Corporate travellers crave communication.

CORPORATE travellers want
better communication with
their TMC.
In a panel discussion
moderated by Monique
Swart, founder of the
African Business Travel
Association (ABTA),
panellists Corrie Fourie,
executive assistant to the
md of Fresenius-Kabi SA;
John de Beer, company
secretary of Sandvik and
Sivenash Naidoo, head of
decentralised operations
at Liberty Life said that
communication between
traveller and TMC was
minimal and that both
parties could benefit from
the TMC asking the client
for feedback.
“For me, it’s more about
value than price. The only
engagement that I have
with the TMC is at the
beginning of the trip and
then I lose touch with
them and I am left to
navigate the journey on
my own. I want a service
that journeys with me to
the end of the trip,” said
Sivenash.
Corrie emphasised
the need for more
product knowledge to be
communicated to him,
saying: “When I ask: ‘What
is the quickest way to
Paris?’ can you tell me?
Can you recommend an
app that could tell me?”
All panellists agreed
that they would be willing
to pay more for better
service provided that
the TMC made the effort
to understand what the
corporate client was
expecting. “I’m willing
to pay anything if I know
what I’m getting for it: the
biggest cost you can save
me is time. If you
can save me 45 minutes,
I’m willing to pay for it,”
said John.
When asked about
their biggest pain points
when travelling, panellists
wanted greater attention
to their likes and dislikes.
“Don’t just focus on my
booking – know my likes
and dislikes; know that I
need my suitcase to arrive
on time so that I can wear
my suit at my meeting
instead of being stuck
in jeans and a t-shirt,”
says John.
Corrie said that he
wanted agents to make
more of an effort at getting
details like his name and
title correct so that when
arriving at a hotel he’d be
greeted as a Mr and not
a Mrs.