Travelling Against All Odds

With technology making it possible to even video conference across continents in real time, is business travel destined to end? Not so, finds Savio Rodrigues, because the human touch is irreplaceable

Beep...Beep... 'Good morning Savio'. The screen lights up and the voice of the automated secretary - AutoSec 2017 - on my P16 Virtual Desktop 1000 sounds me off, 'You have a meeting in one hour with Mahesh and Ashish.' Good, I say to myself, that gives me just enough time to finish some pending work. As the time for the meeting draws near, I log in to the V500 Virtual Conference System. Once in the system, I walk to the conference room aptly termed 'Time Pass'. As I acknowledge my presence in the room, two virtual screens pop up, one with Mahesh currently on a virtual business trip in Singapore and the other from New York where Ashish is. As for me, well, I am in my condo in Maldives.

The meeting goes well, but it wasn't like old times. Even though we turbo jet on our Zena Bombastic high tech automobiles, we never meet the human form. Everything is done at virtual reality level, a simulated stimuli. It's the Year 2020, the 'Rise of the Machines'.

Wake up Savio...you're at work, not at home, the boss yells into my right ear. I am back in 2004, where, thank God we still travel in the real world. The nightmare is over.

You must be wondering what on earth am I jabbering about but think of it - not being able to jump in your car, turn on the ignition, rush to the airport, flirt with the ground hostess, continue to be charming with the air hostess, look at the clouds from the aircraft window, work on the minor glitches on your big presentation, get to a new city, make your big presentation, impress everybody, make new friends and then go out and party like mad with old and new friends. Calls for a little shudder, doesn’t it?

Pundits of the future, especially the tech gurus, are predicting that with the advancements in technology, business travel will certainly be curtailed and businessmen/women will prefer to stay at their work place or maybe home, instead of embarking on a gruelling travel schedule. Would it really happen? You certainly can't deny the growing dependency on the 'let's make life easier' syndrome which is an inherent need in all humans. How exciting is it not to be able to go through arduous meetings shuttling across states and countries. But alas! doomsday is a long way off for business travel. Both the global and Indian business traveller firmly believe that technology, instead of upsetting business travel, in fact might boost it.

Let's take a look at a recent World Travel Tourism Council (WTTC) report, which indicates that business travel globally is on the rise, currently registering a growth of 5.7 per cent. It also accounted for US$ 600 billion representing a growth of 4.3 per cent over last year and is expected to grow to US$ 895 billion by 2014 at a growth rate of 3.1 per cent per annum. In India, the performance of the business travel segment is even more impressive and outstrips world growth. According to the WTTC report the business travel segment contributed Rs 115 billion, growing at a whopping 13.9 per cent over 2003. Further, by 2014, the contribution will be Rs 387 billion, representing a growth of 7.1 per cent. And while all this was happening technology was making its own leaps and bounds with high-tech video conferencing facilities, webcams and virtual reality mode of conferencing (presently not in India). So is it a case of inverse proportion between technology and business travel? Answer: emphatic no.

"Our company uses a group-wide video conferencing system that covers our offices in the USA, UK, Mumbai and Bangalore wherein users can log in at all sites simultaneously. Similarly, we also have net meeting services and wide area conference calling by which people both within the group and our customers can log into a conference across the world. However, in spite of this, I firmly believe that business travel is required at certain times when the mode of interaction is more discussion then mere information exchange and presentation. When issues are likely to be debated or when relationships are to be built and when unsaid signals are more important than what is said, travel becomes important. And this travel volume is increasing almost 50 per cent year on year. Hence, while technology does remove some of the routine travel of old, business travel as a whole is on an increase," expressed R Mohan, president & chief executive officer-IT Division, Hinduja Technology Media Telecom.

Or let's take the case of Lapiz Digital Services Ltd which is equipped with e-mail, tele-conferencing, VOIP and video conferencing. But, says Indira Soundarajan, senior vice president, Lapiz Digital Services Ltd, "Technology has certainly not helped to reduce travel for work, at least in my field. The reason is the need for a face-to-face interaction with existing and potential customers. In fact, technology will make travel easier with facilities such as online booking for tickets and hotels."

Instead of lessening the traffic, the spin off is that, many business travellers now think that the current advancement in technology like email, video conferencing, telecommuting, high speed telephonic communications and mobile communication technologies has helped make the world a smaller place, making communications easier, and so helping businesses to spread their tentacles across the globe. Similarly lets take a look at a recent experience of Kunal Parikh, group strategic planning director, Lowe Lintas, Jakarta. “ Many of us were to meet in Singapore, but due to cost cutting, it has now been substituted by video conference. Having said that, there is no substitute for meeting people in flesh. They seem to be taken more seriously. In my case specifically, there is no substitute for visiting a particular market first hand, where one can get a chance to meet consumers and scrutinise the trade, and get a first hand feel of the market.”

And now with the MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) market also growing globally and with companies looking at travel as a powerful incentive tool for employees, the business travel market will most certainly not diminish but grow on the contrary.

Twenty years ago, Mr Rao an environmentalist in Mumbai would certainly not be able to know about Mr Joe an environmentalist in US of A or work towards an efficient technological transfer. But, today Mr Rao can correspond with Mr Joe and further establish their business relationship by either travelling to each other's part of the world to share knowledge and ideas. More ability to communicate ensures more ability to reach out to a wider audience, which in turn ensures better business and thus means more business travel to firmly bind business relationships.

Imagine travelling to the white sandy beaches of Hawaii - the land of the Baywatch - on a virtual tour. Now, wouldn't that be a curse, not being able to soak the cool summer breeze and taste the exotic food and drinks or frolic along with the locals. Nothing beats the real thing. Just like in leisure travel, the ability to exercise your senses leads to a memorable experience rather than just virtually experiencing it; similarly, on a business trip, the personal touch, of being able to shake your counterpart's hand after signing a deal, is irreplaceable. No matter how advanced technology gets, I Human - the businessman/woman will always want a direct physical contact.