In March 2020, four leadership members of a major BCD client were on business in India. The COVID-19 situation was evolving rapidly in India at the time and the country was planning to go into lockdown with borders closures.
Challenge
As soon as the team found out about the impending lockdowns, they wanted to get back to the U.S. immediately. They reached out to their dedicated BCD contact in the U.S., even though it was in the middle of the night, requesting flights out the very same day.
Approach
The client has a dedicated travel team available 24 hours a day. But with the stress of getting stuck in India, one of the travelers contacted BCD’s senior director for operations, Konni Bye, directly on her mobile. Although it was the middle of the night, well past normal working hours, Konni and her colleague Holly Palmer, director of operations, got out of bed and went to their client’s aid. They worked swiftly to present them with options and secured seats on the next available flight—allowing the foursome to travel together. Konni remained in close communication with the client until all tickets were issued and they were confirmed en route.
Konni Bye: “We have a good relationship with our clients, and they put their trust in us—we wouldn’t leave them in the lurch. As a traveler, it’s a very stressful situation to be in. We did whatever we could to put them at ease and bring them back safely. It’s what we do!”
We’re so appreciative of your late-night efforts to get us out of India before borders closed, we can’t thank you enough! – Procurement officer at the consulting firm.
Result
Within three hours, BCD managed to secure seats for the client on the next available flight. BCD’s quick action and dedication helped the client fulfill its duty of care and enabled the four travelers to limit their total travel time, getting them home safely during a very hectic and ever-evolving week. With BCD taking care of the urgent travel arrangements, it was one less thing for the travelers to worry about allowing them to maintain productivity throughout the journey home.
Konni Bye: “COVID-19 showed the importance of personal contact for offline service and advice. With borders opening and airlines ramping up capacity, travelers are facing new questions and concerns. What is my health risk? Do I have to self-quarantine? What if a border closes unexpectedly? What should I pack? Travelers can now find all this information in our COVID-19 Information Hub, a publicly accessible self-service resource that will rebuild their confidence in travel by providing real-time information they need before, during and after their trip. For travelers who prefer to speak to someone in person to book their trip, our travel consultants are equipped with an agent-facing resource with that same information, and can give in-person advice.”
