GUEST BLOG: CHOOSING GROUND TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY

In 2015 ground transportation has been one of the most discussed topics in the business travel industry circles. For many years technology constraints related to difficulties in integrating content to GDS and self-booking tools were keeping the ground transportation out of corporate travel sight. However, in the current era of digital breakthroughs, service and technology providers have discovered opportunities for embracing the challenge. TMCs have shifted the focus on uncovering the potential of the business opportunity and customer delights, and travel managers have realised the importance of ground transportation for keeping track of all business travel elements and achieving savings.

Despite the fact that service and technology providers, TMCs and travel managers have the common interest in bringing the ground transportation to a whole new level, there is still a lot of room for improving cooperation.

As the travel managers retain the buying power, they are exposed to a great variety of emerging technologies - incorporated in the TMC offering or stand-alone solutions, providing access to one mode of ground transport or several at the same time. While every solution has its own strengths, it is important for buyers to understand, what it is that they prioritise the most and find the right balance. There are few questions to consider, for example:

- How well is the solution integrated with tools for booking and buying business travel? Solutions integrated with booking flows and back office systems positively influence expense management and provide other benefits of automated reporting and booking. Such technology integration usually means that the solution has been approved by TMCs, which gives it additional layer of trust.

- How global is the solution? Partnering with service providers, there is a possibility to skip the technology intermediaries and negotiate directly, but it would usually mean the adoption of stand-alone solutions from multiple suppliers worldwide. It is a good choice, if the organisation buying travel operates within boundaries of certain geographical area. Globally operating solutions or aggregator platforms provide access to hundreds of destinations and suppliers from one window, and may be a better option for multinational corporations looking for standard solution. Global solutions and aggregators have different perceptions of safety and regulations, which should be carefully examined, when selecting a solution of your choice. Aggregators may also prioritise partnering with the preferred service providers, if the travel buyer has a preferred brand in a certain area.

- How fast can the solution be adopted? User-friendly interface and mobile responsiveness will speed up the solution adoption among business travellers - easy booking and cancellation are at the base.

When developing taxi and airport transfer booking engine at Cabforce, we have emphasised the role of cooperation. We have closely worked and continue working with travel agencies, business travel buyers and suppliers. This allowed us to develop the solution, which reflects the needs of the global travel industry: in terms of the content, the distribution technology and the passenger experience. The content is represented by hundreds of certified taxi and airport transfer providers worldwide available through one booking platform - an aggregated content of the fragmented taxi industry. The second element is the distribution technology: the content is distributed via innovative integration (e.g. workflow and back-office system integration, profile and payment) into major travel booking tools, such as Amadeus Selling Platform™ and Travelport Smartpoint™, as well as the leading corporate self-booking tools, such as Amadeus e-Travel Management™ and KDS Neo™. The last element is the passenger experience, which is built on such components as 24/7 customer service, standardised pickup procedures across all the suppliers, electronic vouchers and receipts.

This blog post was written by Janne Aarniovuori, Head of Agency Solutions at Cabforce.

Visit the Cabforce stand (B844) at the Business Travel Show to discuss partnership opportunities and learn how they can help you optimise the taxi and airport transfer booking processes and costs. Register now at http://goo.gl/F55mKX 

Cabforce is a technology and services company providing global travel industry with taxi and airport transfer booking solutions. Cabforce partners with hundreds of certified transfer providers to deliver unified service with fixed rates in over 400 destinations in over 70 countries worldwide. With Cabforce travellers, corporate travel arrangers and travel agents can pre-book taxis and airport transfers just like flights and hotels.