Egencia Unveils Next Generation Egencia® TripNavigator iPhone App to Improve the Business Travel Experience
App offers ‘turn-by-turn’ guidance for travelers throughout the trip and integrated access to Egencia Travel Consultants when help is needed
BELLEVUE, Wash.—(August 1, 2013)—Egencia®, the business travel company of Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), today unveiled a preview of its next generation native iPhone application, Egencia® TripNavigator that dramatically improves the in-trip experience of business travelers, provides step-by-step navigation, and offers integrated access to Egencia Travel Consultants.
Egencia TripNavigator was developed in close collaboration with the travel management company’s corporate customers and leverages technology from Expedia’s acquisition of Mobiata. It offers a stunning new user interface, which proactively delivers information based on a traveler’s trip timeline to ensure a smooth and efficient business travel experience.
The app also integrates customer service assistance into the user interface with an innovative new feature called Egencia® AssistMe. Leveraging the company’s Intelligent Service Platform™, a new initiative aimed at smartly infusing technology into how Egencia delivers customer service, travelers benefit from personalized, contextual support from Egencia Travel Consultants—how they want it, and when they need it.
“We recognize the rapid shift to new mobile technologies is a major disruptive force in business travel,” says Mark Hollyhead, Egencia’s senior vice president, Americas. “Bringing best-of-breed consumer experiences to corporate travelers via mobile devices is something we believe Egencia is uniquely placed to do. We actively seek to integrate technology from across other leading brands in the Expedia, Inc. family, while tailoring our user experience to the unique needs of business travelers. "
In addition to standard ‘click-to-call’ functionality, the Egencia AssistMe feature exposes a “call back” option to travelers, which will be available in North America. This enables the Egencia Travel Consultant to receive additional information about the caller ahead of the call, including: name, company, role, and the traveler’s specific itinerary. This functionality helps provide faster, more knowledgeable service to corporate travelers who are typically on the go and require efficient responses.
Envisioned as a comprehensive system, Egencia TripNavigator gives users step-by-step directions during their entire journey, much like a GPS device offers driving directions. The app provides an interactive view of trip events, listing the specific next logical action a traveler should take—for example, checking in for a flight or hotel. In addition, the app offers new contextual actions with the integrated Egencia AssistMe capability to deliver a much higher level of personalized service to a traveler.
For example, Egencia TripNavigator:
- Enables a traveler to exchange flights (Egencia Mobile Flight Exchange) from their mobile device or connect to an Egencia Travel Consultant, if a flight is delayed;
- Notifies the user if a flight is canceled and provides options to connect to an Egencia Travel Consultant to rebook on another flight or find a last minute hotel in the area (based on the traveler’s corporate travel policy); and
- Alerts the user and provide options for assistance if a major event is impacting travel plans.
“As a global business, we seek partners like Egencia that share our values, the spirit of enterprise, and leverage best-in-class technology to help our employees and our business succeed in the real estate marketplace,” says Rudy Lim, director, procurement, Colliers International. “Our road warriors rely on the best mobile apps to make business travel easier. We will be early adopters of the new Egencia TripNavigator app; and we believe it, with integrated access to travel consultants when help is needed, will make our travelers more productive and happier as they jet set around the world.”
Egencia TripNavigator for iPhone will be available globally to Egencia’s customers in the fall 2013. Egencia will also be delivering this functionality in native app format for Android phones in early 2014.
About Egencia, an Expedia, Inc. company
Egencia is a leading full-service travel management company delivering innovative corporate travel solutions and expert local service to more than 10,000 clients in nearly 60 countries around the world. As part of Expedia, Inc., the world's largest travel company, Egencia provides forward-looking companies with the ability to drive compliance and cost savings in their travel programs, while meeting the needs and requirements of the modern business traveler. For more information, please visit www.egencia.com or follow us on Twitter @Egencia.
Egencia and the Egencia logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2013 Egencia, LLC. All rights reserved. CST # 2029030-50; CST # 2083922-50.
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Editor's Note: To schedule a demo at the GBTA 2013 Convention on August 5 or 6, please contact Kristin Treat, PR Manager for Egencia, at ktreat@egencia.com or via mobile phone at 425-214-6026.
Media Contact:
Kristin Treat | PR Manager, North America
Email: ktreat@egencia.com
Office: 425-679-4930 | Mobile: 425-214-6026
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