The use of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions is a growing trend among businesses and organisations that operate in multiple industries. AI technology provides many benefits to its users, from automating tasks to analysing customer data to providing insights into how organisations can improve and optimise their operations.

One tool that is becoming increasingly popular is ChatGPT (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer), a chatbot launched in 2022 by OpenAI. This solution allows humans to communicate with AI in a very natural and conversational way. It features high accuracy, fast response times, and the ability to learn from previous conversations.

In this article, we will explore the applications and benefits of this tool in business travel and the benefits it can provide to corporate travel managers.

The Golden Rule: Prompt quality is key

ChatGPT is based on an advanced machine-learning algorithm that can create a high-quality text in response to a given prompt.

However, the quality of the output is strictly dependent on the quality of the prompt provided by the user. Moreover, the prompt must contain enough context and information for the output to be relevant. If you give an incomplete, wrong, or lazy prompt, then it will be hard for this AI technology to generate meaningful and helpful content.

For corporate travel managers, this means being deliberate in how they craft or create their prompts. It requires taking a step back and dedicating the time needed to formulate questions that will be useful for their operations.

Now let’s explore in greater detail when ChatGPT can be of great assistance to travel managers and in which situations it’s best avoided.

Effective ways in which corporate travel managers can use it

#1 Creating sections of business travel policy

Prompt: Write a one-page eligibility section of a pharmacy company’s travel policy

While you may be tempted to resort to this tool to auto-generate your entire travel policy, we found that it’s most effective when you use it to generate individual sections. For example, you may have ChatGPT generate a one-page eligibility section for the travel policy of a pharmacy company. However, you should keep in mind that ChatGPT is still a tool, and it works best when used by those who have a deep knowledge of that specific industry. For this reason, it’s always best to have experts use this technology to write and generate your travel policy.

#2 Developing the framework for evaluating your travel solution

Prompt: Design a framework for a travel manager to evaluate our company’s current business travel management solution

ChatGPT can also offer great advice if you are in the process of assessing the usefulness of your current travel management system. This is particularly helpful when comparing different business travel solutions with the intent of choosing the one that best fits your needs. Chat GPT will come up with an extensive list of criteria that you can then refine and use in your evaluation process. For example, you could ask the AI to generate a list of criteria for evaluating travel solutions, such as user-friendliness, customer support, cost savings, ease of use, and scalability.

#3 Writing templates for regular emails

Prompt: Write an email template to a travel supplier (airlines, hotels) to request a negotiated rate for our company

Corporate travel managers often have to write emails to different suppliers (e.g., airlines or hotels) for various reasons, including booking services, negotiating rates or pitching to be a part of a business event. ChatGPT can be extremely helpful when generating templates for emails that you send regularly. This can help you save time and ensure consistency in your communication.

#4 Creating travel checklists

Prompt: Create a business travel checklist for both travel managers and business travellers travelling to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Last but not least, you can effectively use ChatGPT to generate travel checklists for both your business travellers and travel managers. Business travellers can use AI to create personalised checklists that are tailored to their individual needs, while travel managers can also use this tool to create comprehensive checklists for their teams and ensure that all necessary items are accounted for before departure. 

Scenarios in which you shouldn’t use it

#1 Checking schedules and prices

While ChatGPT definitely represents a revolution in many areas, and it’s allowing businesses to cut costs and increase efficiency, there are situations in which corporate travel managers should abstain from using these tools, as outcomes can range from disappointing to counter-productive. For example, you should not use ChatGPT to check dates, prices, or availability of flights or hotels, as AI cannot always provide you with accurate predictions.

Using integrated travel management platforms like TruTrip is a much more reliable way to look for this information, as they give you access to a constantly updated travel inventory from the world’s largest providers of flights, accommodations, car rentals and related services. TruTrip also offers amazingly fast customer support that can help you obtain the information you need when self-service tools don’t give you satisfactory results.

#2 Creating business travel itineraries

Using ChatGPT is not advisable when you need to create your business travel itinerary. Things move fast in the travel and accommodation industry. Hotels open and close, and a flight or train may get suddenly delayed or cancelled. ChatGPT simply isn’t able to keep up with every small change and may give your results that are either incomplete or right-down inaccurate. Using a comprehensive travel management system like TruTip helps you to stay up to date with the latest changes and receive real-time help from our highly-responsive support any time you may need it. Like having a digital travel agency there for you 24/7.

#3 Providing risk assessments

Finally, a travel management company provides risk assessments that are way more detailed and tailored to your needs than an AI tool can be. Features like TruCare help you track safety risks for each traveller, team and destination, thus allowing you to be immediately aware of any threat that may arise, ranging from health issues to political unrest to security threats. This ensures a swift response and can make a big difference in avoiding damages or minimising their impact.

So, what Is the Key Takeaway?

On the whole, ChatGPT can provide numerous benefits to corporate travel managers. It allows them to save time and cut costs when performing certain specific tasks, especially when fed with accurate prompts by industry experts.

However, ChatGPT is still a limited solution and cannot function as an effective “artificial agency” when looking for the latest travel info, planning the best itineraries and staying up to date with the latest safety risks. It would sure be nice if it could perform all these tasks effectively, but we are still a long way from developing an AI technology that can substitute quality tools that are designed and managed by humans to cater for the needs of specific industries and users.

Here is where business travel solutions like TruTrip come into play. Its seamlessly integrated travel management services give you everything that ChatGPT still can’t provide: access to a regularly updated database of suppliers, tools to monitor any risk your travellers may face in real time, solutions to shape tailored travel policies, advanced reporting tools and support from a highly responsive team of human experts. 

Improve your travel management programme with the latest technology!

Combining the benefits of ChatGPT with those of an integrated travel management platform like TruTrip allows corporate travel managers to enjoy the best of both worlds, thus maximising results and boosting their overall ROI. Schedule a demo or sign up for a free trial to get started.