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Survey Finds American Business
Travellers Like
Online Booking, But A Third Still Frequently Use
"Offline" Services to Meet Their Needs
Results Underscore Value of Online Innovation and Integrated
Solutions to Meet Business Traveller Needs, While Maintaining
Corporate Savings
SEATTLE (November 4, 2004) — American business
travellers continue to use the Internet to book travel, yet
many of them still use 'offline' services when making
itinerary changes, according to findings from a new survey of
American business travellers with online access. The survey was
commissioned by Travelport Corporate Solutions, a global
leader in corporate travel management and a subsidiary of
Cendant Corporation (NYSE: CD). Conducted by Harris
Interactive®, the survey found that although more than half
(52%) of American business travellers book their business
travel online, one-third (33%) still use 'offline' channels
such as traditional travel agents to make or amend their
business travel reservations.
While the number of companies offering online self-booking
as part of their corporate travel programs continues to grow,
many employees are not taking advantage of the more efficient,
less expensive online tools. In the survey, Travelport
measured American business traveller opinion of booking options
and examined the reasons travellers choose more expensive
offline services. Results point to the options valued by
business travellers and suggest the type of online or automated
features needed to ensure traveller satisfaction while
maintaining savings.
Accessing Offline Services
Survey results identified key reasons why American business travellers
using online services to book a trip also access
offline services:
- The desire to have a person confirm what is booked
online is actually booked – 49%
- While on the road or at the last minute it's too
difficult to update plans online – 32%
- Online booking cannot address some specific travel needs
– 29%
"Online self-booking delivers savings for corporate
travel, but this survey identifies specific situations when
business travellers prefer to go offline, thereby negating a
portion of those savings," said Travelport vice president
of product and marketing, Charlotte Blackwell. "With up
to a third of travellers choosing to go 'offline,' this
suggests travel management companies must provide faster and
easier-to-use online and automated options that instil confidence in the user while meeting their real world needs.
Innovation through technology will ultimately maximize savings
and efficiency."
To meet these demands, Travelport developed an integrated
and flexible business travel solution that delivers online
booking capabilities and agency services while maintaining
savings for the corporate customer. For example, Travelport
customers see all flight options, including web fares and sold
out flights, when viewing online search results. This
increases understanding of availability by presenting a full
set of results in a single, integrated display, minimizing the
need to call an agent in attempts to find flights they might
not otherwise be able to view.
Additionally, companies like Travelport are innovating new
features such as online interactive assistance to quickly
answer traveller questions while booking or changing
itineraries. This ensures travellers get what they want quickly
within the online environment.
Opinion of Online Booking for Business Travel
The Travelport survey measured American business traveller opinion of online booking to find out what motivates them to
use it when arranging travel or changing an itinerary.
Primarily related to productivity, the findings include:
- 55% like the speed and ease-of-use of online
self-booking for arranging their business travel
- 19% like having their personal information like frequent
flyer numbers and supplier preferences pre-loaded in
booking process
- 15% like booking online because they are able to do so
outside of office hours
Travelport also asked business
travellers with online access
what features might make them more likely to book business
travel online most or all the time:
- Speed and reliability of online tool – 37%
- Ability to confidently make changes or capture special
needs accurately – 33%
- Guaranteed access to my preferred airlines, hotels and
car rental companies – 30%
- All flight options displayed on one page – 28%
- A perk or award provided by employer for consistently
using the online booking system – 20%
"The survey findings show that business
travellers want
speed, reliability, high quality content and personalization
in their online business travel services," said
Blackwell. "We believe the best solution is found in a
completely integrated program like Travelport's
"end-to-end" solution of Travelport Online Booking,
Galileo GDS and Travelport Fulfilment. Services provided by a
single source offer greater savings, more accountability and
user-friendly features that follow the traveller through every
step of his or her trip."
"The winning model for corporate customers and
travellers alike is a business-focused, flexible system that
takes advantage of technology to meet the need for savings and
service," said Blackwell. "That is only possible if
you truly understand what motivates business travellers, and
these survey results point to trends and behaviours that may be
key in shaping effective business travel solutions."
Methodology
Harris Interactive® fielded the study from July 20-22, 2004,
via its QuickQuerySM online omnibus, interviewing a
nationwide sample of 2,169 U.S. adults with online access
(aged 18 and over), of whom 631 travel for business purposes.
Figures for region, age within gender, education, household
income, and race/ethnicity were weighted where necessary to
bring them into line with online population proportions. In
theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say
with 95 percent certainty that the results for the overall
sample have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage
points. Sampling error is plus or minus 5 percentage points
for the online U.S. business travellers sample and plus or
minus 7 percentage points for each of these samples: (the
business travellers who book travel or make itinerary changes
offline) and (the business travellers who book or make
itinerary changes online). This online sample was not a
probability sample.
About Travelport(www.travelport.com)
Travelport Corporate Solutions, Inc., is an industry leader in
the provision of strategic travel management services and
tools for mid- and large-sized corporations around the globe.
Travelport offers its clients a comprehensive suite of
services - including online booking tools, global distribution
services, fulfilment solutions and 24-7 customer care –
individually or as a complete, end-to-end package. As a
Cendant company, Travelport offers corporations ongoing
stability, accountability, innovation, commitment and
flexibility that only come with control of ownership from a
leading name in travel.
About Harris Interactive®
Harris Interactive Inc. (www.harrisinteractive.com), the 13th
largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world,
is a Rochester, N.Y.-based global research company that blends
premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient
methods of investigation, analysis and application. Known for
The Harris Poll® and for pioneering Internet-based research
methods, Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public
research to help its clients achieve clear, material and
enduring results.
Harris Interactive combines its intellectual capital,
databases and technology to advance market leadership through
U.S. offices and wholly owned subsidiaries: London-based HI
Europe (www.hieurope.com), Paris-based Novatris (www.novatris.com),
Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan, through newly acquired
WirthlinWorldwide (www.wirthlinworldwide.com), a Reston,
Virginia-based research and consultancy firm ranked 25th
largest in the world, and through an independent global
network of affiliate market research companies.
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