Historically speaking, the travel industry has been resistant to evolving technology and change. This resistance can be a hindrance on progress, affecting everything from traveler experience to travel management. Unwillingness to change in industries or businesses is not unusual and it isn’t always negative. But if there ever was a time to adopt new technologies and solutions, now is the time.
Securing and Protecting your Business
The Covid-19 pandemic and the economic downturn that rapidly followed has taken a large toll on industries around the world. Knowing what to do during a crisis like the one we are in right now, can be a confusing, anxiety-inducing, stressful experience. Rash decisions can be very damaging but inaction can be just as harmful as well. Without a solid sense of how long a crisis will last and what will be on the other end of it, it is difficult to make confident decisions.
During times of uncertainty and crisis, it is important to first stabilize and protect your business. For most, this should be a relatively simple and obvious process. Do what is necessary to weather the storm and keep your business running. For many companies however, their crisis management plan stops there. But there is a real chance for you to look towards capitalizing and seizing opportunities.
Seizing Opportunities
For many travel management companies and travel teams, the Coronavirus pandemic exposed many weaknesses in their operations. Whether it was a lack of accurate and timely data, or even the inability to shift to a primarily remote workforce; Many found themselves having to scramble to make the right decisions. These moments provide an excellent chance to learn and grow. Center your decision making around positioning your business to not only be prepared for another possible crisis, but also to be better and stronger than before.
It may seem counter-intuitive and a bit frightening, but some of the biggest opportunities for growth can come out of economic downturns. It is one thing to learn a lesson, but it means nothing if you don’t act with that new knowledge. Innovation comes from necessity. Build new partnerships, strengthen your existing relationships, develop new data strategies, invest in better tools and solutions and solidify your business.
The New Travel Landscape
Nearly every aspect of travel will change as we navigate through the Covid-19 crisis. New safety and hygiene protocols are being enacted to keep travelers safe. Airlines and hotels are setting out guidelines and training staff, all in the effort to drive confidence and to get the world moving again. As we all know in the travel industry, supply and demand will always bounce back. Businesses depend on travel in many ways.
To further ensure the safety of employee travelers, invest in a virtual payment program. The travel industry is continually moving forward towards an automated and online business. Virtual payment has rapidly become a reliable and secure alternative to the traditional corporate credit card. From expenditure controls and reduced risk, to efficient workflow and better all-around traveler experience; The benefits of a virtual payment program are apparent.
Quality standards will likely rise across the board. For travel management, how do you adapt to this new landscape, how do you control costs, how do you meet the demands and objectives of your business? Having an accurate and timely data set is more important now than ever. Visibility and transparency across your travel program will be critical. Harness your data, ensure that it is accurate, valuable and relevant to you.
Better Tools and Solutions
At Grasp Technologies, we pride ourselves on our ability to offer adaptable and customized solutions that best serve you and your business. Now more than ever, companies need to take ownership of their travel data. Grasp Technologies is here to help you perfect your travel data strategy. Our tools and solutions have been on the leading edge of the travel data industry. We provide our clients with integrated, intelligent and consolidated data management solutions. To back it all up, client service and relations are everything at Grasp Technologies.
We aren’t claiming to know exactly how the travel landscape will look like post-coronavirus. But what we can promise is that with over 400 years of travel experience between our various teams, our industry thought-leadership and solutions will help you gain better insight into your company’s travel management.
For more information on what Grasp Technologies can do for you and your travel program, please visit www.grasptech.com.
