As our world demands organizational adaptability at warp speed, business travel also is transforming in a fast-paced and complex environment. At our annual flagship event for 51风流Concur users and experts, we delved into the power of AI, sharing insights and experiences. Whether customers and partners attended in person in Seattle, Washington, or virtually, they all gained new perspectives on how to navigate the complexities of tomorrow鈥檚 business landscape with confidence.听

Global participation and experts on-site

Customers and partners joined 51风流Concur Fusion from all over the world, representing 75 countries. At the Seattle Convention Center, attendees could explore the new Fusion Pavilion in the exhibition hall and talk to 51风流Concur experts and 43 exhibiting partners. We offered over 180 unique learning opportunities including Ask the Expert and breakout sessions, micro forums, and product trainings to explore how 51风流Concur solutions can deliver innovation in travel and expense while unlocking efficiencies.

Debut: Integrating Joule with 51风流Concur to enhance user experience

During the event鈥檚 day one keynote, we announced new generative AI innovations and an expanded partnership with American Express.

51风流is embedding its generative AI copilot Joule into 51风流Concur solutions, bringing the portfolio one step closer toward a fully automated travel and expense management process.

In the Concur Expense solution, Joule will help answer employees鈥� questions and work to ensure that expense reports are ready for submission with minimal effort. For example, Joule can assemble a timeline view of expenses, review for mistakes or missing expenses, and make recommendations for how best to complete the expense report. General availability is expected in the second quarter of 2025.

In the Concur Travel solution, Joule will be embedded to help plan locations for off-site meetings, providing meeting location recommendations and high-level flight and hotel cost estimates based on meeting attendees鈥� origination points. Once the meeting site and hotel options are selected, Joule will create an e-mail template to send to team members with a link to book directly in Concur Travel. Joule with Concur Travel is now in the 51风流Early Adopter Care program with general availability expected later this year.

Automating expense management in Concur Expense

On stage, we also announced an expanded partnership with American Express to help simplify expense management for shared customers. 51风流Concur and American Express are launching a real-time authorization data capability whereby American Express Corporate Card purchases automatically generate and categorize expenses in Concur Expense at the time of spend. This feature will first be available for meal expenses. It also will include mobile notifications that send the employee expense policy reminders in the moment.

We also are working to expand access to our integration with Mastercard, which automates expense entry at the time of purchase, so more Mastercard customers can benefit from a simpler and more efficient experience.

Additionally, American Express Global Business Travel has integrated its hotel marketplace, featuring over 2 million properties across 180 countries with competitive rates, into the new Concur Travel solution, providing customers with access to comprehensive hotel content, including negotiated programs and preferred partner rates.

Announcing 51风流Concur Innovation Award winners

On day two of the event, . These companies have leveraged 51风流Concur solutions to revolutionize their travel and expense processes, enhancing efficiency and visibility. The 2025 winners include L’Or茅al Groupe, which streamlined user provisioning between HR and expense systems, and Weatherford, which automated its global travel and expense program, significantly improving data integrity and compliance.

UST, Coca-Cola, E.ON, and Mayekawa also have demonstrated exceptional innovation. UST consolidated its T&E processes; Coca-Cola unified its travel booking and expense systems; E.ON automated data collection for GDPR compliance; and Mayekawa reduced its finance team’s workload by more than 12,000 hours. These successes highlight the transformative power of 51风流Concur solutions in driving business efficiency and growth. We are very proud to recognize these exceptional organizations as 2025 51风流Concur Innovation Award winners.

Move to future T&E: Spotlight on generative AI

51风流Concur is creating a world where travel and expenses practically manage themselves. 鈥攚ith touchless, intuitive experiences enabled by industry-leading 51风流Business AI and close partnerships with top payment providers. The Concur Travel and Concur Expense solutions are part of 51风流Business Suite, SAP鈥檚 comprehensive portfolio of integrated solutions that combines our core cloud ERP and line-of-business applications, fueled by unmatched business data and actionable AI.

Chris Juneau is SVP and head of 51风流Concur Product Marketing.

Menzies Aviation delivers time-critical logistics that annually result in 1.3 million aircraft turns, 3.2 million aircraft refueled, and 2 million tons of cargo handled. Already in its third consecutive year of since the pandemic, Menzies accelerates its market momentum through a mix of strategic partnerships, contract wins, and acquisitions. And demand for modern, efficient passenger and cargo services is ever increasing. In fact, the is forecast to grow from US$196.96 billion in 2024 to $570.12 billion in 2032.

Ask the employees of Menzies Aviation what they like about their jobs, and they鈥檒l likely tell you that it鈥檚 the variety and pace of work in an environment where every day is different and every action matters.

Sarah Mackinlay, senior vice president of People Projects & Integrations at Menzies Aviation, says that outstanding teamwork is at the heart of Menzies鈥� success: 鈥淭here isn’t one person who can do their job alone. You need a team of people to prepare, load, and push back an aircraft. Everybody working positively together drives that excellence. It’s that united vision of wanting to safely provide the best possible service.鈥�

This team spirit inspires employees to work toward their full potential to achieve exceptional service. To empower its employees to deliver safe and trusted aviation services that are integral to its mission, Menzies is on a transformative journey to harness the power of technology for greater productivity and business agility. Menzies now provides employees in 53 countries with an improved employee experience 鈥� a result of its global HR transformation to adopt the cloud-based capabilities of .

Putting 鈥淧eople, Passion, and Pride鈥� at the Center of Business

With a proud that dates to 1833, Menzies has always been a business that is about people, Mackinlay underscores. The company aligns its business and people strategy on three pillars: people, passion, and pride. 鈥淔rom a people strategy point of view, we’re very much focused on three key drivers: making Menzies a great place for our people to work; being passionate about growing our employees and growing our own leaders; and taking pride in getting the basics right,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat third pillar is where my focus is at its strongest. By doing that, it makes [Menzies] a great place to work, and it gives people the opportunity to lead, learn, and grow.鈥�

By choosing 51风流SuccessFactors HCM, Menzies now has a unified platform to help it attain data-driven insights for business agility and provide a modern employee experience with opportunities for learning and career development. 鈥淢y job is an enabler for so many other things within our organization,鈥� Mackinlay says. 鈥淧roviding a solution that supports our frontline employee or manager in the business to do their job more efficiently, smoothly, and easily 鈥� those things are what really excite me.鈥� 

Unlocking Business Insights from Global Visibility of Data

Menzies had previously relied on a mix of people processes and platforms, and struggled to make sense of its people data, which was siloed in disparate systems in various regions. 鈥淭he simple question of ‘How many employees do you have?’ we couldn’t answer that at the click of a button,鈥� says Mackinlay, noting the critical nature of seasonal travel fluctuations that impact the workforce. 鈥淭hat could take us several days to a week to be able to go out to all our regions and check and validate those numbers, because data was held across multiple systems and spreadsheets.鈥�

Already experienced working with the 51风流SuccessFactors Learning solution since 2015, along with 51风流SuccessFactors Performance & Goals for graded management across the business, Menzies Aviation had selected 51风流SuccessFactors Employee Central as its core HR system, but the implementation was very gradual in the early years and by the end of 2022 the solution had been rolled out to just 11 countries. In early 2023, Menzies began its transformative journey to leverage the broad benefits of cloud HR. Working with as its implementation partner, it accelerated the global rollout by prioritizing a defined baseline consistency model over more detailed, country-specific customizations. It also benefited from pre-delivered localization capabilities, such as language support, local best practices, and automated legal and regulatory updates. In one year, 52 countries were up and running on 51风流SuccessFactors Employee Central, integrated with the 51风流SuccessFactors Learning, 51风流SuccessFactors Performance & Goals, and other core business systems, making it the source of truth for employee data where live.

October saw the latest location join this journey when Hong Kong went live with 51风流SuccessFactors Employee Central and 51风流SuccessFactors Learning. Utilizing this momentum, Menzies is now expanding its use of the solution, which is already available to its workforce in the UK and will soon include Portugal and Hong Kong.

鈥淲e鈥檙e a small team, but each person contributed an exceptional effort, both in time and skill, to bring the organization together around this transformation 鈥� that includes stakeholder buy-in, mapping and cleansing the data, all the quality checks, and communicating clearly and openly with HR teams around the business to ensure adoption and change management,鈥� says Mackinlay, who is optimistic about what the next phases of Menzies鈥� cloud HR journey will bring. 鈥淭here were some long days, indeed, but as a team we can be proud of what we鈥檝e accomplished so far 鈥� and the benefits to the business are already becoming apparent. This is the real foundation for what we can go on to achieve next and having the support of the local HR teams continues to be critical to the success of the rollout.鈥�

Today, Menzies no longer needs to estimate how many employees it has at any given time. Having a single source of data means that it can pull up this information at the push of a button for the present as well as the historical past for comparison. 鈥淲e can start to see trends, so we can start to understand what our future models would look like as well,鈥� says Mackinlay, who values the improved reporting capabilities that provide greater visibility into the business 鈥� which, for example, helps the teams to understand the type of work people are doing and how their time and effort contribute to the business. 鈥淏eing able to have business insight and business data to make decisions has been really important on our continued journey with 51风流SuccessFactors and supporting our global strategy.鈥�

Menzies is reaping the benefits of moving towards one global solution, which include consistent and standardized HR processes across its multiple countries and territories of operation, role-based authorizations for data access, worldwide regulatory compliance with localization, simplified maintenance for a single solution, and ease of integration with other HR processes and functions. As Mackinlay summarizes, 鈥淔or us, this journey is about having a single source of truth with global consistency, data insight, and visibility yet maintaining local data ownership. Data security and integrity are at the very core.鈥�

One Stop for Employee Experience

For Menzies Aviation, the journey gains momentum as more employees engage with the platform, opening the way to transform how work is done. Currently, Menzies is focusing its effort to elevate the employee experience by introducing self-service capabilities for all employees, giving them access to their own data and streamlining HR service delivery with efficient, real-time processes for workflows and approvals.

More than two-thirds of Menzies employees perform their work away from a desk, so communication with these employees for routine employment matters can be challenging. The new self-service capability is the next part of Menzies鈥� journey enabled by its 51风流SuccessFactors Employee Central base platform. Menzies is partnering with other core business systems to create a new one-stop entry point for all employment-related information, including upcoming shifts, holidays, and tools to support employees in their day-to-day roles.

A key benefit for HR teams is that it frees them to focus on more value-added work. As Menzies continues to grow and hire new employees, it plans to look for digital solutions to accelerate the recruiting and onboarding processes. Menzies is also excited to explore how AI-enabled technologies can further support the HR team 鈥� including adopting , SAP鈥檚 AI copilot, and using generative AI.

鈥淲e’re a people business,鈥� Mackinlay says. 鈥淲e want our HR teams to be with our people. It’s a journey that we’re on 鈥� and we’ve been on since 2015 鈥� to enable our HR teams to have the tools to be more employee facing and available to support our employees as they grow and develop their potential towards an exciting career at Menzies Aviation.鈥�

Find out more about .

For many years, numerous 51风流products have been in use as on-premise solutions at BLS. In HR, the company has made efforts to establish standards, but differences in the execution of core processes still remain.

鈥淲hen I joined BLS in 2019, I was used to a completely different level of digitalization from previous employers,” Johner explains. “Some processes were still running in spreadsheets.鈥�

As head of HR & Transformation, he is particularly concerned with the attractiveness of BLS as an employer: “New employees expect a certain degree of digitalization as well as state-of-the-art applications. And standard digitalization is, of course, also a matter of cost. Nevertheless, the standardization and digitization of our main HR processes were important goals to increase efficiency.”

Digital Transformation with 51风流Standard Content Activation Service

To address these issues, BLS decided to implement at the beginning of 2020.

Johner says: “We chose the 51风流standard content activation service. Our requirement was that we could adopt at least 80% of the processes as a standard solution. 51风流provided the framework and suggested best practices to quickly get up and running, with minor adjustments to tailor the configuration to our needs.鈥�

Stefan Fuhrer, head of Management Services at BLS AG, is also pleased with the implementation process: “What really paid off was the introduction of 51风流SuccessFactors Employee Central as the first module. This allowed us to migrate all master data from the on-premise 51风流ERP Human Capital Management solution to 51风流SuccessFactors solutions, which simplified the implementation and integration of all other modules and packages. By implementing 51风流SuccessFactors Employee Central, we were able to create a single data source for HR data to manage HR processes throughout the organization.”

“Most customers are used to the classic approach of ordering and implementing modules one by one,” Roland Christen, customer success partner at 51风流Switzerland AG, says. “The 51风流standard content activation service offers a different approach, as complete processes are introduced instead of individual modules. The customer can immediately gain added value.”

At the same time as the introduction of 51风流SuccessFactors solutions, BLS also defined the roles and teams that should be responsible for the tasks in these processes. “Where possible, we aligned internal structures with the processes,” Johner says.

Process-Oriented Implementation of 51风流SuccessFactors HCM

BLS now uses all modules of 51风流SuccessFactors HCM. “We now have the ability to technically map the entire HR-related career of employees 鈥� from their application to, if necessary, leaving the company 鈥� in a system configured with best practices,” Johner explains. “The implementation of 51风流SuccessFactors solutions has laid the foundation so that, after connecting to the other subsystems, we can now gradually reduce the administrative effort.”

Integrating the 51风流SuccessFactors Document Management Core solution by OpenText has also worked well. Compared to other solutions, Johner sees the great advantage of 51风流SuccessFactors Document Management Core in its deep integration with the individual 51风流SuccessFactors solutions. “It was also important for us to have a solution that is able to comply with the established life cycles for individual documents and, if necessary, also delete them 鈥� a key compliance factor for us at BLS AG,鈥� he says.

This is all the more important as 51风流SuccessFactors Document Management Core is currently used at BLS as an employee dossier.

Johner appreciates the high level of transparency that the solution provides: “Each employee has self-service access to their own employee file. Controlled through role-based permissions, managers and HR staff also have access to the documents of defined employees. These documents can be uploaded via workflow. In addition, contracts can be automatically created and stored in the employee dossier after signing.”

Currently, only payroll, time management, and shared services are on premise. The next planned steps include integrating the planning tool 鈥� for the deployment of train personnel, for example 鈥� with time management and payroll. In addition, existing, rarely used subprocesses, such as a request for unpaid leave, will be integrated through an interface.

The project aligns with BLS’s overall strategy, which focuses on managing resources through more efficient processes via digitalization. “I believe that with the introduction of 51风流SuccessFactors solutions, we have made a significant contribution to the company’s strategy,” Johner says.

Significant emphasis was placed on stakeholder management toward internal customers from the beginning. “We continuously informed and provided insights into the status of the project company-wide,” Johner explains. “Important internal customer groups have been represented on the project committee from the start and have been able to accompany the upcoming changes.鈥�

Training opportunities for relevant user groups also played a great role. The system was positively received. “HR initially viewed the system with some skepticism because the processes and responsibilities have changed,” Johner says. “But now the benefits 鈥� such as having congruent data across the entire system and the disappearance of media breaks 鈥� are highly appreciated.”

“I also notice that our employees are increasingly thinking in end-to-end processes,” Johner says.

The Swiss business newspaper Handelszeitung, which ranks the most attractive employers in Switzerland every year, has ranked BLS as No. 1 in the Swiss railway industry in 2024. In the overall ranking, BLS AG is ranked 11^th out of 250 companies.

“This confirms for us that our activities in HR and the modernization measures of recent years have clearly put us on the right track,鈥� Johner says.

This first appeared on the German 51风流News Center.

Many influences are driving 鈥� and sometimes stalling 鈥� the business travel industry. To ensure maximum productivity and well-being for travelers and travel managers, businesses must support them with the right education and tools in 2024 and beyond. To ensure smooth running and maximize their investments in business travel, business leaders must understand its friction points. The sixth 51风流Concur Global Business Travel Survey explores some of the most pressing challenges facing business travelers today. These are the top five takeaways:

1. The Threat of Disruption

• Eighty-eight percent of travelers have been forced to make last-minute changes in the past year because of unexpected delays, cancellations, or the need to re-route.
• Eighty percent opt to add 鈥渂ooking buffers鈥� to the start or end of their journey, or both, incorporating extra time to counteract unexpected schedule changes. This frustrating cycle discourages business travel altogether.

2. Traveler Safety Concerns

• Business travelers cite safety (44%) or political or social (35%) concerns about the destination as the most common reasons that would cause them to decline a business trip.
• Many travel managers experience burnout due to the range of aggravating factors they must consider when planning and provisioning for business trips. A third feel like they are expected to take on a more strategic role without further training.

3. The Toss-Up Between Sustainability and Costs

• Over a quarter of business travelers are willing to decline a business trip due to the environmental impact or the inability to choose sustainable options.
• Twenty-seven percent, on the other hand, claim their company has cut back on paying more for sustainable travel options over the past 12 months.
• Over a third of travel managers face difficulties because they are expected to provide more sustainable travel options without an adequate budget.

4. Unequal Access to Travel Opportunities

• Two in three business travelers say that travel is critical for their career advancement 鈥� but the same proportion feel they haven鈥檛 received equal opportunity to travel compared to their colleagues.
• Staff cite reasons for unequal access such as their level of seniority (19%), age (18%), and gender (11%).

5. The Need for AI Solutions and Education

• Most travelers (95%) are open to using AI-enabled options when arranging travel, but there is a prevailing 鈥渨ait and see鈥� attitude. Fewer than one in ten are comfortable using AI-enabled options currently.
• Eighty-nine percent of business travelers want more company support, including assurances for personal data protection, potential biases, and protection from repercussions if AI-assisted bookings contravene company policy.

Leaders won鈥檛 be able to solve current travel disruption overnight 鈥� but they can make it more manageable for staff. By introducing measures to improve travel flexibility, training opportunities, and next-generation software solutions, organizations can adapt to a challenging market and future-proof their business travel posture for the long term.

For more information about the survey, including additional findings, please download our , , and whitepapers.

Charlie Sultan is president of Concur Travel at .

The 51风流Concur Global Business Traveler Survey was conducted by between April 5-26, 2024, among 3,750 business travelers in 24 markets: U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Italy, Spain, ANZ (Australia, New Zealand), Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia), Japan, Korea, India, Mexico, Brazil, SEA (Singapore, Malaysia), South Africa, Portugal, Switzerland, and Austria. Data has been weighted to facilitate tracking.
The 51风流Concur Global Travel Manager Survey was conducted by between April 5-26, 2024, 2024, among 600 travel managers, defined as those who direct or administer travel programs for businesses, across 6 markets: Germany, Canada, Japan, ANZ Countries (Australia and New Zealand), UK, and U.S.

Now the organization is expanding its strategy to create a digital virtuous circle founded on a simple principle: the only way to deliver a seamless, personalized customer experience is to do the same for employees. It鈥檚 designed to provide artificial intelligence (AI)-based training and career development at the precise intersection of customer expectations and employee skills and aspirations.

鈥淯sing technology and empirical evidence, we can provide a positive, personalized employee experience that motivates people to deliver that little extra effort, going above and beyond for the benefit of our customers,鈥� said Tim Gregory, managing director of HR Innovation and Workforce Technology at Delta Air Lines. 鈥淚f you do well by your people, they will do well by customers. This is the cornerstone of our skills-based organization.鈥�

Generative AI to Help Customers and Employees

Speaking at this year鈥檚 , Gregory said that Delta Air Lines is developing a generative AI proof of concept slated to automatically transform generic skill descriptions into more accurate capabilities that reflect the job鈥檚 requirements based on real-world, updated employee and customer data in context.

鈥淲e want to include the concept of intuitive reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) that allows the hiring manager to provide feedback to the machine, going beyond just fine-tuning,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat way, our employee鈥檚 time goes towards benefiting our customers and achieving our business goals.鈥�

Here are highlights from Gregory鈥檚 presentation where he shared how Delta Air Lines was investing in the company鈥檚 employee experience to the delight of customers and for the organization鈥檚 competitive advantage.

Linking CX to EX Generates Customer-Centric Business Results

According to Gregory, research found that skills-based organizations were 107% more likely to place talent effectively and 98% likelier to retain high-performing talent and have a reputation as a great place to grow and develop. It鈥檚 impossible to argue with the strong business results of Delta鈥檚 strategy that links the customer and employee experience. ranked Delta the sixth best employer in the world. The airline is No.1 in on-time arrivals and a trusted consumer brand.

Just as data reveals what matters to customers most, so does it surface insights to help Delta create a positive employee experience, whether someone was just hired or has ambitions to move up in the organization. For example, Delta has already exceeded one of its objectives to fill 25% of corporate and management positions with people who are currently in customer-facing roles.

“Delta people are highly diverse with many kinds of backgrounds, educational levels, and capabilities,鈥� said Gregory. 鈥淏ringing our frontline employees into management makes solid business sense because they have a customer-centric perspective that they鈥檒l incorporate into their managerial role. That will enable us to have a strategic direction focused on our customers. These folks can leverage their existing knowledge so that the learning curve and time to productivity is lower than if we were to hire externally. It鈥檚 more cost-effective to move someone up through the organization, and it gives us a deep bench of talent for succession planning.鈥�

Gregory added that 90% of non-executive management roles at Delta Air Lines no longer require a college degree.

Career Path Intelligence with 51风流SuccessFactors

To help employees move from an hourly, customer-facing role to the salaried corporate position of their dreams, Delta Air Lines is building a dynamic, skills-based experience for continuous employee learning using the talent intelligence hub in . Individual employees have a growth portfolio, which is a profile that includes their current skills and competencies mapped to formal and informal learning opportunities within and outside the organization, some recommended by AI-based algorithms. 

鈥淲e are incorporating disruptive technologies like our AI-driven skills ontology that automatically incorporates industry trends with embedded intelligence,鈥� said Gregory. 鈥淲e can say which skills are most important to Delta Air Lines and the employee can easily combine those with their current capabilities, strengths and styles, and aspirations to create a personal career path. All of the content is based on Delta-specific skills and personalized to each employee鈥檚 career goals.鈥�

How to Build a Modern, Skills-Based Organization

Centralizing employee profiles with opportunities to learn and collaborate on one intelligent platform provides Delta鈥檚 employees with development paths that reflect the organization鈥檚 business strategy. 

鈥淲e鈥檝e taken our approach to customer experience and applied it to the employee experience, building a modern, skills-based organization,鈥� said Gregory. 鈥淥ur digital virtuous circle means that we invest in our employees, the employees invest in our customers, our customers invest in us by choosing Delta Air Lines, and our shareholders keep investing in us to keep the whole flywheel turning.鈥�

Susan Galer is a communications director at SAP. Follow me @smgaler.

This year is especially notable as we marked new milestones in the return to business travel. Concur Travel bookings are up eight percent from the second quarter of 2022, ticking ever closer to pre-pandemic levels. Employees are keen to get a jump on their career: the fifth annual 51风流Concur Global Business Travel Survey finds that nearly all respondents (94%) are willing to travel for business in the next 12 months and 92% say the future of their career depends on successful business travel, because it鈥檚 important for maintaining client relationships (42%) and starting new ones (41%).

Business travel is changing. So are we. At 51风流Concur, we鈥檙e continuing to roll out new experiences as part of the evolution of Concur Travel — a journey that will reshape corporate travel programs as we create a world where travel and expenses practically manage themselves.

Evolution of Concur Travel

Reinventing the world鈥檚 leading online booking tool is no small feat. We are evolving Concur Travel to better address the current and future needs of our travelers, customers, and partners more quickly and effectively, by leveraging new, adaptable technology. Next quarter, we will introduce a new end-to-end booking experience across air, hotel, and car rental bookings for Sabre GDS from U.S. point of sale.

Our customers are at the center of everything we do — as their needs change and the corporate travel industry continues to advance — so do we. The evolution of Concur Travel rises above a flashy user interface. We鈥檝e designed it to be scalable and ready for future innovation, capable of quickly deploying new features, functionality, and UI enhancements to benefit the entire corporate travel ecosystem.

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The new booking experience within Concur Travel features a consumer-grade user experience (UX), robust content, and smart solutions. It aims to make everyone involved in booking and expensing business travel more productive. Customers can expect:

• Content and Images: Increased global content coverage including NDC, better imagery, and richer descriptions, all consolidated into one view. The new UX will make browsing content seamless and intuitive, with the ability to easily view sustainability ratings and cost information.
• User Experience: A streamlined booking and checkout process, including a more user-friendly and intuitive UI, makes the experience more like that on consumer sites and apps. The new UX is adaptable on both mobile and desktop, designed to give users the ability to meet their needs and drive compliance across the end-to-end process.
• Sustainable Options: Sustainability continues to be a major priority for our customers. With the new Concur Travel experience, travelers can view information and filters to help limit their carbon footprint and make sustainable choices, making it easier to comply with company policies and limit the environmental impact of business travel.
• Search Capabilities: Omni-search capability that automatically merges options for many locations, such as airports, city centers, or company locations, delivered by a robust travel ecosystem. Companies have the freedom to choose from among a wide range of suppliers, sources and content to support global travel requirements.
• Time Savings: Optimized booking workflows and faster checkout process. The new experience integrates with Concur Expense for a seamless end-to-end travel and expense process — from planning and booking to expensing, auditing and reimbursement all the way to the company general ledger.

51风流Concur has been working closely with Delta Air Lines and other airlines to revamp our new airline shopping experience in Concur Travel. We are pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with our airline partners to deliver the best travel experience for our customers in a modern travel management solution.

鈥淭he evolution of Concur Travel is an exciting breakthrough moment for booking tool displays,鈥� said Steve Sear, executive vice president of Global Sales at Delta Air Lines. 鈥淲e鈥檙e delighted to contribute to 51风流Concur鈥檚 modernization and provide feedback based on our experiences and conversations with corporate customers.鈥�

Sabre, Amadeus, and Travelport+ Users

The new booking experience will be available first on Sabre, for customers whose configurations use the settings and features available at release time and whose TMCs are ready for migration. For organizations that need more time, we will help them manage through the transition period and maintain their current experience until they are ready.

Amadeus customers can expect the new booking experience within Concur Travel in 2024.

Additionally, 51风流Concur will add connectivity to Travelport+ to the road map for the evolution of Concur Travel for delivery in 2024. Connectivity will include support for both legacy/EDIFACT and NDC, as well as full access to the Travelport+ hotel and car rental content and services.

The addition of Travelport+ means that the enhanced Concur Travel will be available to users of Sabre, Travelport+, and Amadeus in 2024.

Charlie Sultan is president of Concur Travel at .

In its fifth year, the survey explores some of the most pressing challenges facing business travelers today, including remote work and equal opportunity to travel. It also revisits a few key themes from the past to gauge where things now stand, including duty of care and LGBTQ+ traveler experiences.

According to the global survey of 3,850 business travelers in 25 markets:

Nearly two-thirds of global business travelers feel they haven鈥檛 had equal opportunity to travel for business compared to their coworkers, and they attribute this primarily to their age, accent, or gender.

Nearly all global business travelers (94%) are willing to travel for business in the next 12 months, including 67% who are very willing. In fact, 92% say the future of their career is dependent on successful business travel in the next year because it鈥檚 important for maintaining client relationships (42%) and starting new ones (41%). More than a third (38%) say business travel is important for staying updated on the latest trends, technology, and advancements.

Yet, nearly two-thirds of global business travelers (62%) feel they haven鈥檛 had equal opportunity to travel for business compared to their coworkers. Even more U.S. business travelers (72%) feel they haven鈥檛 had equal opportunity. Global and U.S. business travelers attribute this to the following reasons:

• Their age (global: 21%, U.S.:27%)
• Their accent (17%, 23%)
• Their gender (17%, 26%)
• Their physical appearance (16%, 25%)
• Their ethnicity or race (15%, 22%)
• Being a parent or caretaker (13%, 18%)
• Their sexual orientation (8%, 17%)
• Their disability (7%, 14%)

Remote workers say business travel is critical for workplace relationships. Yet, more remote workers feel they haven鈥檛 had equal opportunity to take business trips because of where they live or how often they come into the office.

More than three in 10 remote workers recognize that business travel is critical to forming meaningful connections with coworkers (38%) and building stronger relationships with managers (37%), compared to in-office workers (27% and 24%, respectively). However, half of remote workers (50%) say they鈥檙e traveling more than they鈥檇 like, compared to hybrid (37%) and in-office (29%) workers.

At the same time, more remote workers feel they haven鈥檛 had equal opportunity for business travel 鈥� 77%, compared to 61% of hybrid workers and 52% of in-office workers 鈥� because of where they live (20%, 13%, and 13%, respectively) and how often they come into the office (17%, 11%, and 8%, respectively). It is particularly challenging for remote workers who are parents or guardians: 16% say they haven鈥檛 had equal opportunity for business travel because of their status as a parent, compared to hybrid (12%) and in-office (11%) workers. Remote workers are also most likely to decline a business trip due to challenges finding childcare (19%, 14%, and 14%, respectively).

More remote workers say the uncertain economy is affecting their company鈥檚 business travel than in-office workers (91% vs. 80%), with noted changes including reducing overnight trips (36% vs. 27%), staying in lower quality accommodations (39% vs. 26%), requiring a minimal number of meetings per business trip (35% vs. 23%), and requiring more advance approvals (31% vs. 22%).

Global business travelers still say that health and safety is the biggest threat to business travel 鈥� more so than inflation, budget cuts, or travel freezes.

Global business travelers still say that health and safety is the biggest threat to business travel (44%) 鈥� more so than international or local conflicts and tensions (34%), inflation (34%), budget cuts or travel freezes (31%), and remote work and virtual meeting options (28%).

That鈥檚 not to say that an uncertain economy isn鈥檛 having an impact: travelers have observed budget cuts (40%), reduced overnight trips (32%), staying in lower quality accommodations (31%), emphasis on lower fares (31%), and a minimum number of meetings per business trip (28%) in their organization. Of note, more U.S. business travelers have observed these changes (44%, 36%, 39%, 42%, and 36%, respectively).

Travelers expect their company to allow them to make out-of-policy bookings to ensure their safety (global: 48%, U.S.: 56%), support work-life balance (47%, 53%), book sustainable options (36%, 37%), take bleisure trips (34%, 41%), book for conferences (31%, 46%), and support ideological or lifestyle differences with travel destination (30%, 41%).

Safety (44%) and health (41%) are still the biggest reasons to decline a business trip, more so than feeling burnt out on travel (27%) and challenges finding childcare (15%).

In the past 12 months, more than half of global business travelers have had to change their accommodations because they felt unsafe.

Fifty-three percent of global business travelers have had to change their accommodations in the past 12 months because they felt unsafe, and more than a quarter (28%) have had to change more than once. It鈥檚 even higher in the U.S., where more than two-thirds of business travelers (70%) have had to change their accommodations because they felt unsafe, and nearly half (47%) have had to change more than once.

Business travelers, particularly those in the U.S., have experienced unfair treatment on their trips, including:

• Being ignored by service workers (global: 31%, U.S.: 41%)
• Unfair or improper security screening (26%, 32%)
• Being asked if they are traveling with their spouse (25%, 34%)
• Feeling in immediate danger (23%, 31%)
• Being the target of unwanted sexual advances or comments (22%, 36%)
• Derogatory language directed at them (20%, 27%)
• Fellow travelers assuming they work at the hotel (19%, 29%)

Globally, younger generations also feel more uncomfortable. In the past 12 months, almost two-thirds of Gen Z (64%) and millennials (61%) have changed their accommodations for a business trip because they felt unsafe. That鈥檚 compared to 40% of Gen X and 15% of baby boomers. In fact, 85% of baby boomers say they鈥檝e never had to use this practice.

The majority of global LGBTQ+ travelers have hidden their sexual identity on a business trip, and more than a third have attributed it to anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the region.

More than half (54%) of global LGBTQ+ business travelers say the biggest threats to business travel are health and safety concerns, and 45% would decline a business trip due to safety or social concerns for traveling to certain parts of the world.

That said, most global LGBTQ+ business travelers (90%) have hidden their sexual identity on their business trip, with the top reason being safety and privacy issues (55%). A little less than half (46%) hid their orientation for business reasons, meaning they felt that their business goals had a better chance of success if they hid their identity. More than a third (38%) were forced to hide their identity due to anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the region.

In the past 12 months, 82% of LGBTQ+ business travelers have had to change their accommodations because they felt unsafe. Nearly all (94%) have experienced unfair treatment on a business trip, including being ignored by service workers (45%), being the target of unwanted sexual advances or comments (40%), and unfair or improper security screening (33%).

Ninety-two percent of LGBTQ+ business travelers feel they haven鈥檛 had equal opportunity to take business trips compared to their coworkers due to their age (38%), gender (34%), and sexual orientation (31%).

For more information about the survey, including additional findings, please download our , , and SMB business traveler whitepapers.

The 51风流Concur global business traveler survey was conducted by between April 7-28, 2023, among 3,850 business travelers in 25 markets: U.S., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, LAC (Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Argentina), UK, France, Germany, ANZ region (Australia and New Zealand), SEA region (Singapore and Malaysia), China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, India, Korea, Italy, Spain, Dubai, Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg), South Africa, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. Data has been weighted to facilitate tracking.

A decade ago, when electric vehicles were still a buzzword in the market, 51风流Labs India launched a Green Car policy. Launched in 2011, the policy offered a subsidy for employees purchasing electric vehicles. Employees were provided charging stations across the Bengaluru campus along with convenient parking spaces.

In 2014, 51风流Labs India took the first major step in implementing the use of EVs by transitioning to electric-powered cabs for employees working in shifts. In 2022, 95% of the fleet used for employees working on shifts were electric vehicles. Approximately 4,000 employees use the shift shuttle services every month. 鈥淭he goal is to transition to a 95% green commute by the end of 2023. This includes using both electric vehicles and vehicles running on compressed natural gas (CNG) for all modes of transport provided across all lines of businesses in all 51风流Labs India entities,鈥� said Sudhakar Reddy, head of Intelligent Operations at 51风流Labs India.

Today, the 51风流Labs India Bengaluru campus houses 65 EV charging stations. In addition to powering the in-house cabs, these slow, medium, and fast chargers also encourage employees to make responsible choices and thereby help create a cleaner environment. 51风流Labs India also purchased a new self-driving electric vehicle with official sustainability branding for all internal cab services, including cabs for guests and expats.

In addition to the above initiatives, 51风流Labs India has partnered with , a micro-mobility solution that provides sustainable first- and last-mile connectivity for 51风流employees who rely on public transportation. , a leading Indian electric vehicle manufacturer and 51风流customer, provides additional discounts to employees of 51风流Labs India. 51风流Labs India worked with Ather Energy on a three-day drive at the Bengaluru campus where employees got first-hand experience test driving electric scooters. The initiative aimed to spread awareness among 51风流employees about the use of electric vehicles. Ather will be conducting this drive across other 51风流Labs India campuses as well.

In February, the Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz visited the 51风流Labs India Bengaluru campus. During the visit, the chancellor experienced demonstrations across various fields such as digitalization, sustainability, digital supply chain, and e-mobility. An engaging, live, end-to-end demo of the solution was also presented to the delegates.

51风流E-Mobility can enable companies and governments to manage charging infrastructure networks to drive the transition to sustainable electric mobility. Srinivasa Raghavachar, senior director and head of Automotive Industry Cloud Product Management at 51风流Labs India, said, 鈥淲e firmly believe that our solution plays a vital role in decarbonizing the transport sector and creating a cleaner and more sustainable future for everyone.鈥�

The electric vehicle revolution will have an overall positive influence on our society. Embracing this revolution will not only help us mitigate the current environmental crisis but will also stimulate future-focused technological innovations.

According to European regulation, if a train arrives at its destination with a delay of 60 minutes or more, passengers are entitled to compensation. In this case, business travelers would either file a claim themselves or forward details via e-mail or phone to their corporate travel management to receive compensation.

Eligible Payouts 鈥淪it Idle on the Tracks鈥�

Many companies don鈥檛 file a claim at all because the correspondence with the train provider would cause higher internal costs than the compensation returns, especially because communication after submitting a claim is only possible by paper mail. This also applies to an online claim form that a major German rail provider has been offering since June 2021. Many companies shy away from this cumbersome, manual process that oftentimes involves multiple employees. As a result, most reimbursement claims are not even submitted.

Looking at statistics from startup , there are almost no claims coming in anymore 60 days after a train delay happens. As a result, more than 89% of eligible payouts 鈥� up to 11% of annual rail expenditures 鈥� 鈥渟it idle on the tracks鈥� until they expire after 365 days due to European regulations.

File for Claims Faster Than Booking a Ticket

Stefan Nitz, founder and CEO of refundrebel, traveled across Germany by train for 10 years during his time as an IT consultant. During this time, he waited for delayed trains many times and refused to accept that such a simple task as compensation payments had to be so cumbersome for individuals and companies. His goal was to create a compensation solution that would make it easier and faster to file a claim. The idea of refundrebel was born.

Startups like refundrebel are important partners for 51风流as they expand its portfolio and provide customers with additional innovation to increase the value of their investments in 51风流solutions. Four years after its inception, refundrebel is now integrated with and offers customers an automated solution that can cover filing a claim, corresponding with the rail provider, and reimbursing payment in the event of train delays and cancellations.

How It Works

Once customers activate refundrebel on the site, Concur Travel sends train booking details to the application while meeting GDPR guidelines. The startup鈥檚 unique delay database identifies eligible compensation due to cancelations or delays free of charge, without requiring written confirmation of the delay from a train conductor. Flex tickets from Deutsche Bahn, which are valid for the entire day of travel without being issued for a specific train, or cross-border train rides can also be submitted. If eligible, refundrebel will claim compensation up to 365 days retroactively, and each claim will be paid one month after acceptance by the railroad company.

Flexible payout models are available, such as to cost centers, to travelers, or split. In addition, monthly payouts include a report showing a breakdown of each claim for corporate accounting purposes. According to refundrebel, a growing number of companies are using their paid-out compensations to offset carbon dioxide emissions or donate to charity.

Be One Step Ahead

With the automated integration between Concur Travel and refundrebel, compensation claims can no longer get lost and companies can avoid cumbersome, manual processes. As a specialized add-on service for Concur Travel customers, refundrebel works in addition to a customer鈥檚 travel management company, online booking engine, or travel agency without extra costs.

Learn more about refundrebel on the site.

Silke Jakobi is a sustainability innovation expert at SAP.

听

As such, providing safe, reliable, and comfortable rail transportation that鈥檚 enhanced for the digital age is at the center of rail and transportation company . Through a relentless focus on this vision, the company is benefitting from a complete听digital transformation of maintenance practices. This helps SBB to drive continuous improvement through new and innovative maintenance practices.

51风流recently hosted an industry forum about 听with leading global solution providers and consultants. Featured speakers included:

• Urs Gehrig, senior consultant, Business Development, Lead Integration Management 51风流S/4HANA SBB Infrastructure, SBB, Swiss Federal Railways
• Tom Kurtz, global solution lead, Intelligent Asset Management, SAP

Here are the key takeaways and experiences regarding SBB鈥檚 asset management and reliability practices.

Current Challenges Require Dynamic Adaptation

Companies in the travel and transportation industry cannot remain stagnant. Businesses must always pivot and adapt. Embracing digital transformation enables companies to react with speed and flexibility to increasingly complex business challenges.

By viewing the operational context of fixed and movable assets, companies can have a better idea of where they are succeeding or falling short. In addition to dynamically adapting to modern challenges, companies like SBB need to create strategies for asset management that allow them to operate their assets in the most cost-effective manner possible.

Asset Lifecycle Is the Heart of听Digital听Transformation

As the backbone of the Swiss public transport system, SBB AG plays a vital role in keeping the country moving. Every day, the rail company transports 1.25 million passengers on more than 6,000 trains across Switzerland and into neighboring countries. The company had already recognized the changing mobility patterns and customers鈥� rising expectations for their travel experience. Therefore, SBB invests in modern, high-performance train sets. The company expects that these trains will help deliver quality customer experiences and ensure train services are safe, comfortable, and punctual for all customers.

By investing in modern fleets, SBB knows that it is vital to gain maximum return on its investment. For the rail company to gain optimal operational use of its new, technologically advanced train sets, SBB also needs to enhance its fleet maintenance processes. To accomplish this, SBB reviews its end-to-end asset management practices for all asset types, including real estate, logistics, rolling stock, and infrastructure.

Reliability听Centered Maintenance Is Key

Asset management requires a multi-faceted strategy to help drive peak asset performance. Reliability-centered maintenance is a cornerstone of such a multi-faceted strategy.

As a forward-thinking industry leader, SBB is adopting reliability-centered maintenance practices as a core part of its asset management improvement journey.

SBB is also integrating additional solutions into its operational processes. With real-time data and analysis, the rail company will be able to gain asset performance insights. These insights can allow it to predict and manage issues before they arise.

Every business is unique, even if they are in the same industry. Asset management improvement does not follow a 鈥渙ne-size-fits-all鈥� approach. What is important is for companies to make an effective start to optimize asset availability to grow more efficiently.

Did you miss 鈥淪BB鈥檚 Asset Management and Reliability Journey in The Digital Age鈥� webinar? .

Johann Schachtner is Travel & Transportation Industry solution manager at SAP.

Having sufficient charging stations is just the tip of the iceberg. The transportation network is facing a major reboot, forcing automobile original equipment manufacturer (OEMs), utilities, corporations, regulators, and retailers to collaborate for innovation as never before.

Networks Power E-Mobility Innovation

Compared to gas-powered cars, EVs and the services around them are far more interconnected. This demands a new kind of collaboration across the e-mobility value chain from corporate fleets, regulators, and smart cities to service providers and consumers.

鈥淭he e-mobility network consists of multiple players from different industries and sectors with intertwined supply chains,鈥� said Ulrich Scholl, vice president of E-Mobility at SAP. 鈥淭o operate with flexibility and cost-efficiency they need to collaborate across stable, cloud-based that foster sustainable innovation around standardized processes, including invoicing and billing, as well as overall e-mobility management among partners.鈥�

EVs Spark New Business Models

As sustainability mandates and promises grow, one central question is how to make EV battery recharging as easy and convenient as refilling a gas tank. Utilities are drawn to bi-directional charging that simultaneously recharges EVs while adding the battery鈥檚 stored energy back into the electrical power grid. This turns drivers into energy producers and cars into mobile power storage. Retailers are starting to monetize their solar panel energy, offering consumers free car charging while they shop, increasing customer loyalty. Meantime, corporate fleet managers are taking action by increasing EV and charging infrastructure investments that support company sustainability commitments.

For example, Hanno Klausmeier, managing director of 51风流Labs France, received a award for leading the electrification of the company鈥檚 fleet of cars for hundreds of employees located across three sites.

Converting to EVs has been a seven-year journey at SAP, grounded in the company鈥檚 global commitment to sustainability, as well as the initial battery limitations of early EVs. After eliminating gas-fueled vehicles as a choice for employees several years ago, over 90% of the cars in the company鈥檚 fleet in 51风流Labs France are now EVs. Convenient access to charging stations along with new fleet management operations were critical to the successful roll-out.

鈥淲e knew that employees would need more stations to charge their cars so we installed super-fast charging stations conveniently located across our facilities,鈥� Klausmeier said. 鈥淲e revamped fleet management to make sure we could supervise and optimize charging stations for uninterrupted operations. Connecting the e-mobility ecosystem on one transparent platform is the only way for organizations to keep pace with the rapidly-changing industry.鈥�

Indeed, 51风流Labs France developed new software to remotely manage the status of its charging stations, installing it on-site and at employee鈥檚 homes. Now available publicly, the solution helps corporate car fleet operations manage relationships with fleet management service companies, OEMs, and other suppliers that are involved with charging stations. Managers have real-time visibility into e-fleet charging station status and can quickly solve problems remotely for an easier experience.

Market Fragmentation Gives Way to Network Convergence

Entirely new competitors are emerging with EVs, including 鈥渞oaming鈥� providers, which help consumers locate reliable charging stations and pay for the electricity as validated users. This is likely a temporary stop gap because it is unnecessarily complex and more costly for drivers.

鈥淲e need to shorten the e-mobility value chain for cost efficiencies to charge point operators and an improved experience for customers,鈥� said Scholl. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no need to have another layer between energy providers and customers. With an open mobility platform, the whole ecosystem has the ability to build relationships for service convenience and affordable innovation, especially incorporating the use of renewable energy that鈥檚 produced locally and stored in EVs.鈥�

Transforming the Transportation Sector

Just like the iPhone disrupted the cellphone industry, e-mobility redefines the purpose of a vehicle. Already some manufacturers tout EVs as self-powered RVs. Even bigger are the implications for large-scale innovations, such as vehicles that are able to provide uninterrupted power for tools at remote construction sites.

Similarly, transformations could be in store for energy retailers if OEMs bypass them to become energy providers themselves. On the corporate side, shared EVs could be part of an organization鈥檚 mobility budget for employees to spend as they see fit.

EVs鈥� star is rising as sustainability nears the top of many consumer, corporate, and government priority lists. Over 80% of automobile manufacturers have committed to their lineup in the near future, and some plan to go all electric within the decade. Modernizing the transportation industry means rethinking mobility as concept to make sure EVs pay off on the sustainable promise.

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Unfortunately, there is still a significant fleet of carbon-based locomotives and an entire fleet of trucks, buses, and utility vehicles utilizing carbon-based fuel and contributing to climate change across the globe. Meanwhile, in an adjacent industry, automotive manufacturers have almost unanimously promised to go electric in the coming years.

Where does that leave travel and transportation operators?

51风流recently hosted an industry forum about the with leading mobility operators and industry value chain actors. Featured speakers included:

• Bruno Flinois, chief executive Officer of Clem
• Neele Marie Hinck, sales manager of EWE GO GMBH
• Erwin Guizouarn, chief executive officer of Evolution Energy
• Joerg Ferchow, chief solution expert at SAP
• Ulrich Scholl, global vice president New Mobility of SAP

Based upon the virtual event, we have compiled key takeaways and experiences on the use of the end-to-end energy ecosystem, as well as how leading practitioners are using technology to achieve strategic goals in the journey to fleet electrification.

The Evolving Value Chain of the Energy Ecosystem

The way corporations and citizens perceive the energy ecosystem is changing. More than ever, corporations like 51风流are aiming to achieve carbon-neutrality, with electrified mobility playing a strong role to support these efforts. Neele Marie Hinck shares that in partnership with EWE GO GMBH, 51风流has built more than 500 charging stations in Germany to support its corporate fleet of hybrid or electric vehicles. This trend will only continue as other forward-thinking companies aspire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the journey to carbon neutrality.

Outside of SAP, Clem Founder and CEO Bruno Flinois provides a global perspective about the ambitions of local authorities and large cities to de-carbonize their fleets. Clem is responsible for developing clean mobility to support public transport, offering subscription services and consultation of electric car-sharing and smart charging practices. The company started in 2010 by supporting one city with three charging stations, up to its current 600 charging points and 400 electric vehicles in more than 200 cities.

During a live event poll, 50% of the respondents said their organizations are early adopters of e-mobility with a single-digit of e-fleets, while the remaining responders did not yet have any operationalized e-fleets.

Tremendous growth in e-mobility offerings and adoption from both the public and private sector over the last decade demonstrates a promising future for the environment and the travel and transportation industry.

鈥淣ew Downstream鈥� Considerations and Impact

As e-mobility picks up momentum across the world, citizens and corporations alike have been asking themselves: Who should be responsible for developing the charging infrastructure and supporting other vital downstream considerations to support the end operators and/or drivers?

In Europe, a third-party approach similar to that of EWE GO is gaining traction, where an outsourcing vendor is responsible for simplifying the end-to-end mobility practices and operator support. This turnkey approach provides bundled mobility offerings related to knowledge, products, and services in order to increase the ease in which mobility is brought to life.

From a corporate fleet point of view, 51风流Executive Ulrich Scholl advises that we must look beyond the boundaries of e-mobility today: 鈥淓-mobility is an important building block of mobility in the future.听 The need for mobility programs is driven by the demand of employees and should be made easy for all to take part in — including the unique needs of urban employees.鈥�

To increase the adoption of e-mobility offerings, a simple end-user experience is vital, where end-to-end services are provided and integrated into the way organizations operate and define success. It is not just about charging vehicles; there is much more to consider to support the downstream needs of e-mobility today.

Technology鈥檚 Role to Support the Electrification of Mobility

Authorities and organizations have varied ambitions for sustainability and carbon neutrality endeavors. Some ambitions are driven by new legislation that mandates a shift in energy consumption, while others are being driven by factors such as cost, consumer demand, risk mitigation, and/or brand reputation.

To prepare for a new normal in mobility, Evolution Energie鈥檚 Erwin Guizouarn shares that most customers鈥� first question surrounds cost. While cost savings is not typically the primary reason why organizations leap to e-mobility, it is a vital consideration that should be thoughtfully approached to help ensure alignment with corporate strategy.

Guizouarn shares that the top four client questions about the adoption of emobility include: How much will we pay? When should we charge the cars 鈥� day or night? How can we hedge costs? And how can we minimize risk?

Software solutions can help manage end-to-end operations for charging, procurement, and contracts to effectively manage complexity, including monitoring energy consumption and mitigating risk. Flinois adds that 鈥淓verything with e-mobility requires technology, specifically software to manage information including visibility, authority, energy use, and more.鈥�

For firsthand experience and recommendations for an integrated e-mobility approach, .

Senta Belay is industry solution manager for Travel and Transportation at SAP.

Using the startup鈥檚 carbon-based offsetting tool, companies can donate one cent for every air mile flown by employees to environmental non-profit organizations.

鈥淚ndividuals and companies are much more mindful that travel and commuting are a big part of their carbon footprint and need to be incorporated into their sustainability planning and actions,鈥� said Anna Ford, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Jet-Set Offset. 鈥淩emote working has brought people together in more authentic ways, increasing demands to align personal values such as sustainability with working norms, including travel.鈥�

Realistic Strategy for Sustainable Travel

Functioning like a fundraising tool for non-profit and charitable organizations that focus on sustainability, Jet-Set Offset鈥檚 mileage-based donations are tax-deductible and backed by a realistic business-oriented strategy. During its first year in business, thousands of Jet-Set Offset consumers made donations to a range of non-profits. These organizations offer products, education, and advocacy in areas such as clean transportation, renewable energy, land and wildlife conservation, reforestation, and green buildings. The startup鈥檚 next target market is enterprises.

鈥淲e want to make it easy for companies to integrate carbon-based offset donations into their travel plans based on the organizations鈥� unique sustainability goals, timelines, and budget realities,鈥� Ford said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e piloting our tool now with companies that are interested in sustainable travel as the industry recovers from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.鈥�

From Public Health to Sustainability

After spending almost a decade in public health advocacy, where she racked up an average of 100,000 flier miles each year, Ford transitioned into a new career that began with studying public administration and social entrepreneurship at the Harvard Kennedy School. She was most inspired by several landmark studies proving the impact of reducing air travel to combat climate change.

鈥淎t that moment, my decade of frequent flyer guilt really hit me like a ton of bricks,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 decided to focus exclusively on the environmental impact of air travel and carbon off-setting. There many non-profits doing environmental work, so I built Jet-Set Offset as a donation-based off-setting tool that helps travelers as well as those organizations that are tackling climate change.鈥�

SAP.iO Foundry Unlocks New Business Opportunities

Jet-Set Offset was among the eight early-stage startups that participated in the recent SAP.iO Foundry San Francisco accelerator program. Ford was grateful for the opportunity to network and learn from other startups as well as 51风流experts about building enterprise solutions that solve customer pain points. Having initially focused on consumers, one important takeaway for her team was the need for employee engagement in sustainability initiatives at the corporate level.

鈥淓ven for companies with sustainability commitments and plans, we learned a lot about the need for employee education,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s a result, we added communication abilities to our solution, allowing organizations to have an ongoing dialogue with their employees.鈥�

In addition to making carbon offset donations, companies can use the tool to send reminder messages to employees that sustainability matters, and to be mindful of non-essential travel. Companies can also offer environmentally friendly travel alternatives.

Making sustainability even easier, Jet-Set Offset is integrated with solutions and available on . Customers can see the environmental impact of their travel from one dashboard that captures miles flown and resultant carbon emissions. The tool also prompts travel managers with convenient train transportation options based on nearby city destinations to help reduce the company鈥檚 carbon footprint.

鈥淥nce companies understand their historical carbon footprint, they can start to plan for sustainable travel, ensuring that emissions don鈥檛 reach previous levels even as employee travel comes back,鈥� said Ford. 鈥淲e see this helping travel managers, sustainability officers, and human resources departments meet corporate sustainability goals.鈥�

Plan for a More Sustainable Future

More than anything, Ford does not want the latest focus on sustainability to be a short-lived blip 鈥� especially in the rush to economic recovery. She described a much larger vision in which organizations fully understand their overall corporate travel carbon emission footprint and act to reduce it.

鈥淲e鈥檙e working with companies and travelers to put sustainable travel plans in place with a platform that inspires action,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e want to help companies benchmark and track their carbon emissions from air travel, communicate their sustainability goals with employees, and involve them in making the best choices for greater environmental impact over time.鈥�

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