Photo courtesy of TripIt
Travel organizing app TripIt from Concur introduced a new program today that aims to makes it easier for travel management companies (TMCs) and travelers to connect on the road.
The new program, "TripIt for TMCs," displays the branded logo and contact information of TMCs clearly on travelers' itineraries via the TripIt app. That way, travelers can have an instant reference point and be able to contact their TMCs directly-any time, anywhere, on any device.
"The pain point we are trying to solve for is that as a business traveler, some things don't always go according to plan," said Jugdeep Bal, Concur's senior director of business development for TripIt. "And it's generally at an inopportune moment when these things happen, and it's a chaotic one. Many times, it's not always clear who you should reach out to for help."
Bal said that the program was born out of discussions with TMCs. Travel managers were having trouble staying in touch with travelers after the traveler had booked, presenting a variety of problems.
"Their opportunities to stay connected to travelers are greatly diminished after someone books their travel plans," Bal said, adding that part of TripIt's goal was to "minimize that communication gap."
Having the contact information available at a moment's glance can also be helpful given the wealth of things travelers and TMCs have in front of them during trips, Ball said.
"(Travelers) do have so many things to deal with," Bal said. "When we talked to these TMCs, they did mention that this is a pain point for them. Even though data is so accessible, that may be part of the problem. Maybe there's too much data that's accessible. And when you are in that moment of need or chaos, sometimes having it right there in a one-click fashion may be exactly what you need."
TripIt's travel organizing process remains the same, Bal said. Travelers simply send their itinerary to [email protected]. Then, if their trip was booked through a participating TMC, they will see their TMC's contact details and logo alongside their travel plans in the TripIt app.
So far, six launch partners are participating in the program: Adelman Travel, Christopherson Business Travel, FCm Travel Solutions, Frosch, Travel Incorporated, and World Travel Service, Inc.
Bal said TripIt is open to working with other TMCs. TMCs do not need to have been previously affiliated with TripIt or Concur.
TripIt is available to TMCs of all sizes across the United States and all English-speaking countries.
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