New research from Corporate Travel Management has found 63 per cent of organisations do not formally measure traveller experience, despite 61 per cent of travellers surveyed saying a positive business travel experience leaves them feeling stress-free.
Response speed rated most important during disruption
The global survey of 235 business travellers, travel managers, arrangers and bookers across Australia, New Zealand, North America, Asia, the UK and Europe found 70 per cent of business travellers rated fast TMC response times as the most important factor in delivering a positive experience during disruption. A further 66 per cent said their confidence came from knowing support was available when needed, while 50 per cent said the best experience combined self-service technology with access to human expertise.
Among travel managers, bookers and arrangers surveyed, 73 per cent said they were confident in their corporate travel program’s ability to support travellers during disruption, a gap the research suggests may not always align with the underlying data on program performance given how few organisations formally measure the traveller experience.
CTM says intelligent programs should combine automation and human support
CTM group chief commercial officer Philippa Johns said traveller expectations around support speed were evolving.
“Travellers increasingly expect their travel programme to anticipate disruption, remove unnecessary friction and invisibly connect them to the right help at the right moment,” Johns said.
“Travellers shouldn’t have to think about whether they need technology or a person when something goes wrong – the travel programme should know. The future of traveller experience is not digital versus human; it’s using both intelligently to deliver a better outcome.”
The findings are detailed in CTM’s report, Traveller Experience, When It Matters Most, which examines how traveller confidence is shaped when plans change and what organisations can do to build more resilient travel programs.
