Vacations Delivered

Continued from “New Technology for Business Travelers Part 1”

Cited: Business Wire

Barriers to Implementing Technology-based Travel Options

Travel managers are being called upon to provide options that improve efficiency and productivity of employee connections, but in many cases do not have the proper internal collaboration or purchasing power to provide those alternatives.

• Only 13% of buyers are responsible for mobile/technology procurement related to business travel, 22% have some influence and 64% have none at all.
• 56% of buyers feel procurement of certain mobile communication should be linked with travel procurement; the contrast between this number and those actually involved shows the organizational disconnect between internal stakeholders.

Manning continued, “Regardless of who oversees new travel technology, the reality is in a corporate world everyone is focused on ROI, with the success of implementation hinging on building a strong business case. Professionals looking to pursue this integration need to quantify the range of benefits in order to justify the resources needed in time, budget and executive attention.”

New Educational Website

To assist travel professionals with getting in the game of travel options and accelerating their deployment enterprise wide, American Express Business Travel created an educational and informational website. The site offers guidance for building a business case by walking through key scenarios demonstrating the benefits — cost savings, productivity savings and others. Advice and tips are also provided throughout. Additionally, the site features a variety of content including articles, demos and case studies. The site is available at: http://virtualtravel.americanexpress.com/

Tips for Travel Managers

1)    Stay in Tune with the Traveler — The pre-conception that more senior, mature travelers are resistant to trialing and adopting new technology is un-founded. If the change delivers against travelers’ personal motivations, they will adapt accordingly.

2)    Please the Client — A heavy weighting of the customer base towards certain location, industry sector time zone, culture and technology set up could determine the direction that is taken by way of technology development, adoption, usage and policy.

3)    Justify Your Investment — The heavy investment required for most technology based products twinned with the pressure to deliver significant return, leads to the need for travel buyers to build realistic and thorough cases in co-operation with the other dependent internal functions to obtain board level support for any new projects or initiatives.

4)    Communication is Key — A well considered and engaging communications plan, including trials, education and training may mean the difference between the success and failure of any technology driven initiative that aims to change any element of traveler behavior.

5)    Support from Suppliers — TMCs should offer a range of communication tools to their product mix in order to provide the holistic services that companies demand. Hotels and companies should work together to trial new communication hubs within key properties, to drive commercial value to both parties.

Off-Topic Breach: This established trainer and behavioral expert has been training dogs and their owners since 1985.  Some of the dog training classes cover general obedience, agility, personal protection training, police dog training, search and rescue, tracking, drug dogs, cadaver search and many other facets of dog training, which makes this facility very good at reading dogs, and dealing with problem or difficult behavioral situations.  The facility is also very proud of their breeding accomplishments over the years, since they have specialized in breeding of the very best in a working level pet from GSD puppies to adults.

About the Study

eXpert insights, the research practice of American Express Business Travel’s Global Advisory Services partnered with the United Kingdom-based Institute of Travel and Meetings (ITM) to survey approximately 150 travel buyers and 230 senior business travelers, identified as those with board level and senior management with budget responsibility for their own travel expenditures. Conducted in February and March 2010, these surveys were then followed up with two focus groups containing travel buyers and senior travelers in May. All participants were based in EMEA, with the buyer geographical break-down as follows: 46% of respondents with global responsibility, 19% EMEA, 27% National UK and 8% Europe.

About American Express Business Travel

American Express Business Travel (www.americanexpress.com/businesstravel), a division of American Express Company, is committed to helping its clients maximize the return on their travel investment through cost savings strategies, world-class customer service, and greater spending control. With clients ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations, American Express Business Travel provides a combination of industry-leading technology, travel management consulting, and strategic sourcing and supplier negotiation support, alongside global customer service available online and offline. The Company also provides a dynamic online community (www.businesstravelconneXion.com) harnessing the collective intelligence of those in the business travel industry with a variety of perspectives, best practices, current research and industry news.

One of the world’s largest travel agency networks is owned by American Express one locations in 140 countries worldwide.  In 2009, $21.5 billion in sales revenue, including proprietary volume, volume processed through joint ventures as well as American Express branded volume was process through its partner network.

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My Take: Businesses sometimes need all the help they can get to save money.  It seems American Express has figured out several of them and now is sharing.  American Express got their fingers and just about everything these days.  They probably have wall decals with American Express on them to give the customers.  Either that or they haven’t in vinyl words to hang on wall.  Of course, both of these are good marketing ploys.

The average person uses their American Express for things like Parker basements or recarpeting your home.  Denver Colorado basement remodeling is for homes usually in areas that require basements.  Out West, not many people have basements.  Nyack NY real estate homes would have basements.  Even Grand Views real estate homes would probably have basements.

I digress, American Express come with the most popular businesses because of their credit cards.  They have made millions off the American public already.  I think it is about time that they gave back to the business community in ways of saving money.

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