The demand for corporate travel in Australia has grown in recent years, and with it the demand for corporate travel services and new corporate travel technology. At the same time, evolving corporate structures mean that the idea of having a single department responsible for booking travel is becoming redundant for most.
Instead, busy executives are left to make their own corporate travel arrangements. This is an often-complex process that involves booking multiple flights, hotels and car hire in different destinations.
It’s more important than ever that travel management companies (TMCs) integrate digital management tools into the core of their business rather than relying on external platforms and apps. This improves efficiencies and enables companies to keep travel costs to a minimum.
Disrupting the corporate travel industry
Changing consumer expectations are a significant driver of change across the travel industry as a whole. These expectations, along with a demand for transparency and greater efficiency within corporations, can be best met with the right technology.
Much as rideshare apps disrupted the taxi industry, a wave of online booking tools (OBTs) such as Serko, AeTM and Concur disrupted the corporate travel industry. Now, newcomer Alienta is further disrupting the OBT sector.
At JC Travel Professionals, we use Alienta to empower corporate travellers to manage their own travel and expenses. OBTs – and Alienta in particular – benefit our clients in a number of ways.
Transparency
The more transparent your pricing options are, the easier it is to determine the best value fares and avoid hidden costs. Transparency is crucial in corporate travel. It allows employers to view their staff members’ searches, travel requests, provide approvals and faster processing of expense claims. Alienta combines legacy airlines, low-cost carriers and other options like trains, buses and ferries. This gives you a complete picture of your itinerary and travel expenses over an entire trip.
Reduced costs
OBTs can help you reduce your costs by letting you compare multiple options in a single platform. It can even allow you to compare and book each leg inidviually so you can get the best price. Alienta stores and uses airline credits, individuals’ frequent flyer status and membership details. Cost savings on travel can lead to significant improvements on your business bottom line.
Greater efficiency
When you have all the information you need in a single platform, you can optimise both time and money. Alienta integrates with multiple GDS’. This means, for example, we can view and book car hire from hundreds of worldwide companies, including preferred negotiated rates. Our clients don’t need to search for that information separately when organising flights and accommodation.
Flexibility
Corporate travel can be unpredictable. Itineraries can change without notice and this can lead to unexpected costs, not to mention the stress of changing flights and hotel bookings. OBTs can help you manage those costs and keep them as low as possible. With Alienta, penalty and fare differences can be viewed at a glance and ticketed itineraries can be modified easily online.
Technology is a game changer in the corporate travel industry, and at JC Travel Professionals, we look forward to sharing the benefits of Alienta with our clients.