WHAT do corporate clients
want? In short, they want
to streamline their travel
processes, improve reporting and
have full visibility of every aspect
of their travel spend – while saving
tons of money.
It sounds simple but, to date, no
online booking tool has been able
to deliver an online solution as
effectively as Travelit has in
the South African market, says
Morné du Preez, ceo of Tourvest
Travel Services.
“Online booking tools, stand
alone, are a thing of the past.
What corporates want and need
is a holistic, end-to-end travel
management solution that is
designed to integrate requisitioning,
work flow approval, expense
management, fulfilment and budget
controls in one sitting.”
Travelit is the “aggregator of
aggregators” Morné adds. It
provides access to an unlimited
range of inventory – airlines,
accommodation, car rental – and
travel bookers have access to a
wealth of content, with detailed
information on particular hotels,
airline product and car rental groups.
It’s personal
The system enables travellers to
develop and manage their own
profiles. Travellers can literally
manage all aspects of their
itinerary from the single online
platform, which includes access
to pre-trip requirements such as
visa information, forex and travel
insurance, to name a few valueadds.
Post travel, corporates
can capture expense claims and
reconcile these via the online
platform.
A highlight of the new
technology is that all of these
different aspects of the travel
itinerary can be booked and
managed from one screen. For
example, travel bookers can
begin booking their flights and
then, without exiting that booking
process, can start booking their
accommodation and car rental.
The entire booking process is
quick and efficient – once a
booking is approved, travellers
will have their documents in hand
roughly 30 seconds later. What’s
more, the system is mobile
enabled, meaning bookings from
start to finish can be handled via
the traveller’s mobile device.
It’s compliant
Traveller profiles are also linked to
the company’s overall travel policy,
ensuring compliance. Inventory is
returned based on the category
level within which the traveller falls
and the company policy dictates.
Travellers are able to book out of
policy but these transactions are
flagged, holding them accountable
for any digressions. “There are times
when travellers may be required to
book out of policy but these should
be exceptions. Through a transparent
booking process, good behaviour is
re-enforced,” Morné says.
The system is designed to enforce
and monitor compliance through a
five-prong approach:
Adoption rates monitors traveller
buy in, enabling travel managers to
reward and incentivise travellers with
good adoption rates.
In or out of policy makes use of
yellow smiley faces and red sad faces
to acknowledge travellers’ behaviour.
The system will allow travellers to
continue with bookings outside of
policy, catering for the fact these are
sometimes necessary. It is then up
to the approver to determine whether
the booking is truly necessary.
Another benefit is that the system
works according to the company’s
approval process. For example, it can
incorporate mobile approval.
Missed savings alerts travellers to
the fact that while their booking may
still be in policy, they can generate
additional savings if they choose a
different option.
Advance bookings measures how
far in advance travellers make their
bookings, enabling travel managers
to encourage advance bookings which
will save the company money. The
system also starts to learn traveller
behaviour. For example, if a traveller
often makes changes, the system will
issue red flags, encouraging them to
rather use a more flexible ticket.
Changes to bookings are also
measured so that these costs can be
managed more effectively.
It’s a first for Africa
The technology is designed by South
Africans for South Africa, specifically
catering to the nuances of this market
and travel into the rest of Africa.
“The system has been built around
issues that are unique to South
African corporates, such as lack of
inventory, outdated payment solutions,
costly billback processes, and duty of
care concerns.
The administrative headache that
surrounds billbacks is eliminated
through the system’s automation of
the entire process. Each trip has its
own unique reference number against
which individual purchase orders and
invoices are automatically issued.
These are then easily reconciled
against the lodge card statement. The
system issues electronic vouchers
with a one-time credit card number
making it simple for buyers to keep
your accounts up to date. Chief sales
and marketing officer at Tourvest
Travel Services, Claude Vankeirsbilck,
says the response from hotels to this
technology has been overwhelming,
which is not surprising as the
establishment is paid as soon as it
captures the virtual card number.
Another area of increasing concern
for corporates is duty of care. To
manage this effectively, Travelit
features a duty of care page, which
is customised to each corporate’s
requirements. For example, many
companies utilise risk profiling for
each destination. It also takes care
of the basics such as prompting
travellers to record their in-caseof-emergency
contacts where
they are easily accessed again by
management.
It’s for everyone
Travelit serves all Tourvest’s
operating brands, namely
American Express Travel Services
South Africa, Seekers Travel,
Maties Travel and Indojet, and is
developed with its consultants
in mind. The system can be
used by travel consultants on
behalf of their clients. This is
particularly helpful when it comes
to more complex itineraries or
booking changes. The nature of
the system also means that it
isn’t necessary for consultants
to be trained according to any
particular GDS.
It’s the future
The uptake of the new system
has already been highly positive.
Tourvest expects that around 75%
of its customer base will be using
the new platform by the end of
2016, Claude says. The success
of the new technology is already
evidenced by the average 25%
savings that the company has been
able to generate for clients currently
using the platform,
