The Sex Pistols is an iconic band responsible for initiating one of the most important, controversial and influential movements in modern culture: Punk.
The genre resonated with the young working class across Europe, as people became disenchanted with the stiff and accepted way of doing things. Punk was about adopting a do-it-yourself ethic, rejecting the ‘norm’, and in the Seventies, this sub-genre attracted hordes of young people overwhelmingly invested in the process of identification, fragmentation, and originality.
Now that sense of being ‘original’ is not exclusively linked to the Punk movement, it is still alive in many parts of society and so is the idea of doing things ‘my way’ or being recognized as different. It’s natural then that this feeling is not going to stop on Monday morning when you stare in the mirror with your razor blade, put on your shirt and tie and head to work.
Power to the people
That phrase ‘our people are our most important asset’ is a well-worn one by those in HR. We love to celebrate how our employees outshine those of our competitors and how we let them ‘express themselves’ and ‘encourage innovation.' But for many, this does not translate into our travel programs. Employees are squeezed into the same boxes.
According to CWT Solutions Group, 15% of your air spend could be saved if your travelers booked within the policy, so uncover those travelers that don’t and identify the reasons why. Taking a deeper look into traveler data, based on information saved in their profile allows you to understand trends and identify sub-sets of travelers, such as those who book chronically late, or stay loyal to hotels that are not in your program. Understanding their preferences is increasingly important with personalization. Shopping is now expected, not just preferred. Enhancing the knowledge around a traveler will help build a nuanced profile that goes beyond the usual categories of age, gender and job level.
Profiling also helps you address issues in certain groups and create a clearer picture of your traveling employees. This is a first step in meeting their needs and designing a more specific and unique program that reflects all your ‘traveler tribes’.
Serve the Sub-sets: Travelers are individuals with different needs and preferences
Preferences matter
A CWT study shed some light on certain traveler preferences. It showed 65% of European travelers preferred the window seat to an aisle seat when flying and almost 70% preferred traditional taxis over ridesharing firms such as Uber and Lyft. Now, of course, these two figures alone are not suddenly going to give you massive savings, but taking a holistic view of your data can ensure your travel program is generating more bang for your buck.
A one-size-fits-all approach no longer cuts it with today’s business travelers, they are individuals with different needs and preferences, so treat them that way and build a program that represents this…Punk Is Dead. Long Live Punk.
Download CWT’s Traveler Tribes eBook showing how to meet the needs of different traveler types.