Intranets Ease Travel Booking

<H1> Intranets Ease Travel Booking</H1><B>W</B>ith the tremendous surge in demand for products to automate travel booking and T&E reimbursement, it has become critical for travel buyers to manage the relationship between service levels and costs. Commission caps, and the subsequent rush to fee caps, appear largely responsible for this trend, which will accelerate if the airlines cut commissions again.

Intranets-corporate homepages that are accessible only by employees-will help supply this escalating demand. These sites, which are rapidly gaining popularity in corporations, create a central crossroads to distribute information and provide automated tools to ease travel purchasing. They will greatly reduce the costs of automation development because far less will be required to make applications compatible with different systems.

Creating intranets and travel management Web pages is remarkably easy compared to other corporate IS initiatives. Intranets are based on the same "protocols" (rules) and use the same programming language as the Internet. By using security programs called "firewalls," companies can restrict intranet access to designated computers inside the corporation.

Accessing intranets requires only the tools needed to access the Internet and the World Wide Web. Access to information on an intranet does not require any specific computer, operating system or e-mail system. Neither do users need to be on dedicated and expensive local or wide-area networks. Any computer with a modem and a browser-software that tells the computer how to display information on a Website-is sufficient.

Intranets work like flexible electronic Bulletin Board/Forums. A travel Web page can accommodate an almost unlimited number of potential users due to its "scaleability," or ability to work on both large and small computers. Intranets leapfrog some of the most difficult and expensive obstacles to providing PC-based booking and expense reports in an e-mail or networked company. They free up travel and IS managers to focus on the content of their site rather than on technical issues.

Intranets have another exciting dimension for travel managers. Users logging on to the "travel department homepage" to get flight information or make reservations will see a menu that offers a broad spectrum of information when and where they need it. This could include current policies, traveler tips, safety advisories, hotel rates, information on preferred vendors, maps to corporate or client locations, and meeting schedules and registration materials.

Much work still needs to be done. Many intranet applications still are unproven; they must meet corporate needs and policies. These applications also need to become part of larger corporate infrastructures. It does no good to put an electronic expense form on an intranet site if the data cannot be connected to internal approval, financial and reporting systems.

Neither are intranets the only solution. More programs have been developed for distribution on floppy disks or via networks or e-mail. IBM/Lotus Notes offers similar benefits.

Nevertheless, several major vendors-including Sabre, TravelNet and Internet Travel Network-have confirmed that they plan to roll out new intranet-based applications.

Remember that intranets are not for travel only. Many companies are using them to distribute information about benefits, procedures, customers and a wide variety of other information that corporations soon will not be able to live without.

Access to an intranet soon will be as common in corporate life as using the phone or reading a memo. Clients will be able to customize the content of a Web page and plug it directly into an intranet. Travel managers will then be free to concentrate on providing the best tools and most up-to-date and useful information that the company and individual travelers need to get the most value from their travel investment.

<I>Tom Wilkinson is president of Travel Management Group, an Alexandria, Va.-based consulting company.