Corporate travel after-hours service standards and capabilities are evolving. The excessive hold times and reactive service so common only a few years ago have been replaced with after-hours support that is smart, agile, proactive, and focused on strong customer service.
Traditionally, after-hours services have simply reacted to events after the fact. For example, staffing needs were not anticipated based on weather forecasts or world events. If a traveler was faced with dealing with a cancelled flight after hours due to a major weather event, they would contact their after-hours service along with the thousands of other travelers seeking help and hold times would be exorbitant due to staffing needs not being proactively adjusted. Scenarios like that led to the overall dissatisfaction with travel management companies’ after-hour services.
What has changed is that forward-thinking travel management companies and their after-hours services are now monitoring weather patterns, adjusting staff levels based on anticipated call volumes, and offering services such as proactive after-hours calls to travelers to discuss alternate travel arrangements due to anticipated weather events. With reducing “traveler friction” being such an important topic in travel management these days, it makes sense that improved after-hours service is being increasingly talked about.
You can learn more about the new standard for after-hours service by contacting the corporate travel department at Travel Leaders / Destinations Unlimited.