Data in an instant: We're changing the game (again)

Travel managers are busy. They need answers to questions and data insights when they want them, and those answers need to be custom built and flexible. But travel data is not known for being fast, or flexible. In fact, digesting travel data often results in lengthy wait periods and hours of sorting and pivot tables. Sound familiar?

On this episode, Chad and Miriam connect with Kate Shirley, Product Director with BCD's Travel Data Insights team about how we're changing the data game and giving travel managers answers to their questions in an instant. 

Learn more by visiting https://www.bcdtravel.com or https://www.linkedin.com/company/bcd-travel/

Transcript

Intro: 

Welcome to Connections with BCD Travel, an ongoing conversation about the modern day travel program, the impact of technology, and how travel buyers can take control and drive change. What are we waiting for? Let's start connecting. 

Chad Lemon: 

Hello everyone. Welcome back. I am your host Chad Lemon. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

And I'm Miriam Moscovici. 

Chad Lemon: 

We love hearing from you, so please head to BCDtravel.com/podcast to connect with us, just like the sweet comment we got from our listener Camila on our Women in Business Travel episode. Thanks for listening. So on today's The Quick 60 in Business Travel, I want to stick with the report we talked about last time. You mentioned lux light travel, and that really stuck with me because that is exactly the type of traveler I am. So for those I'm familiar, what else can you tell us about lux light travel? 

Miriam Moscovici: 

I think one of the interesting things is how this premium economy type product came about. The mid-class as Virgin's product was known at the time, was introduced, responding to strong demand for the product. At the time, many businesses were reviewing their travel policy, something that I think really resonates today, and they found it necessary to downgrade from business class or first class down into some sort of a premium economy product. So Virgin developed what they called mid-class at the time to satisfy those business travelers requirements for improved comfort and segregation and priority and check-in and service at that lower price point. Well, and we know now that some airlines are still just coming to the party on this. So even at this late stage, they're still first full service airlines that are just now investing in premium economy type products. And as recently as 2022, Swiss became the final Lufthansa group carrier to introduce premium economy seating when they installed 24 seats on their Boeing Triple seven, 300 ERs. 

So there's still a lot of movement going on, and we still haven't completely finished the story on what's going on with premium economy. I think another interesting point is how they're configuring cabins in order to accommodate the premium economy seating. So whether that is coming from the first class or business class cabin to increase premium economy or whether they're drawing it from the economy class and upgrading their premium economy. Either way, there's a finite amount of space in an aircraft cabin and the airlines are all dividing that up differently due to the demand that they're seeing. So definitely an interesting topic. I'm glad you brought it up and we'll continue looking at it for the future. But enough about that. Let's get to today's episode. 

Chad Lemon: 

I feel like I say this all the time, but I am really looking forward to this one. Not only for the discussion, but our guest is hands down, one of my favorite colleagues here at BCD. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

Yeah, she's pretty great. Today we have Kate Shirley based in the Atlanta Metro area. Kate works on our Travel Data Insights product team, and she's got some really groundbreaking news to share on this episode. 

Chad Lemon: 

Kate, welcome to Connections. I'm glad we finally were able to get you on. For those unfamiliar, can you explain what BCD's Travel Data Insights team is? What are you all responsible for? 

Kate Shirley: 

Certainly. And first off, thank you guys for having me. I think I might be a bit overly excited about being here and can talk for days about data things related, so you'll need to reign me in. 

Chad Lemon: 

Of course. 

Kate Shirley: 

The Travel Data and Insight team overall is responsible for taking our raw data and creating insights. We do that for any of our constituents, both internal and external through equal parts data science and innovation. I personally oversee our flagship analytics platform DecisionSource. So I get to go out and talk to our customers, meet their needs on new features, keep an eye on the industry for trends, et cetera. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

As a former travel manager myself, Kate, I know how important travel data is, but it feels like most of the time we're just talking about travel data. We don't talk too much about actual solutions. 

Chad Lemon: 

Well, Miriam, I'm half tempted to ask you what were some of the biggest headaches you faced when you were a travel manager? 

Miriam Moscovici: 

Well, related to data, I would say, right? It comes in two areas. One was always timeliness of the data. It was available a few weeks after the end of a month of a cycle. And I just sort of had to know what the cadence of data was when I was trying to use data to make decisions, at least in real time. That was really hard. And I think the other thing was the amount of analytical work you have to do with the type of data that comes in a report to get to the answer you're looking for. So pivot tables and sorting and resorting and things like that. Just time consuming and you've got to think your way through that process. So those were always some of the big challenges I had in solving problems or answering questions in my old role that were always a challenge. 

Chad Lemon: 

Well, Kate, what do you and the team hear as some of the largest headaches when it comes to data? I'd assume clean, accurate data has to be one of them, right? 

Kate Shirley: 

Yeah, that's always something that comes up is data cleansing and refinement. And we have a proprietary process at BCD that produces really what I think is the best data in the industry. But what good is that data if it's impossible to read? So is it too raw or even overly visualized? You know what I'm talking about, which are the beautiful charts and graphs and highs and lows, but that's not going to give you what you need when you're looking for an immediate answer is. So the answer to that question is in most cases, travel managers aren't data analysts and they feel like they've strayed too far from their program basics. And this is why we continue to innovate on our data engagement models to hit the sweet spot for them of exceptional data coupled with engagement model options that will work for all. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

I think anyone who's familiar with BCD is familiar with DecisionSource our data platform, right? 

Kate Shirley: 

Right. Yeah. Our flagship data and analytics tool, what I believe is one of the most flexible and powerful tools in the industry, it's the big data behemoth, big data monster period over period, year over year. It can handle it and it's going to give you that strategic and analytic type of data. 

Chad Lemon: 

Well, yeah, but we are not here to talk about DecisionSource. Well, not exactly anyway. We have some exciting news about a DecisionSource feature release that's poised to kind of change the data game. 

Kate Shirley: 

Not just change the game, Chad, but for data geeks like myself, it's work life changing. I am here to announce our newest method of data engagement, Instant Query, now available in DecisionSource. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

Alright, Kate, tell me more about the development. Did we build all this ourselves and why did you build it? 

Kate Shirley: 

So IQ was both conceptualized and developed in-house by our data scientists, our developers, and the product peeps like myself, which sidebar is the best case scenario for our customers because we control features, we control the roadmaps, the timelines and the need was very plainly a way to get quick answers to hot program questions. The why we have the big data analytics platform and DecisionSource, we wanted to offer a data ninja of sorts an engagement model for fast answers to specific program questions. IQ or Instant Query really provides that along with in platform-capabilities that no other reporting platform offers (sorts, filters, data constraining column moves, build your own ad hoc queries, even emailing right from the platform) all without having to leave. So we're excited about it. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

I got to say though, when you first showed me prototypes, I dunno, maybe about a year ago, it was one of the only types that I had seen a prototype where I had screamed out loud when you, and I'm not exaggerating... 

Kate Shirley: 

That's the kind of validation I look forward to. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

I screamed out loud because she showed me a very, and hopefully we'll talk about this here on the podcast, but she showed me a very common thing that travel managers do all the time and she did it in like two seconds and nobody needed to help. And yeah, I audibly screamed and I said, "this is about as much power and control as a travel manager has been able to have in the moment that I've ever seen." So it was quite a dramatic moment. 

Chad Lemon: 

And all of that really does sound great, Kate. And I know you just mentioned how it solved a need. So would you say that's kind of the "why" behind Instant Query's development or was it more than that? 

Kate Shirley: 

Well, it was really many things, but again, we continue to have to meet the need and want to meet the need of every customer we have from the most analytical deep dive data person to those who just need a quick answer and have minimal experience with data analytic modeling. So by having both DecisionSource reporting and now IQ, we've covered the varying experience levels. 

For X example, and that will mean something more in a minute. We have a current customer who designs and builds reusable rockets and spacecraft and routinely have a need for parts or inventory to be hand carried between a very specific market pair. They were actually part of our pilot and created a custom query that with one click identifies travelers in that market pair and has the ability to email them directly from IQ to ask the question. That account, if you haven't guessed already, is SpaceX and we are the agency of record for them. And to quote them directly, "IQ has been the best source to execute the scenario." So it's literally two clicks between login and results, instant answers. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

So when they need to move a part between two locations, they're just quickly querying the system and saying, "who's the next employee we have on a flight between here and there and let's call 'em and see if they can grab that part and take it to the next place?" 

Kate Shirley: 

Exactly right. But they don't even have to pick up the phone. They can actually just click on the email from the query results and send an email directly to them and ask them if they're willing to hand carry that part or that inventory. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

Wow. 

Chad Lemon: 

Alright. So fast. That's that's amazing. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

Yeah. I know it's hard to audibly give a tour of a product or feature, but can you describe some more functions of Instant Query that really set it apart? 

Kate Shirley: 

Yeah, I mean with IQ there's no longer a need to export raw data. And then you go in and you have to add pivot tables and sorts and filters and analyze it. Everything in this new platform from click and drag grouping, sorting, filtering, data constraining, and then being able to save that custom query for one click retrieval, that's probably one of the biggest things that set it apart. And we offer what's called, and we created this - a BYO or a Build Your Own query - which we kind of stumbled on organically when we were developing. But with BYO, it gives the end user the ability to literally select from any field in our booked and transactional database to build their own ad hoc query. The data is all front loaded, so when you click on a field to add it, it actually populates right in front of you. If it's not what you wanted, you unclick it and it's gone. And then the last one is the email which we talked about, which is a game changer that I mentioned before. So there's no need to move between spreadsheets and your native email. It's all on the platform. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

So you don't have to do mail merges in Word and Outlook in order to send messages to 15 people that ended up on a list. You can initiate those emails directly from the tool. Amazing. That's one of the reasons, reasons I screamed. 

Kate Shirley: 

And super helpful for policy adherence items, right? 

Chad Lemon: 

Absolutely. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

It's like a second chance at a policy. 

Kate Shirley: 

And one more thing, you can also one click to strip all of the filtering and customization out and start from scratch with the same dataset. So you no need to run the data again. We've made it so you can actually just reset the entire data, remove all the filters, and use that data again without having to and wait on the results. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

So Kate, how does Instant Query play into a company's travel risk management strategy? 

Kate Shirley: 

It can actually, it factors into a lot of different areas, a hundred percent. So whether it's terrorist activity or a weather related restriction for travel to a country, not only can you quickly pull travelers currently in that country, but you can also find out who is scheduled to travel there and email them directly from the platform to advise that travel has been placed on hold and to contact the travel department. And you know what? It's not just travel risk management, but it's people risk management now too. We have a query that identifies travelers who were in proximity of each other in the case of something or someone who has tested positive for Covid, for example, or any other contagious disease. It groups them by three levels: low, medium, high in terms of proximity, high being same flight, same cabin. And again in platform email feature allows you to reach out directly to those who are in close proximity and provide guidance on that. 

Chad Lemon: 

Kate, this might be a pointed question, but why is Instant Query better than what's in the market right now? 

Kate Shirley: 

Its features, and it's faster. And like I said, we are laser focused on keeping the "instant" in Instant Query. You've got fully ad hoc customizable queries, saved queries for one click retrieval. DecisionSource reporting will continue to be your flexible workhorse and of our data engagement offerings year over year period over period, truly, analytic and strategic reporting and Instant Query is now your data ninja, your tactical tool in our data toolbox, so to speak. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

Alright, Kate, I want to hear a set of examples on how Instant Query is making a workday better for travel managers. 

Kate Shirley: 

As I alluded to earlier when I talk to travel managers now, which is one of my favorite things to do is go out and talk to our customers and find out how we can fill these gaps for them from a reporting perspective, is that they want to be able to get back into their program and put their finger on the pulse. "Where are my travelers going this week? What countries are they visiting?" Booked travel compliance adherence has become a little bit of overwhelming in these big data sets. So being able to one click and find out cabin class violations, per diem hotel threshold violators, who's not flying your preferred carrier between a specific market? And then reach out and email them. Who's booking zero to three days in advance? And find out why, because that's against policy. Like I said, even logistics in the SpaceX case, people risk management, instant answers without having to pitch it to an analyst or another third party that they can go in as a travel manager and get the answer super fast without having to wait for somebody else to do it. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

So things like "show me a list of all the travelers flying on United Airlines out of Denver next week." 

Kate Shirley: 

Absolutely. And you can send an email and say, if you've got lounge passes in LaGuardia, give me a quick list of travelers who are flying out of LaGuardia in the next 48 hours. And you can email them from there and let them pick up the passes or you can e-send them the passes. Same thing, "who's staying in hotels in the Houston area?" because we have a new property. Super easy way to say we have a new property, or at the properties we do have breakfast is included now or wifi is included now. Those kind of updates to the travelers on the fly. 

Chad Lemon: 

And Kate, this is available globally if you have access to DecisionSource, you have access to Instant Query, right? 

Kate Shirley: 

Absolutely, yeah. It's turned on for all. And from a skill perspective, anyone can use Instant Query. We have walkthrough videos and tutorials available, but it's super user-friendly. But from an access perspective, again, if you have a login to DecisionSource, you have access to Instant Query. So you can log in, you'll see the new feature link on the left nav, and if you don't have a login, reach out to your PM and let's get you onboarded. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

So what about sneak peeks for what's coming next for the future? 

Kate Shirley: 

The biggest one is probably query sharing. That's going to be a big addition. And what I mean by that is we're going to have the ability for a user to create a custom saved query and then share the query with others in their organization. So just to be clear, we're not talking about sharing data, just the query parameters around it. So this like in a use case, would work for those colleagues that want to share a useful query without the colleague having to rebuild it, but also for PMs who want to build one for their customer and just share it with them and place it into their saved queries. 

Chad Lemon: 

Okay, Kate, last question for you. In just a sentence or two, what's the one thing you want our listeners to know about their own data and how Instant Query can help them? 

Kate Shirley: 

So specifically to travel managers, get back into your data. Know your program again. I'm speaking about downstream from negotiated fares and market shares. Where are your traveler going to be this week? What country are they in? Are they in any high risk countries? One click. Policy adherence, one click. Affect behavior changes before they happen. So you can save money. One click. What I would like to see is travel managers start their day by putting their finger on the pulse of their program and knowing where their travelers are going that day and that week and IQ enables that. 

Chad Lemon: 

Kate is so great. You see what I did there, Miriam, 

Miriam Moscovici: 

I've been thinking Chad, about what to encourage our listeners to give us feedback on. And one of the things I think is really interesting is cultural differences. And in America and American English, I would call that a dad joke. 

Chad Lemon: 

Oh no. 

Miriam Moscovici: 

And I'm curious to our listeners around the world, do you have the concept of a dad joke, sort of a bad joke, and what do you call it in your language and is it a dad joke or is there just a different way to say the same thing? 

Chad Lemon: 

Oh man, tough crowd here. Tough crowd on the podcast. Well, that is all for this episode. We hope you found it just as fascinating as I know Miriam and I did. But if you're interested in learning more about IQ, head to BCDtravel.com/podcast to connect with us. 

Outro: 

Thank you for connecting with us. BCD Travel helps companies travel smart and achieve more. We drive program adoption, cost savings, and talent retention through digital experiences that simplify business travel. Learn more about the topics you heard on this episode by visiting BCDtravel.com/podcast.