Deem, a leading mobile and cloud technology provider for the corporate travel industry, announced its partnership with Hess Corporate Travel, one of the nation’s largest corporate travel management companies. Central to this partnership is a shared emphasis on seamless user experience and heightened customer service, which is more important than ever as corporate travel emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After the challenges the industry has faced over the past year, it could be tempting for some businesses to take a short-sighted approach that prioritizes cost-cutting over making the critical investments that travel programs and travelers are asking for,” said Deem President David Grace. “Hess understands that the key to growth in today’s market lies in centering on client needs, which perfectly aligns with our core values.”

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Michael S. Davidson, chief operating officer for Hess Corporate Travel, sees a clear path forward for travel management companies. “The need to travel for business is still there,” he said. “But what has changed is that customers won’t be coming to us only to book their travel, but for the peace of mind we can provide.”

This includes easing every bump in the road a traveler might face, with Hess travel agents providing custom tailored support, such as proactively monitoring the weather so travelers are rebooked before ever encountering delays at the airport. This, however, requires embracing technology. “Customers using Deem frees up our travel agents to actually service those bookings in ways we never would have had time for in the past,” added Davidson.

According to Davidson, a great booking platform is non-negotiable in a business climate where so many travelers are used to booking their own travel and have high standards for their experience. Companies also need to ensure compliance with their travel policies in a way that keeps travelers happy and doesn’t complicate the booking process

Finding this valuable combination in the Etta platform from Deem has been “a breath of fresh air.”

“Deem has thought of things from a traveler’s point of view,” said Davidson. “They’ve thought about how the shopping, booking, and trip management process should go, and made it so the end user actually wants to use the tool. I couldn’t be more impressed.”

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