American Express Business Travel Launched Wide-Range Mobile Solution for Biz Travelers

American Express Business Travel recently unveiled mobileXtend, a mobile travel solution that provides travelers unparalleled support while on-trip. Relevant information based on a traveler's destination, including maps, currency conversions, tips on preferred ground transportation and negotiated hotel amenities and other useful information, can be pushed directly to the traveler's mobile device. Travelers also have access to their itinerary and can even stay connected with their personal and professional network through social networking capabilities.

Proprietary technology developed by American Express Business Travel makes enterprise deployment seamless and automates the delivery of travel reservations directly to the mobile device. The global solution is compatible with leading devices such as BlackBerry smartphones and iPhones and can work with any mobile phone that is SMS text message enabled.

American Express Business Travel has developed proprietary Digital Traveler Record (DTR) technology allowing for the instant exchange of travel information, whether booked online or offline, to the mobile device. Real-time changes to travel arrangements are also automatically updated. Also enabling broad-scale, global deployment of mobileXtend, DTR operates agnostic to global distribution systems and booking tools allowing for direct data exchange which can eliminate the challenges of complex integrations across inconsistent infrastructure.

American Express Business Travel collaborated with leading mobile technology companies to deliver mobileXtend, which is now widely available in markets around the world. As announced previously, two collaborators include Rearden Commerce and WorldMate, and the company is announcing another, conTgo.

MobileXtend can improve the experience for travelers and allow travel managers to more effectively manage and support their travelers while also meeting business objectives.ÕKey mobileXtend features and functionality that help achieve this include:

• Itinerary management, including on-time alert service delivering each component of the itinerary (air, car, hotel, rail), suggested flight alternatives when necessary
• Destination service delivers relevant messages upon departure and arrival
• Traveler enabled to request keyword-based travel info (i.e., text "taxi" and receive response listing preferred vendors with corresponding telephone numbers)
• Dining search and reservation capabilities
• Flight schedule search
• Map integrations
• World clocks
• Social media integration
• Currency converter & exchange rates
• Click-to-call a travel agent

Additional compliance features and functionality available through SMS text messaging include:

• Policy Manager: Delivers messages to promote and enforce compliant behavior during travel.
• Communication Manager: Target messages to employees based on past, present or future travel.
• Broadcast: Issues a general message to a specified group of employees or travelers without any response tracking; can be sent immediately or with a specified delivery time.
• Survey: Sends a survey question to a select group of mobile numbers.Õ Response is captured and stored and the final results are provided.

The two-way communication feature of mobileXtend also provides an added layer of peace of mind, particularly in the event of unforeseen travel disruptions. For corporate users, the platform enables systematic and timely communication between travelers and travel, procurement, human resources and other departments to make sure everyone is working together to assist travelers quickly and effectively.Õ