Survey Results Highlight Opportunities
for Savings and Service
Via New High Touch Traveler-Oriented Technologies
SEATTLE and CHICAGO, March 21, 2005 - American business travelers want
new, integrated Online services from their corporate travel agency that
go beyond the simple ability to self-book air, hotel and a rental car online,
according to findings of a recent survey of American business travelers
commissioned by Orbitz for Business and Travelport, both subsidiaries of
Cendant Corporation's Travel Distribution Services Division.
Conducted by Harris Interactive® in late February and early March,
the survey sought to measure business traveler opinion of how booking and
managing travel can be more productive. The survey identifies areas where
innovative new services can be introduced to increase employee use and
corporate savings.
Practical needs present opportunities for innovation
Survey results identified areas for new corporate travel features and
functionalities, including:
-
More than half (56%) of business travelers said that logistical challenges
such as knowing where to go at their destination after arriving, changing
travel plans on the road or finding a good place to eat were the most difficult
to manage while on a business trip.
-
33% of business travelers said the ability to change, re-book and obtain
travel alerts via cell phone, PDA, or Blackberry are the most valuable
to making business travel as productive as possible.
-
More than one-fourth (27%) of business travelers value a one-stop-shop
for booking travel services beyond air, rental car and hotel -- such as
event tickets, dinner reservations and others.
These results highlight the opportunity travel management companies (TMCs),
online or otherwise, have if they can implement new technologies and features
that fit directly into a business traveler's workflow and take advantage
of familiar desktop applications and the increasing quality and use of
portable electronic devices.
"By addressing the everyday business traveler's need for practical,
real- time information and capabilities in a single, highly accessible
service, travel management companies can dramatically raise the relevance
and user satisfaction of their offerings," said Dean Sivley, chief product
and marketing officer for Cendant Corporate Travel Solutions. "This translates
into more productivity and more use of the automated travel program and,
therefore, more savings for their company."
These types of easy-to-use, highly portable capabilities come with an
increased level of customer service and responsiveness, anticipating the
business traveler's needs, as well as additional time and added cost efficiency.
Examples include:
-
Creating robust booking and proactive customer care services via cell phone,
PDA and Blackberry to aid travelers on the road.
-
Booking via applications like instant messaging, e-mail and calendar programs
-- eliminating the need to go to a traditional Web site.
-
Booking and managing more elements of a trip in one location -- things
such as restaurant reservations, event tickets, car service, international
cell phones and others at the same time as booking air, car and hotel.
Time and money present challenges
Survey results also show that American business travelers expressed
a number of challenges to business travel, including:
-
52% say that time away from the office or the cost of travel are the most
significant challenges to making business travel useful in achieving business
goals.
-
32% of business travelers employed by companies that use a travel management
firm view responsiveness as the most valued service.
-
More than one-quarter (29%) say that time management is the most difficult
aspect of business travel.
"If business travelers are able to pre-book most elements of their trip,
and have information and real-time updates pushed to them based on their
preferences and itineraries, they have more time to accomplish what they
need to do -- eliminating many of the difficulties associated with business
travel," said Sivley. "This is something we do at Orbitz for Business with
Care Alerts and at Travelport with additional traveler services integrated
into our booking platforms. The survey points to additional areas for leading
travel management companies to consider in delivering more value to business
travelers and their companies."
Methodology
Harris Interactive® fielded the study online from February 25 -
March 1, 2005, interviewing a nationwide sample of 2,134 U.S. adults aged
18 and over, of whom 513 travel for business. Data were weighted to be
representative of the total U.S. adult population on the basis of region,
age within gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity, and propensity
to be online. In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can
say with 95 percent certainty that the results for the overall sample have
a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Sampling error for
the results of the following sub-samples: business travelers (513) and
business travelers employed by companies that use a travel management firm
(237) is higher and varies.
About Harris Interactive®
Harris Interactive Inc. (http://www.harrisinteractive.com),
the 15th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world,
is a Rochester, N.Y.-based global research company that blends premier
strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation,
analysis and application. Known for The Harris Poll® and for pioneering
Internet-based research methods, Harris Interactive conducts proprietary
and public research to help its clients achieve clear, material and enduring
results.
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