Your travel
programme is mature. Compliance levels are high, preferred suppliers won’t give
any more ground on rate, terms or availability and traveller feedback is
generally positive. So, what can you do to drive more savings, make processes
more efficient and keep stakeholders happy?
One area where
you can find more room on top is ‘content’.
To answer all
the questions a traveller or booker may have, any booking channel must provide
the right breadth of information and depth of supplier choice. Millennial
travellers know more about, and are therefore more demanding of, travel choices
than previous generations. They also expect the same quality of booking
experience as the OTAs provide for their leisure travel. In the social media
age, traveller feedback can be more powerful than a cheap rate.
Good
content stops the buyer from looking elsewhere and benefits every stakeholder.
The supplier’s
product is presented in the most compelling way; the booker or traveller has
the reassurance of information that enables informed purchasing decisions to be
made, whilst the travel manager drives greater policy compliance.
So, what does
good content look like? After ensuring that the choice of preferred suppliers
meets travellers’ needs in terms of location, amenities and personal security,
the essentials include images that reflect the personality and features of a
hotel and its different room types; professionally-translated descriptions
(where required), plus detailed information about facilities, services and
location, room availability and cancellation policy.
Content also
includes NDC (New Distribution Capability), the IATA-sponsored supported
programme for the industry adoption of a new, XML-based data transmission
standard to enable travel management companies and online booking tools to
access airline ancillary services and more dynamic airline pricing.
We have been working closely with
our technology partners and key airline suppliers for the last two years on new
ways to integrate airline content into our existing booking platforms. We will
soon be announcing our NDC development roadmap and are proud to be playing a
key part in shaping the roadmap for NDC in the TMC space for the benefit of our
customers.
NDC brings
opportunities to improve traveller services by ensuring their programmes
benefit from the changes.
This blog was posted by Alexander Blunt,
Head of Hotel Supplier Relations at FCM Travel Solutions
who will be taking part in the Business Travel Show conference panel session
‘Policy – why it’s time for a complete re-think’ at 1600 hours on Wednesday 21st
February
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