Travel Managers Still Fall Way Behind on Instant Messaging
Photo Credit: A man texts using his smartphone. Flickr / Tony Alter
Skift Take
Texting is central to most people's everyday lives, so it's surprising that most travel agencies are so sluggish to adopt it. At this point, it's only a matter of time before it becomes a key part of every corporate travel program.
The corporate travel world has always been slow to change, but sometimes it can feel pretty ridiculous. For example, it’s nearly 2020 but most travelers still can’t use text to communicate with their travel management companies.
Texting has become one of the most common ways of conversing, both with friends and with colleagues. But instead of just going into their phone contacts and sending a message to customer support, travelers have to either make a call to their travel agency, or use the chat tool embedded within the company’s website or app. Not to mention, these in-app chat tools usually connect travelers to bots rather than real people.
American Express Global Business Travel is starting to change things, however. The company
