Been in the industry for a while? You’ve likely watched business travel innovation shift dramatically over the past few decades. Travel went from all analog, all the time, to mostly digital, and now there’s even AI to think about.
It’s admittedly a lot to wrap your head around. AI has been taking the world by storm. Travel seems to be the perfect testing ground for AI’s capabilities, shifting the way we put together itineraries, gather personalized recommendations and manage Travelers’ needs in real-time. Platforms and services powered by NDC aim to make travel booking experiences more personalized. Meanwhile, blockchain solutions streamline those same experiences.
Even if you don’t really want to understand all of the above, it’s just a fact that the business travel industry is changing. Business travel innovation is coming — ready or not.
So, how can you go about navigating this shifting industry landscape? You want to continue serving your Travelers to the best of your ability, assuring they have the best travel experiences possible.
Here are a few ways to approach business travel innovation and maybe even use it to your (and your Travelers’!) advantage.
1. Stay Abreast of Industry News, Changes and Developments
Your Travelers are looking to you as their trusted expert. So, while you might not have all of the answers to all their questions right away, you at least should be abreast of the latest business travel innovation developments.
Business Travel News is an excellent source of business travel innovation news. However, no matter your preferred outlet, it’s vital that you keep an eye on the changing business travel landscape. You need to anticipate new trends before they arrive. Then, you can make calculated decisions that will ultimately benefit your Travelers.
2. Learn to Identify What Innovations are Actually Helpful Right Now
As you take in all the content necessary to keep you informed and apprised of business travel innovation, make a point to pay attention to what innovations are actually helpful right now. Some might just be all talk. Sometimes, a promised innovation is just that — a promise. There’s no actual, effective tool that can make your job easier today.
For the innovations that are available right this second, watch how your fellow Travel Managers are using them to their benefit. What can you learn from others’ implementation?
3. Explore Your Options in a No-Risk Setting
Along these lines, as new business travel innovations come to light, you might not necessarily want to immediately roll them out to your Travelers. You need a chance to become acclimated to them yourself.
Take the time to explore new tools, platforms and similar options in a no-risk setting. Don’t use your Travelers as guinea pigs to test them out while they’re on the road. First, learn the ins and outs, potential problems and downfalls.
4. Consider Innovation an Investment
Investing in new travel tools and platforms can come with an initial cost. However, what costs are you paying by not making that initial investment? Are your Travelers spending more on travel than they might have to? And, are you losing time to tasks that could be taken over by AI tools?
Innovation is an investment, but one that often pays off. That’s not to say that you should immediately throw all your budget at the latest and greatest new tool that comes on the market. Thorough research is key. But, also don’t hesitate to make a savvy investment if you’re certain it will pay for itself, whether that means lowering overall travel costs, saving you time or simply making Travelers happier.
5. Consider Innovation’s Interplay with Other Industry Trends
Often, business travel innovation is a response to other business travel trends or industry issues. As you navigate the world of business travel innovation, consider how that innovation may impact other industry trends or provide a solution to problems you see your Travelers encountering on a regular basis.
For example, the Deloitte 2023 Corporate Travel Study found that current trending growth drivers within the business travel industry include growing live event attendance and international travel. As such, could growing business travel innovation help you support your Travelers in their international travel or live event attendance? If so, that might be a tool or innovation to explore further.
Similarly, the Deloitte study looked at how travel decisions are changing due to shifting attitudes toward virtual event attendance, virtual meetings and working from home. Sustainability is also a growing concern for many Travelers and organizations. Both could limit business travel and when business travel occurs, the stakes could be higher. What are companies and Travelers getting from the effort taken to take the trip?
Likewise, a study from TravelPort looked at how business travel intersects with employees’ growing focus on work-life balance and personal well-being — and how they’re bringing that focus to their trips, demanding more choices and even post-trip recovery time.
In all of the above, business travel innovation is responding, with new tech and tools attempting to help Travelers make the most of their trips and limit the potential downsides — like carbon emissions or a decrease in work-life balance or personal wellbeing — in the process.
The Best Thing You Can Do to Make Business Travel Innovation Work for You? Find a Trusted Partner
All of the above considered, however, the absolute best thing you can do to make business travel innovation work for you is to find a trusted partner who knows the industry, who has an impressive track record of navigating the industry on clients’ behalf, and who can provide you with the resources necessary for your success as a Travel Manager.
In other words, you need a trusted partner like JTB Business Travel. Get in touch today to see how we can help you navigate business travel innovation and deliver a superior travel experience to your Travelers.
