This was the question posed to seven industry experts recently by Bev Fearis, Editor of The Business Travel Magazine. Our Chief Technology Officer, Rob Cope, was one of them. Read below for his take on the future of business travel distribution.
Rob Cope, Chief Technology Officer, TakeTwo
From a TMC perspective, distribution needs to be viewed fundamentally differently going forwards. In my view, TMCs must consider content as a module and extend their capabilities to servicing that content way beyond only via the GDS, and way beyond NDC.
The focus will be on TMCs treating content agnostically, caring more about value to the corporate customer, and how content can be wrapped around the transaction as a service. Initially, I see this evolving around how rail and ground transportation are incorporated as merchandising opportunities throughout the trip journey.
This will also necessitate automating how TMCs make rail and ground mobility offers bookable via different entry points, whether through a client intranet or a TMC Mobile App.
Distribution will be also much more about how we drive super intelligent personalisation through different technology solutions. Content will be seen as a vehicle, but not the engine driving the booking flow.
Clients will want a lot more flexibility towards the content they consume so TMCs will need to shift towards more consolidated content aggregators that encompass a more multi-modal experience within a singular platform.
However, I believe this will need to extend beyond the OBT, which has traditionally been the terrain for just about all TMCs to make content self-serve.
Content will begin to be seen as a micro-service, connecting with super flexible policy and rule engines that expand how policy can be applied. Policy will be about how client frictions and tensions are handled, with distribution being a key aspect of that.
How many TMCs can message clients with personalised NDC or low-cost carrier content and make it bookable via a Mobile App, whilst retaining a frictionless experience? The ultimate goal is distribution of content in the smartest and most personalised way with automated, real-time flexibility.
To read the rest of the article, click here: Future ready – The Business Travel Magazine
