In an increasingly connected world, business travellers may find themselves travelling to, and doing business in destinations that as leisure travellers they might never consider.
Travel often makes the headlines with destinations affected by political, social and economic unrest as well as natural disasters. The nature of business travel means that individuals and companies can be exposed to these situations.
Business travellers should be able to travel with confidence and businesses should be equally confident that their people will be well looked after. It is essential that businesses have robust and regularly tested crisis management plans in place that cover all eventualities from the very rare but serious situations to the far more common disruptions like delays and strikes.
How a business manages a crisis is a reflection on the business itself; a well-handled crisis can give appropriate support quickly and where it is most needed. With a solid crisis plan in place, businesses can be more confident that they are able to react to any eventuality and that they can support their people when they need it most.
Central to crisis planning is having the right team in place, access to the right tools and the processes and ability to disseminate pertinent information quickly.
Access to accurate information and facts is also essential so your company can be prepared. While social media has put access to information at everyone’s fingertips, its not always reliable and in a crisis it’s absolutely vital to act upon fact not rumour.
All travel companies that are members of ABTA benefit from access to our 24/7 operations and crisis bulletins, which alert Members to global issues from changes to Foreign Office advice to updates regarding strike action, these are issued to equip Members with the information they need to enable staff to make informed decisions. With situations evolving rapidly and social media and the 24 hour news flow playing their role in unfolding crises, access to this constantly updated information can be critical.
Working with a travel provider that is able to offer this kind of service is essential to ensuring that time on the road is time productively spent. Business travellers shouldn’t need to spend time sorting out logistics or searching for reliable travel information. All they want is to know that wherever they are and whatever happens their travel company has their back.
