Egencia responds to travel security survey results
Measures for buyers to look for in case of an incident
By Susan Avery -- Purchasing, 1/9/2009 12:00:00 PM
For many travel buyers, lower costs is the not the first thing they look for in a travel management company. Buyers, especially those at companies with many employees who travel the world, now look at security measures suppliers of travel services have on the ready in case of an unexpected incident.
After the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, in 2008, 78% of travel buyers responding to a survey by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives said they were reviewing hotel contracts with a greater emphasis on security and safety. Seven percent said they were putting travel to the region on hold indefinitely.
“But, for many companies, not traveling to India is not viable,” said Pam Keenan Fritz, vice president of Asia-Pacific for Egencia, a travel management company in Bellevue, Wash. Egencia recently expanded its service in Asia, opening a full service facility in Gurgoan, India, in November, 2008.
While travel management companies like Egencia encourage travel buyers to encourage travelers to use their services and the preferred online booking tool for reasons that help to better manage costs, using one supplier also helps track travelers when an incident such as the terrorist attacks in Mumbai occurs, explained Keenan Fritz in an interview with Purchasing. “Tracking people down in emergencies is very important,” she says.
“We continuously monitor for potentially significant incidents, and when one occurs we determine the severity of the incident and anticipate its effect on our travelers,” said Wilma Sykes, senior director, global customer service at Egencia, also in the interview. “For that we have a 15-minute SLA (service level agreement) which means we determine the severity in 15 minutes. We take action on the event’s severity and its characteristics. We track its progress and adjust our actions based on its evolution.”
Speaking specifically to the attacks in Mumbai, she said, “On November 26, we sent nine internal alerts to all our consultants providing information and updates on the incident. This began within minutes. Then we immediately ran a report on its impact to travelers and determined that we didn’t have any travelers in the impacted hotels. But a check on travelers heading to the region between November 24 and December 5 showed we had several with flights to and from Mumbai, with some staying at the affected properties during the week. “
Keenan Fritz added that “Sometimes that can be more dangerous, flying in from New York and having been on a plane having no idea what’s going on or what to do. Getting messages to travelers before they need to worry is where we really bring value add.”
Egencia contacted every impacted traveler and travel manager to inform them of the situation and to make alternative arrangements if necessary. The company had the contact information contained in traveler profiles. It also posted news stories on its website.
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