BTA COMMENT Go with the flow

It goes without saying that technology goes hand in hand with convenience, and the business travel industry’s continued advancement towards customer accessibility and efficiency is heavily reliant on technological innovation. Consequently, travel management companies (TMCs) have become the outstanding aggregators of technology, utilising it to enhance our industry's development.

Today, technology is part and parcel of the TMC’s role, ensuring that the new products, systems, and software desired by their corporate clients is bespoke, adapted and functional from the front to the back.

Working with the latest innovations can be complex and at times a challenge for TMCs to juggle, and can present a risk to the seamless delivery service that the industry strives to provide.

It is therefore crucial that the business travel supply chain works in collaboration with technological innovators to develop solutions and best-fit practices together, to simplify connectivity and ensure it fits into – and improves – the existing travel and technology eco-system.

The need for technology to be integrated in a simpler way to maximise efficiency is vital.

The technologies used within the business travel industry are diverse and range from new distribution capabilities (NDC) and reshopping services to trip approval processes and traveller tracking .

Yet, regardless of the individual functions and the great benefits these systems bring, technology developments need to focus first and foremost on bringing improvements for the end users – TMCs and their clients – to provide a full service that operates smoothly, removing any potential friction.

Our TMCs are the client-facing powerhouse that carry our industry forward and ensure that businesses keep moving. Without them, and the positive advancement of technology, booking flow will fall apart.

Clive Wratten Chief Executive Officer