By Raj Das
I’ve only been working as Head of Global Enterprise at Gett since March 2020; perhaps the most volatile time for the travel industry, and indeed, the entire world.
Although I haven’t been working at Gett for a long time, I’ve been in the travel industry for over 20 years now.
We all know that the travel industry as a whole has suffered, and ground travel hasn’t been exempt from the chaos.
A lot of the smaller players in the ground travel supplier marketplace, particularly country-specific companies, have been battered, some beyond repair, and as a result have had to sadly close their doors. All because of the pandemic.
Recent events have weathered the larger players, but due to their global presence, they have been able to spread their risk, and therefore manage COVID adequately.
With small suppliers succumbing to the virus, consolidation has been rife.
You could implement a travel programme that has access to unlimited suppliers, a programme that takes away the risk when suppliers inevitably close their doors or consolidate. In every given location, you have alternate suppliers.
But, why is now the right time to revitalise your ground travel programme?
Making significant changes to your travel programme disrupts the ongoing pattern of behaviour in your company, and I get that. But with travel on hold in your organisation, now is the time to implement these disruptive changes. As travel has already been reduced, the ramifications of these changes will be minimal.
But aside from that reason, I believe there are three further reasons why you should revitalise your programme now: for diversity, because you have a duty of care and to embrace true innovation.
To diversify your portfolio
Multiple suppliers could shut down, so a change in tact is needed to help support your ground travel programme. Working to implement a programme that mitigates company risk and, at the very least, diversifies the risk.
You can diversify with the help of a marketplace platform. A platform like this enables you to choose from multiple suppliers – if one is shut down, no worries, choose a different one in the same platform.
There are suppliers out there that you didn’t realise existed – that’s the beauty of this type of solution, it brings together choices of small, medium and large suppliers in one place.
You have a duty of care
How you execute your duty of care could be much easier. When your traveller uses a taxi they found themselves while navigating multiple apps, it presents a stressful and complicated situation for your traveller.
It’s stress your employee could do without when travelling.
You can implement a refreshed way of managing your ground travel by having everything in one place is easier. Making sure you only work with vetted and licensed taxi drivers gives everyone peace of mind, particularly amid COVID.
Become a true innovator
You’ve been approaching your suppliers in the same way for a while now.
Managing each supplier on an individual basis and consolidating data is time-consuming and unnecessary. It’s creating inefficiencies of processes and data inaccuracies; you’re missing opportunities for optimisation.
You should look for a travel solution that gives you maximum visibility. You need the opportunity to build a ground transport programme that increases visibility, drives optimisation and saves money.
Looking for a solution that helps you maintain a seamless process should be a priority. Your new travel programme can bring together suppliers into a one-stop-shop solution, it’s true ground travel innovation.
You need to alter your ground travel mindset
Before you make changes to your global ground travel programme, your organisation needs to adopt a ‘think global, act local’ mindset. You need to create a joined-up global vision of ground transport that links with the wider global travel strategy.
Give the global decision-makers the flexibility to choose local suppliers that best serve the corporate needs from one central marketplace platform.
You need to look for a ground travel solution that takes away the need for your procurement team to make contact with every supplier in every country. It streamlines your process and saves you valuable time and resources.
At Gett, we organise all the best mobility providers in one platform. This optimises the entire experience, from booking and riding to invoicing and analytics, so you can focus on what you do best. Learn more about our platform.
