GBTA releases OBT survey results
The study asked US and Canadian travel managers about their key priorities when selecting an OBT, how travel managers feel about booking-related innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI), automated chat, and IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) and whether their travel programs offer a satisfactory mobile booking experience either through their OBT’s app or a travel management company’s (TMC) app.
Key findings include:
• The coronavirus pandemic has made some companies revisit booking-related policies; some changes are here to stay. Of the travel programs that have adopted a stricter requirement to book through an OBT/TMC as a result of the pandemic, three-quarters (75 per cent) expect this change will remain in effect permanently.
• Travel Managers identify strengths and pain points with the primary OBT their company uses.
• Seven in 10 (69 per cent) rank configuration as one of the three greatest strengths of their company’s OBT. Other top strengths include integration and end user/ traveller experience.
• Almost half of travel managers (48 per cent) say innovation is one of the three greatest pain points with their primary OBT. Richness of data and a consistent experience across multiple devices are also viewed as pain points.
• Mobile bookings still not available for all. Approximately one in five do not offer mobile corporate booking solutions for flights (20 per cent) or hotels (17 per cent). One-quarter (27 per cent) do not offer mobile booking of rental cars.
• Even when travel programs offer mobile booking, satisfaction is mixed. While almost two-thirds of travel managers (64 per cent) are satisfied with their mobile booking solution when it comes to an end user/traveller experience, only about half (54 per cent) are satisfied when it comes to consistency with other formats (e.g. desktop or travel agent).