What aspects should be taken into account when setting up an internal social network for travel advice?
Of course, the project of creating a social network for internal use is an initiative with multiple advantages to optimize the company's travel program, as well as to improve the experience of people who have to travel for work purposes.
Travelers can share with their fellow travelers information about the final destination, from the characteristics and condition of the hotel, to the facilities for the use of means of transportation or the convenience of going to one restaurant or another. In this way, the next travelers can review these tips and decide whether or not to use the same services, but at least with a previous evaluation, which is very useful in most cases. The traveler puts together his travel package using, where appropriate, the self-booking tool combined with the information shared by previous travelers. In addition to that, it is very useful for the travel manager, since he obtains valuable information about the quality and efficiency of the services of the different suppliers, contrasted data that allow him to better design the travel program and to better manage the travel program;This data allows you to better design your travel program and provides you with a feed back that you can use in your negotiations with airlines, hotel chains, car rental companies and other travel service providers.
However, the process of implementing such a tool is not without its difficulties. One of the most important aspects is to ensure that the exchange of information among travelers can be carried out through mobile devices to facilitate maximum dissemination and immediacy of content. It is also important to ensure that it is a flexible system and that it allows information to be downloaded in different formats, such as pdf, Word or Excel, for example.
When programming the itinerary with the self-booking tool, it is very useful that it provides direct access to the additional information that can be obtained through the internal social network. Finally, a critical aspect that any travel manager must take into account when approaching a project of this nature is to scrupulously comply with the requirements of the project;The most important thing is to comply scrupulously with the law of data protection and to protect the privacy of the employees against possible external accesses.
Richard Wolf
Sourcing Leader T&L EMEA at General Electric
Richard Wolf
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