Technology plays an increasingly important role in the travel industry and chauffeured transportation is no exception, says Steve Horowitz, EVP/GM for EmpireCLS. “In our company, the IT department has become just as essential as the reservations, fleet and dispatch departments,” he says. “We count on them to keep us on the cutting edge when it comes to technological integration within all of our departments.”
This includes constantly evolving reservation software that streamlines order intake while improving accuracy. Additionally, custom data connectors between reservation systems and the booking tools used by travel managers allow more information to be gathered and managed without time-consuming phone calls and e-mails.
Empire’s dispatch department also relies heavily on technology. “The ability to predict vehicle availability and anticipated drop-off times via real-time GPS and up-to-date traffic integration has allowed us to operate more efficiently than ever,” Horowitz says. This in turn has supported a focus on both price and quality. Additionally the use of GPS coordinates helps pin point the whereabouts of clientele and employees, which ensuring their safety while on the road.
The near future looks even better, says Liz Carisone, CEO of GroundLink. She’s optimistic that recently launched next-gen GPS satellites may substantially improve navigation and tracking, benefitting ground transportation providers and their clients. “GPS will have improved location accuracy and work faster with less loss of signal in high-density areas,” she says. “Of course, issues of cybersecurity and privacy will continue to be concerns that we’ll need to address.”
The different ways providers approach their solutions bring challenges as well as pluses, according to Jens Wohltorf, CEO and co-founder of Blacklane. “Innovation in ground transportation technology has come from the new players,” he says. “However, pure platforms cannot provide duty of care or stand behind the quality of their drivers.” On the other hand, he notes, legacy providers such as taxis and nationwide limousine companies have failed to make booking easier or bring down prices through technology improvements.
“Newer entrants let travelers book rides easily and save money,” says Wohltorf, adding that his company has combined new innovations, ease of use and lower rates. “This means corporate travel managers can offer chauffeured rides for airport transfers, events and intercity trips to a wider group of employees.” Traveling employees can book rides in a few seconds and receive instant confirmation and cost certainty with guaranteed rates.
Technology improvements have also helped providers carve out their own distinctive niches within the industry. That’s the case for Sixt, a mobility company based out of Europe. “From short- to long-term rentals, MyDriver, and car sharing, technology has allowed us to grow and offer mobility catered to our customer’s needs,” says Sixt USA COO Daniel Florence.
Technology continues to make life easier for all concerned, says Gyre Renwick, VP of Lyft Business. With his company’s services, end users can simply download the app and request a ride, while travel agents can request and track rides through an online portal. Billing can be seamlessly synced to a personal or corporate credit card, or direct billed to the employer. All receipts are automatically sent to the e-mail attached to the account, and ride history can be accessed through the app or portal.
The end result is that employers are able to increase the value of a solution their employees are already using. “Travel managers are able to see real-time reporting on ride data and costs, and travelers can easily get reimbursed through various expense integrations,” Renwick says. “Companies can then understand ways their employees get around, and invest in strategic growth.”
In serving global travelers, ground transportation companies need technology that is both intuitive and innovative, Wohltorf says. “That means travelers, executive assistants and travel managers can book, change and cancel rides in only a few steps via app, website or phone,” he says. “During the booking process, it means zero pop-up windows, inputting locations as you do on Google Maps, and the fewest steps to book your ride.”
[bf] Greater Demands [end bf]
As technology continues to advance, the expectations of travel managers are also evolving, according to Carisone. She says travel managers are becoming more analytical, demanding tighter integrations that provide more accurate reporting and business intelligence.
Simplifying employee onboarding, offering data and user management, and enhancing reporting tools on a large employee base within a ground vendor’s suite are now necessary, she says. “Customizing specific data for each traveler and travel program that passes through our system is going to be key in meeting the travel manager’s objectives.”
Indeed, those providers who excel in this area will understandably have the greatest appeal, Carisone adds. “Companies that can offer more customization, more options, more integrations, and more flexibility will outpace traditional ones,” she says. “Responsive, powerful, adaptive apps and other access points are critical, both for the passenger and the booker.”
One area for potential improvement is eliminating hidden costs, Wohltorf says. He notes that ride-hailing and chauffeured services often fail to show the full price of trips when travelers book. “They know many of the extra costs, such as airport fees and parking fees, but they often fail to mention them up front.”
Wohltorf adds that chauffeur companies are getting increasingly creative with fees. Some levy a surface transportation charge, an administrative fee, a safety assurance fee, a fuel surcharge, or an international arrival fee. “These and other extras can more than double the base fare,” he says. “When suppliers act this way, travel buyers lack price certainty and trust in the entire industry.”
[bf] Taking Care of Business [end bf]
Along with software, hardware and network infrastructure to support communications and financial transactions, providers are looking for more progress in the use of technology on the road. An example of this is a need for vehicles that can predict and avoid accidents.
“We have challenged the vehicle manufacturers to enhance existing accident avoidance technology,” Horowitz says. “Advancements have subsequently been greenlighted, and as they are deployed we will integrate them into the fleet.”
Florence looks for continued development of artificial intelligence. “That will help us better understand the needs of our customers and creating more personalized and rewarding travel experiences,” he says.
For most travel managers, safety-related matters top the list in considering alternatives in ground transportation. After all, it’s hard to overemphasize duty of care in an era when business takes more travelers more places than ever. As Wohltorf points out, “That can be a challenge for regional or national companies that fully turn over rides to third parties.”
He says duty of care encompasses far more than driver background checks, training and reviewing documents. “It’s about owning the guest’s entire experience, wherever they travel around the world.”
In Blacklane’s case, that means tracking the chauffeur’s arrival time at the pickup location, the time guests are on board and when the ride ends. It includes making sure the driver is at the designated pick-up location on time, providing the chauffeur’s contact information, and finding a new one if a flight is delayed and the original chauffeur has a conflict. It also means showing bookers and travel managers the status of upcoming, current and finished rides.
Wohltorf says “going the extra mile” should also be expected. He relates an incident in Istanbul where a chauffeur went to a hotel to pick up a guest for a ride booked by a third party, but the booker had entered the incorrect hotel. To complicate matters, both the guest and booker were unreachable. Instead of giving up, the chauffeur drove from hotel to hotel while a dispatcher contacted other hotels until the guest was located.
Another guest left his wallet full of money and credit cards in the back seat of the car after being dropped off at Newark Airport. When the chauffeur noticed the wallet, he called the client and then drove back to the airport and returned it.
Of course problems do occur. A reality faced by providers is that despite all best efforts, there are bound to be accidents, not to mention instances of driver mistakes or misbehavior. Such incidents may draw a disproportionate share of negative publicity, especially in the comparatively new sector of ride sharing. And travelers who’ve had bad experiences are seldom reluctant to share their stories.
At the same time, providers are quick to point out their dedication to the safety of travelers. “We understand and base our professional standards on the concept of duty of care,” Horowitz says. “When traveling in our vehicles we know that the lives of our clients are dependent on the safety of our equipment, the training we provide and the eligibility, both in health and background, of our chauffeurs.”
He recalls an instance during a drive to a New York City hotel. While stopped at a traffic light behind a large truck, the driver, who had been trained to constantly scan his mirrors for any threats, spotted a vehicle that had lost its brakes rapidly approaching from the rear. He braced himself, prepared his passenger for impact and then after the collision, checked to make certain that the passenger was uninjured.
Perhaps more revelatory than the incident itself is the technology that supported appropriate follow-up. Thanks to an in-vehicle camera, company officials were able to establish and document exactly what happened.
Underscoring the importance of a duty of care, a GroundLink white paper on the topic, recommends these key steps business travel managers can take:
•Research international destinations for any travel warnings or unsafe situations on the ground
•Create a list of approved vendors
•Require employees to submit a pre-trip itinerary
•Maintain travel profiles with copies of important documents like ID and medical information
•Monitor traveler locations by having them check in via phone or text or through GPS tracking
•Educate employees on travel safety and company policies.
Whether it’s a matter of duty of care or any other considerations, consistency is a key, Renwick says. “Giving employees a consistent experience that saves them time and money can actually shape the employee experience and enhance satisfaction, loyalty and overall engagement,” he says. To that end, travel managers should engage ground suppliers who employ technology to support seamless, stress-free travel experiences that match or exceed their employees’ personal travel preferences.
That requires doing as much research as possible when selecting ground transportation providers, according to Horowitz. “The goal should be to align your organization with a business partner that will help streamline your company’s operations,” he says, “and one that will add the most value to both you and your company’s travelers.
