Mobile technology hailed as top trend impacting managed travel: CWT study

LOVE it or hate it, technology is making an impact on the travel management industry and Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s (CWT) latest report has identified the top five trends that are affecting managed travel today, including mobile technology and the sharing economy.

Titled Faster, smarter, better? Emerging technologies and trends and their impact on managed travel, the study evaluated over 15 different industry trends and technologies with feedback from travel managers and travellers.

CWT found that travel managers are open to new technologies and the majority of travel managers surveyed who rated the impact of new technologies and trends moderate to high also have firm plans to expand programmes to work new technologies into their operations or are actively considering their options.

The trend thought to have the most impact on managed travel is mobile technology, which includes wearables, seamless multi-channel access across devices, apps, and location based services. There is therefore a need for a clear mobile policy to steer travellers towards using approved apps and solutions and address data safety concerns.

The second is a trend towards more customization in services, driven by Big Data, social media and IATA’s new distribution capability for airline inventory.

Peer-to-peer services such as Airbnb and Uber are also creating specialised products for the managed travel market to address safety concerns and expense management issues in particular.

Travel managers have also shown interest in fare- and rate-tracking technology enabling their programmes to generate more savings, as well as technology-based, proactive rebooking services for employees who face trip disruptions.

New payment solutions that simplify processes, reinforce policy compliance and protect against fraud are also very welcome.

CWT’s study spanned December 2014 to May 2015 and involved more than 65 travel management experts from companies, business travel associations, travel management companies, technology and solutions providers, travel suppliers, trade media and consultants.

It also took into account a detailed online survey that polled 1,080 from four global companies and a similar survey involving 127 travel managers worldwide.

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