Institute of Travel Management (ITM) published (27-Sep-2022) a report, revealing that most travel buyer members are facing challenges with their chosen online booking tools (OBT) as business travel resumes at scale. The report noted clear concern regarding the capabilities of OBTs to meet the needs of travel managers and travellers now and in the future. Key findings of the survey include:
- 45% of respondents stated that their existing online booking tool is not 'fit for purpose' in the current environment. This rises to 57% in the mid to long term;
- 75% feel that their current OBT provider is not listening to their needs;
- 70% were very or somewhat dissatisfied with responsiveness to requests;
- 90% of buyer members are satisfied with their OBT's policy configuration capability. User friendliness also largely met with satisfaction (80%);
- The top three factors rated as most important by respondents when selecting an OBT are proactiveness with solutions, responsiveness to requests and offline support;
- The top three factors rated as most important when selecting an OBT based on functionality are user friendly experience, policy configuration capability, reporting and data analytics including sustainability;
- In terms of content, 75% are satisfied with basic air single/return and accommodation;
- The top five items on buyers' OBT wishlist are full NDC content, user-friendly interface/experience, EU/UK rail integration, better CO2 information (by aircraft cabin, hotels and comparison of air to rail) and sustainability aspects/reporting;
- Despite buyers' concerns, the majority (75%) do not plan to change their OBT in the next 12 months. [more - original PR]