everyone is on the same page.
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