For workers in the energy, resources and marine sector, getting to the office might mean hopping two planes and a helicopter before landing on an offshore rig in the middle of the sea. These “commutes” can take a full day and involve complex travel and logistics, often arranged on short notice.
BCD Travel has expanded its ERM services practice to help. The aim is to streamline trips for the millions of ERM crew members and corporate travelers on the go every day. In conjunction with the launch of the expanded practice, BCD also announced it had won the business of one of the largest oilfield services providers in the world; the travel management company did not name the client.
“Supported by our leading proprietary technology, global network and dedicated always-on service centers, the expanded ERM service will bring a highly competitive offering to the ERM space—in particular to companies looking to drive efficiencies in their crew rotations, provide enhanced traveler safety across inherently risky destinations and meet the specialized needs of their crew and corporate travelers with one partner,” said Stewart Harvey, president of BCD Travel in EMEA.
Always-on services for unpredictable travel
BCD’s ERM practice offers a global service platform that includes the TripSource® traveler platform for itinerary management, messaging, engagement and booking; the DecisionSource® program management platform for data collection and analysis; and the ability to feed travel program data to third-party emergency-response suppliers to simplify getting to travelers in need.
In addition, BCD’s practice addresses the particular challenges of ERM travel, among them: frequent last-minute travel changes; unique billing requirements for each project; logistics that include chartered flights, buses, helicopters and more; and duty of care compliance for a workforce scattered farther and wider than employees in most other industries. BCD’s ERM practice addresses these special needs with:
- 24/7/365 agent availability to assist travelers all over the world with trip arrangements and changes
- Dedicated, specialized ERM travel counselors using a single agent platform with customized workflows by traveler type
- Access beyond traditional global distribution system (GDS) content, including specialized marine and offshore, regional, low-cost provider and non-traditional housing content
- Traveler tracking and asset mapping for duty of care, with consultation for ERM nuances
- Incident and country risk mapping, impact alerts and access to a global crisis management team
“Because of the unique service requirements of energy, resources and marine operations, businesses in these sectors generally rely on highly specialized travel agents who often work in manual processes separately from their corporate travel service,” said Amy Dalton, the BCD senior vice president overseeing the ERM practice. “BCD Travel can bring crew and corporate services together into a single program to simplify our clients’ workload and drive savings through efficient operations.”
Discover how a Texas utility’s partnership with BCD Travel kept crews moving during and after a hurricane. Ask how BCD can help you get travelers to mission-critical destinations safely and efficiently.
