Are your mid and back office systems COVID-19 ready?

Everything has changed. How often have we all heard that phrase over recent months? It’s usually followed by the question: ‘Will it go back to normal?’

The simple answer for the travel industry is No – or at least not for the foreseeable future. COVID-19 won’t kill leisure and business travel, but it will significantly change the customer experience. It also means big changes to the way travel companies will be expected to support their customers.

Here are five potential COVID-19 requirements travel companies now need to consider:

1. Arrival information: Travel companies will need to give customers all the relevant information about the current rules for travelling from their country of origin to their destination. You may need to include an itinerary of different restrictions covering multiple destinations in the trip.
2. Quarantine rules: You will also need to inform customers of the latest quarantine rules in place for their destination and on their return home.
3. Hygiene and safety measures: Many customers will need reassurance about this. Travel companies will need to share the data they have about the deep cleaning policies in place for specific hotels, airlines and other transport providers.
4. Pre-trip approvals: Travel companies will need to capture and validate pre-trip approval codes from corporate travel buyers.
5. Content sharing: We are starting to see a demand from corporate travel buyers for a way of sharing the travel data and experiences of previous travelers. They want to use this to inform and reassure team members needing to travel to specific destinations for business.

In a period of extreme uncertainty, there will be many more changes for the travel sector to navigate. Different governments will impose different regulations; corporate customers will have varying travel policies; individual customers will have different risk profiles and expectations. But, they will all want their travel provider to answer their questions, provide information and reassurance, and make all the necessary arrangements.

The only thing that’s certain for travel companies right now is that they’ll need mid and back office systems with the flexibility and functionality to manage multiple demands and changes at a moment’s notice. It really is a case of adapting now to meet future demands. There will be no going back to the ‘old normal’ as the world emerges from travel restrictions.