Key Takeaways for Business Travel from Concur Fusion 2019

One of our favorite events every year is the annual Concur Fusion conference. Concur, in a nutshell, is an expense management software that organizations can use for invoices, budgets and of course, booking your travel online. Full of educational and networking opportunities for our clients and our employees, it’s an experience that always delivers a return on the investment.

Carrousel is always tracking the latest trends and assessing how we can do business better. With over 200 sessions, Concur Fusion is a great place to learn about *the next big thing* in the travel industry.

Here are some of the things we’re excited to share:

1. National Distribution Channels (NDC)
   A distribution channel is, essentially, a chain of businesses or intermediaries through which a good or service passes until it reaches the final buyer or the end consumer. In a travel sense, it refers to new ways in which airlines are listing fares within Concur. Ultimately, the idea is that it will bring more transparency between the airline and the organizations booking travel while removing the number of intermediaries. Disintermediation is hitting all industries, and travel is no exception!
2. Express Checkout & Enhanced User Experience
   Let’s say you find the fare you want, and you’re ready to check out. Express Checkout reduces the number of pages for air only reservations, which results in a 40% decrease in abandoned bookings. With the new Express Checkout, Concur simplifies the booking process and enhances the user experience, allowing your users to work more efficiently and effectively.
3. Concur Locate
   As the world becomes smaller, sometimes the dangers feel like they loom larger. Concur Locate is a new feature that can help track employees who are in areas experiencing upheaval, whether it’s extreme weather, terrorism, or some other threat. Locate allows users to label themselves as ‘OK’ or, if not, connects with emergency services.
4. Car Rentals & Driving
   Tracking miles can be something easily forgotten by travelers, but new updates to the Concur app will automatically track miles driven, making it easier to submit accurate expense reports. Concur also has some great things coming as part of their future vision. Some updates include:

• • Updating location data so users can search via landmarks and locations, not physical address
  • Ability for special requests, such as chains on vehicles traveling through snow

These things just scratch the surface of what we heard at Concur Fusion. Being at the conference is one more way in which we let our clients know that they are supported. Innovation is constantly on our radar, and we look forward to providing value wherever we can.

Learn more about the innovation and services Carrousel Travel can bring to your organization. Contact our business travel team today!