By Shelley Fletcher-Bryant, Director of Sales and Client Management
The business travel industry is facing a challenge unlike any other. The coronavirus has upended daily life for people all over the world, and the way people collaborate and work together has undergone a rapid change.
One thing that we encourage travel managers to remember during periods of disruption is that providing guidance during times of uncertainty is essential. Travelers will be looking to replace business trips with alternative, virtual collaboration options to make sure they can still be productive in a safe environment. And it’s important that companies maintain business continuity in the face of these new challenges.
Here are our top tips for engaging your travelers:
Keep travelers informed
- Create a simple email template for quick and easy distribution with regular updates to make sure they always have the latest information at their fingertips
- Update your intranet home page with essential information, linking to useful resources and FAQs
- Build messaging in your OBT to advise travelers what to do
- Use your social community to share the latest advice and link to useful resources
- Use digital signage to inform and direct travelers where to go for the latest information
- Use mobile messaging to reach travelers with real-time updates as things change
Provide travel alternatives
- Use virtual collaboration solutions, and develop a communication plan to inform travelers of their virtual options and help them adopt to the new normal
- Create a step by step guide, including top tips on running a successful virtual meeting
- Provide guidance for travelers to share with their contacts about using virtual meeting technology
Act fast
- When the situation changes, update travelers with known facts and advice
- If a traveler is in an affected area or fears they may be infected, reach out to them and provide information immediately
- Work with your TMC to restrict bookings per your internal guidance
- Block booking options in your OBT per your internal guidance
The most important thing during times of disruption and uncertainty is to make sure your travelers are safe, informed, that they know what to do, what is expected of them and what their options are to continue to do their job as best they can. Transform your travel program so that employees can work together, from anywhere, under any circumstance.
To see an an overview of recent updates and links to reliable sources and reports surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit here.