Video: Helping TMCs improve the booking experience through virtual payments | Episode 4

Welcome to the fourth episode of Explore The Future of Corporate Travel, a video series that dives into the main challenges business travel consultants are facing today and how TMC technology can address them.

While there is little doubt about the ongoing recovery of corporate travel, the industry has become more dynamic and complex than ever. To stay relevant and grow, Travel Management Companies (TMCs) need to think differently, embrace change, and innovate with new solutions and strategies.

Sabre’s Robbie Thomas, Senior Director of Product Strategy, and Sarah Sheppard, Senior Director of Product Management, explore the future of corporate travel with Andrew Clarke, Commercial Director of the Business Travel Association. 

In this episode, payment solutions are discussed, along with Sabre’s plans to bring increased offerings with Conferma Pay.  

Interview highlights  

Andrew Clarke: The acquisition by Sabre of Conferma Pay is an interesting development. Can you share why you have made this move, and how it will help TMCs in the future?  

Sarah Sheppard: It is very new and fresh to the industry, but Sabre and Conferma Pay’s relationship isn’t new. We have been working together for many years and Conferma Pay powers our Sabre Direct Pay solution.

Regarding what’s happened in the acquisition, Sabre has acquired Conferma Pay to help advance virtual card payments for our travel industry. We believe that the acquisition will lay the foundation to innovate further in the field of travel payments and build solutions that help our customers to support an end-to-end experience, from booking to payment, through to trip and after the trip has finished. Acquiring Conferma Pay will enable us to combine the skills and the technology of both organizations and as we look to the future, help us to develop what will be truly differentiating enhanced payment solutions.  

Our aim is to make the travel booking experience simpler, more flexible and seamless. As I said, we have been working with Conferma Pay for some time and many in the audience will know that they power Sabre Direct Pay. They will continue to do that. We will continue to work in that capacity, but we intend to extend our offering with additional services and capabilities for our TMC and corporate customers.

If you think about it from a corporation standpoint, they have their own relationships and they want to work with their banking partners. We think we can help to increase that customer loyalty by integrating and recommending solutions that allow the corporation to not only work with their bank of choice, but also to achieve better economics from their card solutions. Again, they’ve got flexibility where they need it, and they don’t have to make change to utilize the solutions. From a TMC perspective, enhancements to Sabre’s virtual card offering will allow them to better meet and service the needs of their corporate customers and to achieve better control and visibility of business travel spend. 

Andrew Clarke: Conferma Pay has been in and around the industry for some time, as you’ve shared, but I think the ability to bring it into your camp helps make additional benefits to Sabre users. I think it’s going to be a real plus point going forward! 

Replay:  

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Many thanks to the Business Travel Association for this exciting conversation.

If your TMC is looking to grow in these areas, contact us today so we can discuss how our solutions can best serve you. Learn how Sabre is creating new paths to profitability in corporate travel here.