This week, many are planning a romantic night out with their soul mate, looking for the perfect card and the gift that says, "I love you!" Augh...I am NOT a fan of Valentine's Day, never have been! The love I am talking about is the love of travel managers with their data!
Sad spin? Probably, but its true! When travel people gather in a room, many of the conversations are around data, how they are using it, how they are pulling it, where are they getting it, what are they doing with it, what are the KPI's they are measuring, etc.
Here are some data points that I believe are sometimes overlooked and valuable when looking at a travel program. (Note, these are not in order of importance!) Also, they do not take the place of things like ADR, ATP, top destination, etc. They should be looked to augment the travel data you are already receiving.
1 - Supplier survey data. In that detail, our travelers are telling them exactly what they feel about them and their products. I don't have time to ask each traveler how they feel about airline ABC or hotel XYZ. They are doing that and that is valuable to me and understanding traveler satisfaction is important to our decision process.
2 - Buying patterns. This one is can be vast and broad! It can range from advance purchase to how/where they are buying. They could vary based on regional variations to seasonal changes. This is where the rubber meets the road and you can get understand what is happening and why.
3 - Compliance information. Some take compliance data with a grain of salt and some take compliance data with a whip! However you use it, it needs to be consistent and supported. If you simply gather the data to have and not use, that's fine because at least you understand what is going on. If you use to show how some groups can improve behavior or compliance, that's fine too. As long as you know what you are dealing with, you are ahead of the game.
4 - Understanding of internal data metrics. In this I would include things like regional headcount, roles of highest traveling population and what drives travel needs. You have to know what your internal customer needs so you can meet those.
So, whether you love or hate Valentine's Day, know that data is here to stay and maybe by looking at things through a different reporting lens, you might learn something about your program that you never understood or knew. While trying to help my daughter create the perfect Valentines box, I keep going!
Sad spin? Probably, but its true! When travel people gather in a room, many of the conversations are around data, how they are using it, how they are pulling it, where are they getting it, what are they doing with it, what are the KPI's they are measuring, etc.
Here are some data points that I believe are sometimes overlooked and valuable when looking at a travel program. (Note, these are not in order of importance!) Also, they do not take the place of things like ADR, ATP, top destination, etc. They should be looked to augment the travel data you are already receiving.
1 - Supplier survey data. In that detail, our travelers are telling them exactly what they feel about them and their products. I don't have time to ask each traveler how they feel about airline ABC or hotel XYZ. They are doing that and that is valuable to me and understanding traveler satisfaction is important to our decision process.
2 - Buying patterns. This one is can be vast and broad! It can range from advance purchase to how/where they are buying. They could vary based on regional variations to seasonal changes. This is where the rubber meets the road and you can get understand what is happening and why.
3 - Compliance information. Some take compliance data with a grain of salt and some take compliance data with a whip! However you use it, it needs to be consistent and supported. If you simply gather the data to have and not use, that's fine because at least you understand what is going on. If you use to show how some groups can improve behavior or compliance, that's fine too. As long as you know what you are dealing with, you are ahead of the game.
4 - Understanding of internal data metrics. In this I would include things like regional headcount, roles of highest traveling population and what drives travel needs. You have to know what your internal customer needs so you can meet those.
So, whether you love or hate Valentine's Day, know that data is here to stay and maybe by looking at things through a different reporting lens, you might learn something about your program that you never understood or knew. While trying to help my daughter create the perfect Valentines box, I keep going!
No comments:
Post a Comment