Try to imagine your life without a smartphone. For
many, it’s a difficult prospect. Needless to say, the smartphone has revolutionised
the way we interact with the world. Even for those who may previously have felt
technology adverse, these handheld supercomputers have changed everything.
Whether you’re an avid social media user, secret handheld gamer, news-hungry
reader or occasional photo snapper, the ability to connect, create and interact
with a few simple taps has empowered us all to do so much more on the go.
The smartphone revolution
While technically not the first smartphone, the
Apple iPhone created a huge splash in 2007 when it gave consumers the ability
to use a huge(!) 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen and take photos with an
incredible(!) 2-megapixel camera. Now, just 12 years on the iPhone 2G is
considered not just incredibly outdated, but a collector’s item, with some mint
condition examples listed for upwards of £10,000 on eBay! This demonstrates how
quickly the development of mobile technology has accelerated and the rate of
change that all businesses are having to keep up with.
The iPhone was the first consumer-focussed
smartphone success story, but its smart predecessors were much more
business-oriented. Palm pilots and other stylus-enabled handhelds allowed
business users to access limited corporate applications and emails on the go.
But it took the explosion of smartphones in the consumer arena for the now
ever-connected devices to flourish.
Consumers influencing business
Since then, it’s not just been screen sizes,
processing power, storage and camera quality that have massively increased;
smartphone users’ expectations have skyrocketed, as apps for every conceivable
use have launched, from booking your next holiday or organising your weekly
shop to turning your lights on, changing the thermostat or learning to play the
guitar. And these user expectations in turn created demand for a better mobile
experience in business.
Companies across all sectors have had to run to
keep up, finding ways to leverage the hand-held tech to provide additional
benefits to staff. Many established technology and software providers shifted
focus to develop mobile versions of their offerings, and new companies sprang
up to fill niche voids in the market. Today, Apple’s App store alone has an
incredible 3.262 billion apps and, in 2018, over 52% of all internet traffic
globally was generated through mobile devices.
The app options for business travel
The business travel industry is certainly no
exception when it comes to mobile technology. Companies and their business
travellers now have a vast array of mobile app choices available, offering a
range of value-added benefits and efficiency gains to save money, protect
travellers and improve productivity pre, during and post trip. And in line with
how they interact with technology in their personal lives, business travellers
now expect their smartphones to make the experience of travelling on business
more straightforward.
Dedicated business travel apps cover a range of use
including online booking tools, itinerary management, traveller tracking and
messaging, expense management and much more. When implemented at a company
level, these mobile applications often integrate with back office systems that
make the entire business travel process much more efficient.
Travel Management Companies have generally followed
one of two paths when considering mobile technology – either developing their
own proprietary applications or partnering with tech experts in the field.
There are benefits to each approach – those with
the in-house capability of developing their own solutions can enjoy the freedom
to design and build their own features and user journeys… but of course this
comes at a cost, and the pace of change in technology means companies that
choose this path need to be prepared to invest to stay relevant and ahead of
the curve.
Alternatively, working with a partner gives TMCs
the chance to take advantage of best in class technology with, potentially,
less risk of investment. These solutions can often be tailored, but TMCs have
less input (and in many cases no input at all) into their ongoing development.
The third choice
Here at Business Travel Direct, we’ve developed a
unique relationship with SAP Concur which empowers us to offer incredible
technology solutions from a place of real expertise for our clients. Our
investment in this relationship also brings the added benefit of being able to
provide feedback that can help influence the product’s roadmap.
Our client services, support and implementation
teams are uniquely SAP Concur Certified giving us the inside track on the
technology to deliver the best possible results for clients. And this expertise
also enables us to understand how other technology and applications can be
integrated and leveraged with Concur for maximum benefit.
It’s a best of both approach that gives us a
compelling offering. Working with a solution like SAP Concur also means the
travel related applications available to our clients are cross-platform, device
agnostic and seamlessly connected to other expense management and back office
processes.
Making the right choice
For organisations considering their mobile
approach, what’s paramount is selecting a technology stack with integrated apps
that can offer an intuitive experience for the end user, combined with clear
efficiency gains for their organisation. And that starts by choosing to work
with a forward-thinking, future focussed partner who understands the technology
inside and out; whether that's a TMC who has developed their own solution, or
one like Business Travel Direct who has invested in a partnership approach.
The most important thing is choosing someone with
the credibility, expertise and reliability to support you - both now and in the
future - with sufficient investment in innovation and development that you can
be confident of your solutions' continuity and relevance moving forward. The
rise of the smartphone continues… businesses need to work with someone who can
keep pace or risk losing out.
This blog was
posted by John Pawson,
Marketing Director at Business Travel Direct,
who are exhibiting at the Business Travel Show next month. Please register for
your free visitor pass at www.businesstravelshow.com
and visit Business Travel Direct at stand B960.
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