Technology Is the Future Of Business Travel in India: Are You Still on an Offline Model?

As the pandemic-induced lockdown forced businesses to adapt to Work from Home and offshoring models, business travel more or less came to an absolute standstill.

However, the sector is slowly but surely starting to get back on its feet again, thanks to the rapid strides taken on the vaccination front. And this time around, travel management providers are trying hard to leverage technology to prevent business travel from going into free-fall again.

Below, we’ll look at a few use-cases that highlight the importance of technology in corporate travel and how it is all set to revolutionise this sector for the better.

1.Business Travel Management Platforms & Online Bookings

Business travel management platforms are by far the most significant contribution of technology to business travel.These platforms have made it easier to sort out travel bookings and schedules simply with the help of a few taps and clicks. If it wasn’t for such platforms, business travel managers would still be investing 10x time, effort, and cost in the offline mode to manage associations with different airline carriers and hotel partners.

The online model of business travel management platform brings greater transparency, manageability, and clear visibility when it comes to hotels and flights management.Moreover, travel companies with rolled-out integrated mobile applications are more likely to win a more significant customer base than their non-app counterparts.

2. Document Tracking, Digital Payments, & Policy Approvals

The advent of online/digital payment systems have made purchases and transactions much more hassle-free than before. And business travel providers have been quick to identify the potency of these platforms, wasting no time to integrate the same into their applications.This integration has effectively paved the path for eliminating tedious paperwork that was inherent to traditional payment methods. This development has mainly been agreeable for corporate travellers who are invariably stretched thin for time.Consequently, the process of document tracking becomes more streamlined with these apps as well. This is because all paperwork you upload onto the application remains stored in a single location and can be accessed easily by either party when needed.

On the travel policy front, the offline mode requires travel managers to manually check policy compliance which in itself is time draining. The online mode of business travel management platforms directly embeds policy rules into the platform and these work as compliance checkpoints for business travellers. When integrated into the booking process, the time and hassle reduce drastically.

3. Intelligent Search Feature

It is no secret that the modern-day search feature on websites and apps are as powerful as they are intelligent. From auto-filling searches to prompting super-specific search criteria, the search option is loaded with a host of value-added capabilities that makes life extremely easy for business travellers.

It empowers them to leverage these abilities to find and lock in on the bookings they need, leading to greater conversions and fewer abandoned bookings in the process. Moreover, it also enables travel companies expedite the process of re-bookings and booking modifications in the event of last-minute cancellations.

For instance, suppose your flight gets cancelled a few hours prior to its scheduled takeoff. Now, instead of surfing the internet for new bookings, you can just rely on your app for backups. Since it is already aware of your flight route and timings, it’ll provide you with a list of alternative flight bookings for you to choose from.

4. Analytics & Reporting

The use of business travel management apps and platforms allows organisations to strengthen their core operations by making them privy to a host of relevant and critical data.

These include department-wise expenditure (and savings), missed savings report, list of cities that its employees frequently visit, list of the most preferred hotels for accommodation, out-of-policy bookings, and predictive analysis of future expenditure.

With business travel slowly starting to pick up momentum, it is vital that corporates hand over their business travel requirements to business travel management providers that have prioritised the integration of technology in their operations.

Quest2Travel is one such platform. Our streamlined corporate travel management services help you manage your employee travel procurement transparently and securely. This in turn, makes your lives more manageable in the process. From approvals and bookings to documentation and expenditure management, we’ve got you covered on all fronts.

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