Identifying trends that will change business travel forever

Many times, when someone achieves success they decide to write a book to teach the lessons that led them to the peak of the mountaintop.

Others who look up with wonder at the peak decide that a book or a story is what is holding them back from achieving success. As a result, they immediately respond in order to be part of the club and gather these secrets.

I happen to be one of those ladder climbers, looking to achieve success and have crossed paths with many memo’s or memoirs highlighting the rise to greatness from leaders across the business landscape. These leaders have different upbringings and climbs.

Some are simple, just showing up each day and working hard. Before they knew it, a large corner office with an even larger salary was awaiting them.

Others had a plan, they knew instantly what they wanted and cut backroom deals and put blood sweat and tears into it. Their path although not paved, was forged through their iron will.

And for a few, their family connections or personal relationships got them where they needed to be. Their upbringing allowed them to take risks, their family gave them support, and then they made the rest happen.

But within the journals of these great men regardless of how they got there, you often see them capitalize when a trend is shifting in an area they focus on. It is as if they were a tiger who has found a new prey and is calibrating every aspect of its life to its goat on feasting on its new target.

 In the business world, the pattern is as follows:

Forging their path in their field of choice. Making decisions and accomplishing their goals based on previous schools of thought and previous trends.

A categorical shift happens. Whether that be the development of new technology, a political break, or interest suddenly shifted due to micro and macro events.

They drop what they are doing to focus on this shift, putting their reputation, financial freedom, and relationships on the line.

Based on the above, I wonder if I am witnessing the first categorical shift in my adult working life. And if it is now time for me to jump in and work towards a solution?

The shift I am talking about is the Corona Virus or the first global pandemic and the niche in the world how it affects me is business travel at large companies.

Because I currently work for SAP Concur within SAP. I am exposed and responsible for upselling business to customers that have Concur and are thinking about business travel every day.

The truth is, Business Travel and the way people travel for business is going to change. And it is going to change rapidly and it may never look the same as it did previously.

What areas are changing?

The Shift to Remote Work. Not only is working remote going to be more common and be more accepted by companies. Companies are going to use Remote Work as a recruiting method, a way to cut costs and a way to squeeze out the most from employees.

Areas Altered: Business Offices, Cities, Commuting, White Collar Work

Health and Safety are becoming more and more of a focus. It is no longer a given that you will be safe if you go outside. You need to be protected. And now if you are going outside for your job, the expectations are that your company has your best interests in mind.

Areas Altered: Bars, Meetings, Transportation Systems

You don’t have to be in person in order to get the best experience. Whether that is joining and being part of a company in another part of the country, to partaking in digital events that were never digital (weddings, meetings, celebrations).

Areas Altered: Colleges, Event Planners, Human Resource Departments

When you think about the future of traveling for business, what areas will no longer be part of the experience?

Will you travel as much? Or will it only be an exception? Who is doing the traveling in this new world?

Will you need approval from certain departments? Who is responsible for this in your company?

What will you do when you are traveling? Are you allowed to come and go as you please? Will you have to track where you go?

What options will you have when you come back?

As an individual who is the early stage of his working years and has been looking for a categorical shift, this is a fantastic opportunity.

An opportunity to understand and really listen to customers and figure out what is important to them. What pains are they having?

An opportunity to figure out what trends are changing when someone is traveling for work.

Who is traveling?

What are they doing when they travel?

And are their expectations with their employer ever going to be the same?

I envision a future in which the expectations of employees when they go and travel is much higher.

They are expected to report on where they go and what they do, they want their employer to keep them safe and will choose an employer who is focused on not only just working remote, but their health and safety in all avenues of life.

It is up to me to test that business hypothesis.