Business Travel Executive, Dec 2020/Jan 2021

CS COVER STORY policies will be tightened HR and legal will imprint travel protocols for the travelers and the companys well being TMC AI and machine learning will become integral to low value transactions and TMCs will be pressed to raise prices in the midst of changing the definitions of billable items he says In channel purchasing will benefit all parties as the safety flag will lead the charge Bailey says in 2021 one of the biggest questions for travel policy will be Is this travel necessary If the answer is yes there needs to be clear steps outlined in the policy for the trip approval processes and resources for trip planning that provide all the information travelers need to know to be safe If the answer is no then there needs to be clear concise guidance around travel alternatives and virtual collaboration technologies he says Its important that a framework is put in place now to help travelers decide Should I stay or go when travel does start to return That initial guidance will help reduce non essential travel mitigate risk and drive adoption of virtual meetings and event technology solutions Brady expects the TMCs advisory role to continue Corporations are looking at the ROI of travel in a new light not just from a cost perspective but also from a total investment of employee time and wellbeing she says I see the TMC playing a role in helping corporations monitor and manage this consideration Additionally as travel returns its critical for travel managers to use data to gauge the impact of COVID 19 on travel programs and influence strategy moving forward Technology will give corporations and travelers timely and relevant information to make safe and wise travel decisions Brady predicts Travelers have different levels of health and safety concerns therefore I think technology solutions will be very personalized Keichline points out that travel post COVID is going to be scrutinized from a number of different angles Businesses are also looking at why they travel how they travel and the impact on the environment of their travel he says This applies at a corporate level but also at an individual traveler level We take that big data and present it to clients in a way that helps them to make informed decisions and shape their programs for the future In the months and years ahead Sharma says data analysis and future travel projections will be more important than they have ever been TMCs build budgets and projections for their staffing and operational needs based on what their clients tell them she says While we want to be optimistic about the return to travel it isnt fair to carry over 2019 volumes or optimistic 2021 volumes as a baseline expectation for actual volumes Sharma cautions If a client doesnt know how to project volumes work with your TMC partner to find a solution that is mutually beneficial and flexible for the uncertainty corporate travel programs will face in 2021 n 34 Business Travel Executive askBTE com December 2020 January 2021 The infrastructure that supported the TMCs ability to provide all ranges of services may never come back For In depth Reports and Current News on this Topic Click Here