Business Travel Executive, October/November 2020

31 Business Travel Executive askBTE com October November 2020 that brought me that comfort she says I took that trip in June and Ive been traveling consistently since Enhanced Policy Opportunities One new reality change is that everyone seems to have an interest in travel related issues Suddenly travel is on the mind of all senior executives Miller says Questions range from when to start traveling again and how to manage it safely to how much travel is really necessary considering the wider availability of virtual meeting tools Its a lot to manage she says As travel returns companies need to be clear on whats OK and whats not Among other considerations that means that travel to all destinations not just the high risk ones should be scrutinized as situations change At the same time buyers can seize this period of downturn in travel as an opportunity to start making policy amendments to safeguard the well being of travelers Rose sees new opportunities to build a holistic risk management program People have to be compliant for policy to work he says In good times its hard to convince people But now everyone understands the need to reduce exposure In fact if health and safety efforts are portrayed in a positive light travelers wont see policy mitigation strategies as harassment A response is more likely to be in the order of Wow now I know youre helping me That includes addressing privacy concerns Rose points out that you need not infringe on their privacy since travelers must opt in But knowing the location of travelers can be important in relaying timely warnings whether thats about say poor local air quality or a protest three blocks away Its an opportunity to build relationships with business travelers Rose says You can say hey weve got your back As an example he points to the evolving challenges in managing risks related to lodging which were already significant before the pandemic When you have more people you have more risk he says Putting the focus on properties that show greater commitment to safety or alternately giving travelers more flexibility to use alternative lodging may need to be a basic strategy The more confidence travelers have in the information provided them the more likely they are to follow policy says Nina Herold chief product and operations officer for TripActions Access to real time data about travelers and travel spend is the key to protecting travelers while optimizing and adapting travel policies for the rapidly evolving environment This means that adoption of the booking platform is no longer a nice to have she says Its mission critical With estimates of adoption levels of the booking platform varying from 20 to 50 percent a longstanding challenge is that traveler location and associated spend is not known until after the trip has occurred and expenses have been submitted In todays reality that simply isnt acceptable and wont be tolerated by organizations or their leaders who have a responsibility to fulfill their duty of care in ensuring the health and safety of their travelers Herold says Along with providing visibility into travel plans adoption of the corporate travel platform by employees supports the need to fulfill duty of care manage risk and liability and control costs on the path to business recovery Similarly travelers as well as travel buyers benefit from access to real time data such as reproduction numbers CDC ratings local government regulations and restrictions at travelers destinations and supplier safety and hygiene protocols Clear Communications Despite the challenges of communicating information about situations that seem to keep changing faster than anyone can keep up striving for clarity in policies and procedures remains an imperative Travelers will want to know how to decide if they should travel or not which airline is safest which hotel is cleanest and what they should do if theyre stranded because a country suddenly re enters lockdown Miller says A clear and accessible travel policy will give them the information they need to make the right decision and feel confident about traveling again For travel buyers this means a closer look at areas like trip planning and viability duty of care shifting meeting types and stricter command and control Any revision of policies and procedures should be supported by strategies for engaging travelers in their adoption FAQs infographics short videos and other information can be shared though e mail intranet content and other communication channels Provide travelers with the tools and the ability to make choices based upon their business needs Miller says This will ensure they are fully informed and confident in what the policy means to them and what is expected of them To that end Miller advises surveying employees to determine what travel info they would prefer making the details prominent on corporate intranets and developing FAQs to answer common questions Ideally information should cover the entire trip cycle from the decision to go to the return home Other strategies include building communication templates for easy use across channels activating risk alert features uploading policy content and refreshing messaging on apps or online booking tools Once these and other steps are taken feedback should be gathered to assess their effectiveness n Provide travelers with the tools and the ability to make choices based upon their business needs