BCD’s root-cause analysis uncovers a major drawback
BCD’s APJ Program Manager Nandini Pal conducted a root-cause analysis. Pal discovered that the connected airline content provider for low-cost carriers didn’t support central company cards and fulfillment through a travel management company (TMC). Travelers had to use their individual credit cards to book low-cost carriers online and manage after-sales services, such as ticket reissuance and cancellations, directly with the airlines. Instead of using the OBT, travelers preferred to book offline with the BCD India team to charge costs directly to the central company card and access after-sales support from BCD.
Based on her in-depth market knowledge of India’s airline distribution landscape, the program manager recommended sourcing low-cost carrier content through another service provider that allows direct charges to central company cards, eliminating the need for individual credit cards. With this provider, tickets are issued instantly through the airlines’ site and BCD provides all after-sales support.
In November 2022, as post-pandemic travel picked up, the program manager conducted a soft launch to reintroduce the OBT. She employed a companywide employee communication to do so. When travel arrangers or travelers called BCD to make a reservation, the team reminded them of their company’s goal to improve online adoption and encouraged them to use the Concur OBT instead.
Putting employee needs first drives 6% savings on annual air spend
The program manager’s expertise about India’s travel ecosystem helped identify and remove the obstacles for travelers to use the OBT. Between November 2022 and March 2023, the online adoption rate increased from 2% to 45%. In April 2023, online adoption climbed to 60% (or 30 times its original rate). The increase in online adoption resulted in lower transaction fees. But the real savings were in the cheaper airfares booked through Concur. Having access to a self-service tool and being able to immediately book the flight of their choice, encouraged more travelers to use Concur to book online and choose the lowest airfare – totaling up to 6% projected savings on the annual air spend.
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