Mobile devices, software and telecom programs were the functional areas in this survey with which travel professionals were least likely to be involved. And yet, for all intents and purposes, mobile and travel are inseparable.
Fifty-six percent of respondents were not involved with managing these areas, 68 percent were not involved with purchasing mobile apps for travel and about three-quarters were not involved with the procurement of mobile phones. Respondents from smaller firms showed a higher tendency than their large-company colleagues to be involved in the negotiations and programs for mobile devices, but company size appears to be meaningless when it comes to apps and mobile software, for which around two-thirds of respondents from firms of all sizes said they were not involved.
Furthermore, 93 percent of those who were not involved with mobile device and telecom programs did not expect to be, and 81 percent thought they should not be.
This is not surprising to Norm Rose of Travel Tech Consulting, but it is concerning. "There are two primary issues related to the growth of smartphone use in the enterprise, in connection with managed travel programs: program leakage and continuous engagement," Rose wrote after reviewing the survey data. "Mobile represents a new technology platform for travel interactions that is highly personal, and contextually and location sensitive. In an era where the traveler is driving technology choices, ignoring mobile app purchases may lead to further program leakage as suppliers use mobile apps to deliver unique offers to travelers based on their value, location and situation. If these offers conflict with corporate policy or add extra fees to the travel program through the sale of ancillary services, the impact on a managed travel program could be significant."
U.S. Foodservice in the spring of 2010 converted its mobile program from a controlled one including company-issued BlackBerry devices to an "individual device, individual pay" program, said Jennifer Steinke, travel and expense manager for the foodservice distributor. Although her department faced a "deluge" of apps, Steinke said, "We realize that it is really important that we don't ignore mobile. It will become more prevalent and aggressive. So, we thought, how can we quickly have a presence in this space without reinventing the wheel?"
The company offered travelers an app from an incumbent travel technology partner. "In a perfect world, I have total control and everyone is in compliance and using the apps I tell them to--but that's not realistic," said Steinke.
According to Rose, "The second issue of continuous engagement speaks to the opportunity the mobile platform provides to deliver services to the traveler on the trip. Corporate buyers should be working with their travel management companies to develop strategies to deliver mobile information that is location and contextually relevant to the business traveler during the trip. If the traveler arrives in an unfamiliar destination, they should be equipped with transportation options, restaurant recommendations and destination advice all geared to make the business trip more productive."
For Steinke, that means compliance-oriented messaging, such as guiding a traveler to preferred ground transportation options upon arrival.
North American Mission Board vendor services manager Lois Mitchell related a story about a traveler who attempted to rent a car on the spot and was told the only option available was a pricey sport utility vehicle. He walked away, used his mobile device to book a compact car and took the reservation back to the desk. The car rental firm honored the reserved rate but provided the SUV.
Explaining why she supported a mobile travel program for the not-for-profit organization, Mitchell said, "Part of what I do is take the advances of the travel agency and [tech provider] and make those available to staff. Sometimes I have to push vendors to do the things I've heard other companies have so we can stay current with what's out there and make travelers' lives easier."
But Rose and others believe there are not enough Steinkes and Mitchells in travel management.
According to Evan Konwiser, co-founder of mobile app provider FlightCaster, "It's a little disconcerting that so many think they won't or, even worse, shouldn't be part of these decisions. I don't think a travel buyer needs to be involved with what type of smartphone a company supports, but they need to be the ones procuring travel-specific applications for both mobile and social media. If the travel buyer is not part of these discussions, you can be assured that travel tools and applications are not being considered an important part of the discussion."