“Investing in traveler engagement not only enhances their experience but also strengthens the foundation of our corporate relationships.”
Mark Cuschieri, Head of Global Travel Management, UBS.
For any company, engaging with your business travelers is crucial to the success of a travel program. Whether they’re traveling to or within the United States, to a European city, or Australia, it allows you to reduce costs, increase policy compliance, and improve duty of care.
A significant proportion of people still book outside policy. There’s a real discrepancy between awareness and compliance. Engaging with your travelers can overcome this.
Business travel program engagement – why, who, and how
In this article, you’ll discover why it’s important to talk to those who travel for work abroad, who you should be engaging with, and how you should engage them using the channels available.
Why not just drive them to the online booking tool?
You might think the simplest way to communicate with people who are booking business travel is to stick to one method. Like the online booking tool (OBT). After all, that’s where they need to be to book.
The problem is, most travel programs depend on choices, giving people the chance to book outside policy. They do it because they think (incorrectly) that it’s cheaper on the internet or that it’s the only way to collect loyalty points.
But booking within policy provides other benefits. Improved duty of care, better management of expenses, and capturing the carbon dioxide footprint. Plus, booking outside policy doesn’t count towards centralized negotiations. And you lose the support of the travel management company (TMC).
Who you should be talking to – and what makes them tick
To communicate more effectively with your travelers, you need to understand who they are. They don’t all behave identically so you need to consider them by demographic and by role. Behavioral science tells us people engage with the same information from the same provider in different ways. The more you can find out about them, the more effective your communication.
It’s not what you say – it’s the way you say it
How we engage with information depends on how it’s delivered. Today our brains process millions of pieces of information every second. On average, we can only be aware of 50 at a time. So we focus on the newest and most relevant.
Psychologically, the von Restorff Effect means we pay more attention to something that sticks out. A different color or a different angle, for example.
Grab their attention
Pictures are vital. Because we process visual images about 60,000 times more quickly than we can read text.
The question people ask is, “What’s in it for me?” So make sure your message is relevant. Using their name also grabs attention in a crowded inbox.
Authority bias proves that we value information depending on who’s sending it. If it’s someone we recognize or respect, we’ll give it a disproportionate level of attention.
What type of traveler are you?
Demographics are key but a great way to drive more direct, impactful communications is to understand the types of jobs and travelers in your organization. Costs, being environmentally conscious, and time spent traveling and working is spread across these groups, amongst others.
Frequent travelers
- Highest travel frequency (typically international jobs).
- Typically book closer to departure.
- Travel to a wide range of destinations (e.g., London, New York, Dubai, Hong Kong).
- Travel is a necessary part of their role and identity.
- Motivated by trip success rate. Highly value reliability of travel operators.
Office-based
- May only travel a few times a year.
- Have more time to consider their options.
- May be less familiar with travel policy and “norms” for traveling.
- Lower exposure to disrupted travel experiences. Less concerned with risks.
Traveling for meetings
- Less familiar with business travel and new cultures.
- Can be strongly influenced by peer group when booking.
- Need policy and guidance from meeting planner.
New joiners (or new to travel)
- Previously working solely in home country.
- Less familiar with travel policy and procedures.
Everybody’s an individual
These personas are useful in categorizing people and reaching them effectively, but it’s worth remembering that they’re individuals. They’ll all have different:
- Social backgrounds – Not everybody’s familiar with the terminology of business travel.
- Educational qualifications – The average reading age in the United Kingdom is 9.
- Cultural heritages – English may not be their first language. Not all expressions translate.
With all this in mind, it’s important to make communications clear, simple, and accessible.
How to choose your channels
Today, travelers get information from anywhere but the choice of channels can be overwhelming. There are two main types, broadcast and engagement, each with its advantages and disadvantages. Here are a few examples:
BROADCAST
- Email
- Newsletters
- Intranet and SharePoint sites
- Podcasts and videos
- Laptop wallpapers, waiting screens, office TV, elevator advertising
- Content management systems
BROADCAST/ENGAGEMENT
- Customer relationship management news feed
- Zoom and Teams channels
ENGAGEMENT
- In-person (or virtual) session
- Social channels
- WhatsApp and chatbots
Timing is everything
When communicating, timing and establishing a regular cadence is vital to build trust. And always follow up on critical communications so they never miss something vital.
Work emails are more likely to be read when the recipient has time to process the content. Which is why time zones should be considered.
The type and frequency of your communications becomes part of your brand. Better to be the much-anticipated provider of news than the travel team who never communicates.
A quick summary
As well as understanding your personas, the channels available, and when to communicate, there are a few other important techniques:
Keep things simple
Don’t use ten words when five will do. Avoid jargon by talking in conversational language.
Don’t forget the why
What’s in it for them? If you want a response, clearly highlight the call to action.
We value the content depending on the sender
Communications from people we know or people with authority draw more attention more quickly.
The more relevant it is, the more attention it gets
Always personalize and localize.
Make your communications accessible
Information should be easy to discover and understand and available to a diverse audience, including people with disabilities.
Some practical pointers
- Use a clear font and font size (12pt minimum).
- Avoid long paragraphs. Use bullet points.
- Use high-contrast colors like black and white.
- When using visuals, add descriptive (alternative) text.
- If you’re doing a video, use closed captions.
Getting better and better
To make sure your communications are becoming more engaging, feedback and a test, learn, and adapt approach is key. You should:
- Establish key performance indicators (KPIs). Measure against them.
- Monitor quantitative KPI’s including email open rates and click-throughs.
- Gauge qualitative KPI’s through focus group analysis or surveys.
To find out how to talk to your business travelers, watch our webinar or contact Michelle Wakelin in Amex GBT Consulting today and discover how better engagement helps your travel program.
