Travel Mgmt. Cos. Push Data To Corps. Via The Web

<B>Travel Mgmt. Cos. Push Data To Corps. Via The Web</B>

By Megan Hjermstad and Jay Campbell

With third-party providers and agencies moving data reporting to the Internet, travel managers now have the option of obtaining travel agency data through a new medium that allows for more timely information, greater customization and easier access.

Web-based reporting reduces the delivery time and offers immediate access to data on demand, so it is available when, where and in whichever format travel managers need it. The Web environment also enables highly interactive reporting, so data is no longer just sheer numbers and statistics in raw form, but information that can be massaged and manipulated at will.

"Why wouldn't anybody want to use the Web? It's fast, convenient and costs less," said Ralph Brown of Illinois-based consultancy R.D. Brown Co. "I'd have to search deep to find drawbacks."

Prior to the move to the Web, travel management companies, on a quarterly or monthly basis, sent out information in reams of paper, or on disks or CDs. Both methods, unfortunately, were slow and expensive. "There was a cost associated with the printing and delivery of more dated, fixed information," said Lee Rosen, president and founder of Los Angeles-based Trams Inc. "I could back up information on that client and send it to them with a viewer. And that's better, but you still have fixed and dated data. The benefit of a browser-based application is that data instantaneously is updated and is in my live database, so there are no production and distribution costs."

However timely, one pitfall of the Web is that the information, which in unaudited form can be updated daily, can result in hasty decisions based on insufficient trending information. "Travel managers need to be more aware that data allowed a more measured response in the past, when they had a whole month to figure out business strategies. Now there might be a tendency to react too quickly," said Navigant International CIO Neville Teagarden.

Nonetheless, travel managers recognize that a Web solution can distribute critical information in a more timely fashion. Earl Foster, travel manager at Paris-based Vivendi Universal, will be moving to Web-based reporting in the next 60 days. "I get all my data on CDs, and when I get a massive one, I have to parse out for individual business units on new CDs and overnight it to the respective managers," said Foster. "Now we're going to do everything online. The Web I can access at any time, get data and have reports instantaneously."

The Web-based tools remove the need for secondary distribution by giving multiple people access to the same information, or tiered access, so travel managers or department managers can access certain relevant information.

"The advantage is, you put the tool into the hands of the people--not just the travel manager--who may use it for a host of different reasons," said Rock Blanco, vice president of e-solutions for Bloomington, Ind.-based Cornerstone Information Systems.

For travel managers who want to manage and control the data, the Web empowers them with the ability to run reports on demand, and do the query and manipulation of data themselves.

"The reports we provide are not only reports, but actually are self-contained databases that can be drilled into, queried and saved in different formats, such as Excel. What was before a fixed frame picture, today is a video clip," said Michael Whitesage, president of Albuquerque, N.M.-based The Prism Group.

"Say I want to know how many people I have traveling over the next six months to X destinations within 100 miles of my office and are not yet ticketed today," said Blanco, "the only way I know of is to call the travel agency and ask them. But on the Web, I, as the travel manager, can push a button and do that exact query without needing to know any programming. There is no way any product at the desktop will have that capability."

Despite their advantages, Web products that allow travel buyers to slice and dice information may be too time-intensive and more robust than the needs of most travel managers. "Web products make for flashy demos, but does the travel manager really spend time requesting reports, waiting for them to come back and then drilling down? Does the Web really serve to be the best delivery mechanism?" asked Richard Law, president of Wheaton, Ill.-based Richard Law & Associates. In Law's opinion, e-mail reports by demand are a better option than the Web.

"It depends on a company's travel policy," said Andy Knox, MIS manager at Boston-based Garber Travel. "Some accounts do monitor it closely, seriously trying to manage costs with trip reports. Some don't want to run reports, but the majority like to have the flexibility of having data at their fingertips."

Scott Guerrero, vice president of business development and consulting services for St. Louis-based TQ3 Maritz Travel Solutions, agreed that the level of usage and demand for interactive Web reporting varies by client. "Every travel manager is not interested in micro-managing," said Guerrero. "Some who don't want to be married to the PC, say, 'Just e-mail me this info when I need it.' "

Many agencies and third parties are, in fact, offering other electronic options, such as e-mail distribution, and have trained account managers to run reports and perform ad-hoc queries by request for clients. The option especially is viable for travel managers at companies with smaller travel spend who don't have the time or staff to monitor data internally.

"A smaller company still will depend on the agency to do a lot of manipulation for them, but they want exactly the same information as I do," said Foster. "I am going to put all the resources into it myself. I have a data specialist who will do all the reporting, and all my people have to do is invoke a question."

Many feel that the need for Web reporting grows in proportion to the company's travel volume. Teagarden said the percentage that travel takes up of the total budget and the sophistication of the policy also could increase its value.

"The value of Internet systems somewhat declines with the size of the account," said Brown. "A travel manager with $20 million to $50 million in air is negotiating at a higher level. Smaller spends want the info, but it is not handled as aggressively. The benefits still are there, but the value is not as big. Smaller account managers really don't review accounts quite as often as larger accounts, because their patterns are not changing as often."

However, travel manager Harriet Washburn, vice president of travel for Chicago-based Aon Service Corp., a CT 100 company, disagreed. Washburn has Prism send her e-mail reports on-demand, instead of creating custom reports herself on the Web.

"A lot of travel managers looking at smaller business are looking at every single traveler," said Washburn. "With a bigger program, that's just not feasible.