You wake up early one morning and as usual you check the news – “Terrorist Attack in Europe!” Your heart stops – where are your travelers? This is a nightmare scenario for every travel manager, and having support systems in place before these tragedies occur is the only way to ameliorate the risks.
Unfortunately, sometimes that nightmare becomes reality. Like the tragic events that occurred in Brussels, Belgium in March when more than 30 people were killed by terrorist bombings at the city’s airport and metro. Lamentably, those events highlighted the reality of threats that business travelers face on a regular basis. It also hit home for us here at JTB when our Risk Management team identified a possible risk to travelers from Irvine Scientific, one of our valued clients.
“So many concerns come to mind when a terrible event occurs and you know you have team members traveling,” said Toru Naganuma from Irvine Scientific.
Risk Management is a service we designed to take quick action when situations like the one in Belgium occur. Using leading technologies and systems, we are able to identify and categorize disruptive events around the world that put travelers at risk. These systems provide around-the-clock monitoring, enabling us to intervene whenever events occur that cause disruption for our corporate travelers.
After experiencing Risk Management first hand, Toru Naganuma shared: “Within minutes of the tragic bombing in Brussels, we were contacted by JTB. Our personal experience with the JTB Risk Management team was invaluable – they took immediate action, tended to our travelers’ needs and put everyone at ease.”
We consider our clients’ travelers part of our team, so having a system that allows us to identify risk, intervene and mitigate the risk that those travelers may encounter is without a doubt one of the most valuable services we provide. Imagine, well before the press is often able to provide concrete information, our operations teams secure necessary assistance and provide notifications to the company and each individual traveler affected by the event. The result is peace of mind for everyone.
As the Travel Manager in your company – when these situations unfold in real-time – do you know what steps to take? Can you access records to see who is traveling? Do your travelers know whom to contact to get help? Knowing what incidents are happening, where they are happening, and knowing if your travelers are affected are critical components to any risk management plan. If you don’t have a plan in place, we hope that by sharing this story we have motivated you to create one. Read all about our Complete Duty of Care Solution and how you can benefit.
Fine article! And so very relevant given today’s global travel environment.
Thanks for posting!