FCM is piloting
a new proprietary travel management platform that it expects to make available to new customers
from early 2022.
The travel management company, which provided only basic details
of the development, says the 'end-to-end travel management platform' has been developed “in
response to a rapidly evolving business travel landscape” and is for travel managers, bookers and travellers.
It can be customised to ensure the right features and functionality is available for the relevant user and includes a native booking experience for the Americas market and the ability to 'plug and play' other online booking tools – as well as preferred expense suppliers and duty of care providers – based on customers’ preferences.
Following a testing phase with
existing clients, FCM is now offering demos to prospective clients who will “get
a realistic expectation of what’s to come when it debuts early next year”.
The company says it has worked with a
cross-section of existing clients from different sectors and with varying spend
to deliver a “slick user experience delivering global consistency where
needed, while offering a superior level of choice and flexibility that is built around their individual needs”.
The new platform’s landing page will
display an overview of key information including upcoming trips, live travel
updates, notifications and changes to bookings, as well as providing access to
a range of features and tools, plus reservations, spend and sustainability reporting,
and a new live chat support function.
FCM says the
introduction of a single approval flow brings together multiple online booking tools,
offline bookings and multiple markets into a consistent and simplified experience.
“As the world has changed, so have the challenges our clients face too. With
geographically dispersed operations and a remote workforce the new norm, our
travel management solution has been purposely designed for the digitally savvy workforce,
offering a powerful suite of digital tools and dashboards that puts travel
managers, arrangers, and travellers firmly in control,” said Marcus Eklund, FCM’s managing director.
“While it was important that we identified and addressed current pain
points, it was even more critical that we future-proofed our offerings by
anticipating and delivering the most adaptable business travel technology in
the market. It has truly been a collaborative effort.”