New Traveler Security feature simplifies traveler communications in a crisis

Emergency Response ‘I’m safe’ messaging makes it easier for travelers to check in.

Communicating with travelers during a crisis is a one of the biggest concerns for companies sending employees on the road. Forty-four percent of business travel security professionals describe crisis communications as a major challenge, according to a survey conducted on behalf of travel security services International SOS.

Meanwhile, business travelers list safety support as one of the biggest gaps between what they want on trips and what their companies provide, Business Travel News reports.

BCD Travel is bridging that gap with a new feature in its Traveler Security offering: Emergency Response. Travelers receive a mobile alert with details on an emergency event in their location and are prompted to check in using the TripSource “I’m Safe” button. Travel managers access the messages through the DecisionSource® intelligence platform, then monitor and communicate with affected travelers until the crisis is over or the traveler is safe.

Jorge Mesa, BCD’s director of Global Crisis Management, said Emergency Response is a good solution for today’s business travel environment, where there are no “safe” destinations and cautious business travelers are increasingly willing to take on responsibilities to increase their safety.

“Whether your travelers are in high-risk locations or in routine business travel destinations like Paris or Las Vegas, it’s essential to know where they are and have a way of reaching them in a crisis,” he said. “It’s also important to engage travelers in increasing their own security during trips, as well as to train your travelers about their duty of loyalty.” Duty of loyalty means a traveler in an area affected by a crisis lets their employer know they’re safe. It’s the employee side of duty of care.

Here is Mesa’s example of how Emergency Response helps in a crisis: Your DecisionSource data shows 10 travelers are in a city where terrorists have just staged an attack. Your travelers understand their duty of loyalty, check their phones for an alert and respond using TripSource’s “I’m Safe” button. You hear from eight travelers. That means you can focus on the two who haven’t checked in.

Heather Wright, a member of the BCD global product team behind Emergency Response, said clarity and speed in a crisis is what makes the new feature so valuable. “It lets corporate travel, security and human resources teams direct their time, energy and efforts toward finding and assisting the travelers who need help.”

Is your corporate travel program ready for a crisis? BCD Travel’s Traveler Security Program Assessment helps you grade your preparedness and protect your travelers and company. Discover how BCD can help you manage travel risks.

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