The Business Travel Magazine Feb/Mar 2019

Travel tech / Booking tools
“Developing
technology inhouse
means we
have the flexibility
to integrate
systems and roll
out functionality in
anticipation of client need. In addition, the
turnaround is more agile and we can
develop to unique requirements,” he says.
Conversely, “The complexity in integrating
booking tools with travel industry technology,
especially as suppliers are creating new
business models, is a nightmare. That is
why there are fewer than six OBTs on the
market that can compete globally,” says VP
of Product for KDS, Bertrand Blais.
“It is important to outsource and to be
able to integrate third parties
into booking tools; and with
NDC, there is greater
complexity still.”
Small is beautiful
Mobile apps progress
apace and providers are
perfecting the art of
replicating desktop
functionality through a
responsive site but with more
tailored information. This is
particularly important in
areas such as Asia-Pacific,
where most business
travellers use only a
mobile, but in the western
world, desktop use is still prevalent and
those in finance and HR want access to
travellers’ booking information, as well as
travel arrangers.
Personalisation is in increasing demand
and ties into consumerisation. KDS’s doorto-door
service makes every part of the
journey personalised, including time taken
from home or office to the airport. In
addition, “An effortless trip also requires
that cancellations are immediately met with
rescheduled options, refunds are
automatically submitted and any impact on
productivity is anticipated and resolved with
little or no need for traveller intervention,”
says Reed & Mackay’s Boatwright.
However, although the simple processes
inherent in consumer models mean users
do not have to fight with copious constructs
to purchase one product, it can be in direct
conflict with corporate requirements such
as policy compliance, business intelligence
and project billing, and this can stand in the
way of the much-desired seamlessness.
Making it easy
Event organisation company Imagination
deployed Reed & Mackay’s self-booking tool
for domestic and European bookings in
January 2018. “We have seen an adoption
rate of 75%-85%,” says Head of Logistics
and travel, Nicola Mahon. “The system
consolidates all bookings on one platform,
irrespective of whether they were made on
or offline, which has been incredibly useful
for traveller tracking and duty of care
responsibilities.” Before this, travellers
booked via an offline team, who generated
monthly MI updates.
“One of the advantages of R&M Book is
how user-friendly it is and full integration
with other proprietary travel software
means you’re always looking at the most
up-to-date information,” adds Mahon.
Self-booking tools continue to evolve,
including their capacity for providing a
smooth, consumer grade experience,
while juggling the complexities of corporate
travel. And artificial intelligence and
chatbots will only enhance the services they
provide, simultaneously keeping an eye on
travel policy compliance and gathering in
errant bookings.
68 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com