Op-Ed: Suppliers Must Remember The Beyond-Contract Value Of Partnership
What happened to partnership in a time of automation, commoditization and outsourcing?
I have seen a broad evolution in the corporate travel industry, and today the pendulum is swinging hard and fast. It seems that from a corporate standpoint, there isn't enough that can be done in order to improve services, increase efficiencies and of course continue making the cost reductions that are never-ending. Through all the data analysis, technology and third-party consultants, it is hard to remember the beyond-contract value of partnerships and relationships and ultimately the customer.
The cornerstone of this industry is service and people. Ultimately, the contracts are really just redlined pieces of paper that the lawyers have scrutinized and reviewed until they feel they have contributed to the maximum. While this scrutiny is vital, what really makes any managed travel program work is the constant tending and grooming of these contracts with partners. A good example is travel agency contracts. I have seen enough agency agreements to understand that no matter how long and hard you try (and I have), you will never, ever get all the aspects of every condition that can and will occur and you will never, ever be able to define every corresponding action and response.
Ultimately it is the partnership, the time and the daily grind that finally gives you the groove of how the relationship is going to work. These tried and true rituals in effect become part of the agreement with some invisible ink that becomes clearer as the days, weeks, months and years pass. You can't outsource these intangibles to ABC Consulting and measure this in a key performance indicator or cost reduction. The travel industry is beyond measure in the number of things that can go wrong: factors of weather, air traffic control, equipment, tempers, broken technology . . . the list is endless. How your supplier reacts in these scenarios is really the test of their mettle, and of their beyond-contract spirit to you, their customer. It also highlights to you whether you have invested enough time and knowledge with your travel suppliers to let them know who you are and what is important in beyond-contract partnership.
In the dawn of the Internet, travel was one of the first industries to transition and embrace the cold, quick searching of pricing, schedules and options. In the rush to create value, we decided that technology was the holy grail of travel and all our problems would be solved if we could just get to 90 percent touchless transactions, e-auction of all our suppliers and be the first to use a GNE—one of the new entrants to the global distribution system space. As with all infatuations, the scenario seemed so much more attractive when it was unattainable. Once we actually see the result of our quest, we also see the aftermath. Our internal customers are dismayed that they now are perceived as the travel experts, so much in fact that they review every trip and cost via several Internet leisure sites. Suppliers who respond online to price and requests for information never really get a feel for the culture and spirit of a company; they don't feel a partnership connection. In these scenarios, we are indeed faceless conveyers of electronic transmissions with the best price and offering coming in first in a race that has no winners.
In the rush to improve and move forward, we are left with one blinding simple fact: We have to slow down. Ultimately, we have to deal with people and to discuss the basics.
If you go back to pink message slips and live dialogue (no, I don't mean instant messaging), you start to remember that once upon a time a contract or idea was the result of a conversation—a dance that possibly wasn't even intended to begin. An idea that rose up through interaction and laughter, a possibility of improvement or value that wasn't Webexed in advance with interactive sharing.
Don't get me wrong: I love technology. My middle name is beta (actually, I prefer alpha), but when the Web is down and the dog ate my contract, and my ABC outsourcing company contact is on vacation, I actually may pick up the phone and give you a call and we can talk.
And I promise, even if your automated attendant answers, I'll leave you a message. That's what a partnership is all about.
Thomson Multimedia Corporate Travel Buyer Cindy Heston.