Traveler security comes down to two things: communication and education, says BCD Travel’s Kathy Bedell. In a recent article about keeping travelers safe, Bedell and other industry experts explore how communication, planning and technology play critical roles in assisting business travelers when risk occurs.
To assist travelers, travel management companies and risk and security professionals must first know when and where events occur, Bedell told Travel Weekly. A well-developed travel risk management plan should integrate proper intelligence gathering and sharing. Then, TMCs can act on the client’s question: “Where are my travelers?”
Bedell explained that BCD Travel uses a three-pronged approach to travel risk management, employing proprietary tools and platforms:
- The travel management company constantly captures traveler data, including itineraries.
- It makes that data accessible to clients, who can log into BCD’s proprietary DecisionSource® platform to immediately locate travelers during a crisis or disruption.
- If the client works with a third-party security firm (such as those specializing in getting travelers out of high-risk places) and wants BCD to share traveler data, the TMC does.
Bedell, a BCD senior vice president who is a member of the Global Business Travel Association’s Risk Committee, said a proactive approach to travel risk management has never been more important than it is right now. It’s essential to establish collaborative protocols and processes before a crisis occurs.
“We do see this as a partnership,” Bedell explained in the article. “We’re kind of the gatekeeper of the data, but it’s very important to have very strong partnerships with not only our clients, obviously, but whoever they are outsourcing their security for their travelers to.”
On the traveler side, BCD taps into the capabilities of its proprietary, award-winning TripSource® platform—which travelers regularly use to manage itineraries, book hotels and receive timely trip information—to send risk alerts. These one-way “warning” or “emergency” notifications help travelers understand what’s happening, how they can stay safe and whether their trips will be disrupted. TripSource risk alerts can reach travelers around the globe, but they’re only pushed out only to those affected by a crisis or disruption.
“Communication and education, and doing that over and over and over again. … Everybody needs to know what to do in the time of crisis,” Bedell said.
