Walmart Wants Chip and PIN

Retailers to Banks: Give Us Chip and PIN, Electronic ChecksBy Penny Crosman - Bank Systems & Technology

Executives at three of the largest payment generating retailers — Walmart, Best Buy and T-Mobile — were on hand at the NACHA Payments conference this week to tell bankers what they want and the trends they see on the horizon.



One thing Walmart wants is chip and PIN cards, in other words debit cards with a computer chip (rather than a magnetic stripe) embedded in them containing cardholder information.

"Later this year, we'll accept one chip and  PIN program if not two  in the U.S.," said Mike Cook, vice president, finance and assistant treasurer at Walmart. "Walmart stores already have the hardware to accept chip and PIN. Chip and PIN may not work for a particular bank, but it works for us."  PIN debit is Walmart's most-used payment product; signature-based credit cards are the store chain's biggest area of fraud.  Continue Reading

Whether the good ole' U.S. of A. decides to got the route of Chip and PIN or not, the rest of the world has already gone there.  Above is a video of what we believe is the world's first Chip and PIN Card reader designed specifically for eCommerce and mCommerce use.  It was developed by our CTO, Ben Lo and our sister company, BBPOS and is currently going through the certification process.



In the meantime, here is some more information on the BBPOS Chip and PIN Card Reader...

Walmart Wants Chip and PIN

Retailers to Banks: Give Us Chip and PIN, Electronic ChecksBy Penny Crosman - Bank Systems & Technology

Executives at three of the largest payment generating retailers — Walmart, Best Buy and T-Mobile — were on hand at the NACHA Payments conference this week to tell bankers what they want and the trends they see on the horizon.



One thing Walmart wants is chip and PIN cards, in other words debit cards with a computer chip (rather than a magnetic stripe) embedded in them containing cardholder information.

"Later this year, we'll accept one chip and  PIN program if not two  in the U.S.," said Mike Cook, vice president, finance and assistant treasurer at Walmart. "Walmart stores already have the hardware to accept chip and PIN. Chip and PIN may not work for a particular bank, but it works for us."  PIN debit is Walmart's most-used payment product; signature-based credit cards are the store chain's biggest area of fraud.  Continue Reading

Whether the good ole' U.S. of A. decides to got the route of Chip and PIN or not, the rest of the world has already gone there.  Above is a video of what we believe is the world's first Chip and PIN Card reader designed specifically for eCommerce and mCommerce use.  It was developed by our CTO, Ben Lo and our sister company, BBPOS and is currently going through the certification process.



In the meantime, here is some more information on the BBPOS Chip and PIN Card Reader...

Steve Jobs Shares his "Thoughts on Flash"

Image via CrunchBase

As you know, the new iPad does not support Flash.  Much has been written about that and Steve Jobs officially went on the record explaining why...and then some.



Here's what Steve Jobs had to say about Adobe Flash reliability, security and performance in a piece called "Thoughts on Flash"  published on the Apple website.

"Symantec recently highlighted Flash for having one of the worst security records in 2009. We also know first hand that Flash is the number one reason Macs crash. We have been working with Adobe to fix these problems, but they have persisted for several years now. We don’t want to reduce the reliability and security of our iPhones, iPods and iPads by adding Flash.



In addition, Flash has not performed well on mobile devices. We have routinely asked Adobe to show us Flash performing well on a mobile device, any mobile device, for a few years now. We have never seen it. Adobe publicly said that Flash would ship on a smartphone in early 2009, then the second half of 2009, then the first half of 2010, and now they say the second half of 2010. We think it will eventually ship, but we’re glad we didn’t hold our breath. Who knows how it will perform?



Doesn't sound much like Apple and Adobe are on the same page. If you thought Steve Job's "thoughts" were little harsh, his conclusion leaves no doubt that Apple is moving towards the future and Adobe is the past...

"Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.  The avalanche of media outlets offering their content for Apple’s mobile devices demonstrates that Flash is no longer necessary to watch video or consume any kind of web content. And the 200,000 apps on Apple’s App Store proves that Flash isn’t necessary for tens of thousands of developers to create graphically rich applications, including games. New open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and PCs too). Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind."

Steve Jobs

April, 2010

Related articles by Zemanta

• Apple in shock public attack on Adobe (go.theregister.com)

Steve Jobs Shares his "Thoughts on Flash"

Image via CrunchBase

As you know, the new iPad does not support Flash.  Much has been written about that and Steve Jobs officially went on the record explaining why...and then some.



Here's what Steve Jobs had to say about Adobe Flash reliability, security and performance in a piece called "Thoughts on Flash"  published on the Apple website.

"Symantec recently highlighted Flash for having one of the worst security records in 2009. We also know first hand that Flash is the number one reason Macs crash. We have been working with Adobe to fix these problems, but they have persisted for several years now. We don’t want to reduce the reliability and security of our iPhones, iPods and iPads by adding Flash.



In addition, Flash has not performed well on mobile devices. We have routinely asked Adobe to show us Flash performing well on a mobile device, any mobile device, for a few years now. We have never seen it. Adobe publicly said that Flash would ship on a smartphone in early 2009, then the second half of 2009, then the first half of 2010, and now they say the second half of 2010. We think it will eventually ship, but we’re glad we didn’t hold our breath. Who knows how it will perform?



Doesn't sound much like Apple and Adobe are on the same page. If you thought Steve Job's "thoughts" were little harsh, his conclusion leaves no doubt that Apple is moving towards the future and Adobe is the past...

"Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.  The avalanche of media outlets offering their content for Apple’s mobile devices demonstrates that Flash is no longer necessary to watch video or consume any kind of web content. And the 200,000 apps on Apple’s App Store proves that Flash isn’t necessary for tens of thousands of developers to create graphically rich applications, including games. New open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and PCs too). Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind."

Steve Jobs

April, 2010

Related articles by Zemanta

• Apple in shock public attack on Adobe (go.theregister.com)

BillMyParents Uses ThreatMetrix to Stop Fraud While Facilitating and Protecting Teen Online Spending

  

Leading Online Teen Payments Solution Is Able to Take More Orders With Less Friction While Determining Who Is and Who Isn't a Fraud Threat

LOS ALTOS, CA--(Marketwire - April 29, 2010) -  ThreatMetrix™, a fast growing provider of fraud detection solutions that do not require personally identifiable information (PII), today announced that BillMyParents®, the online teen payment solutions division of Socialwise, Inc. (OTCBB: SCLW), is using the ThreatMetrix Fraud Network to control fraud.

BillMyParents provides innovative and simple payment solutions for teens and their parents. When using the Supervised Shopping™ program, teens safely shop online on partner retail sites and click on the BillMyParents payment button that appears next to each product or in the shopping cart. Selections are sent right away by email to parents, who can easily manage and approve requests. The system ensures security of private financial data, and parents will soon be able to choose to deposit allowance-like spending amounts in advance for teens' use.

Prior to kicking off a national marketing campaign to promote the BillMyParents solution -- that featured teen spokespersons Ryan Sheckler, 2010 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards Favorite Male Athlete; professional skateboard and MTV reality show Fantasy Factor Rob Dyrdek; and professional motocross racer and four-time Rally America champion Travis Pastrana -- the company felt that it needed to be proactive and vigilant in protecting itself and its customers against the potential for fraud.

"In our beta testing prior to our national rollout, we saw a range of fraud scenarios from professional fraudsters using stolen credit cards to kids going wild with a card that was approved by a parent," said Jim Collas, president and CEO, Socialwise. "While we were able to catch these instances through manual intervention in our beta testing, we knew that approach would not scale in a full production environment. Since BillMyParents can reside in many different online environments and payment processes, we felt that we needed to make sure that we had the right tools in place to combat online fraud. After an internal evaluation of competitive fraud solutions, we chose the ThreatMetrix Fraud Network." 

According to Collas, it took them less than one week for BillMyParents to get up and running with the ThreatMetrix Fraud Network. "ThreatMetrix' customer implementation team helped us build rules and set scores to trigger which transactions were legitimate, which ones were fraudulent, and which ones should be placed in a fraud review queue for further evaluation."

"We really like the ThreatMetrix Fraud Network's ability to quickly and easily create custom fields that are specific to our business," continued Collas. "After implementation, we saw some additional things we wanted to put in place and were able to do so in a matter of minutes, not hours or days. ThreatMetrix saves us time and money by addressing all three of the major web fraud scenarios -- verifying new accounts, authorizing payments and transactions, and authorizing user logins -- in one solution."

"With ThreatMetrix, we get a holistic picture on fraud," continued Collas. "ThreatMetrix doesn't just give us an accept or reject recommendation. Instead, it tells me which rules fired. That makes it easy for us to go in and review any order and determine whether it is legitimate or fraudulent."

"Threat Metrix helps us in three major ways," said Collas. "First, from an overall ROI perspective, we don't have to eat fraud. Secondly, we are able to take more orders with less friction because we are more accurate in determining who is and who isn't a fraud threat. Finally, ThreatMetrix enables us to automate our order processing requiring fewer people to manage fraud."

To view a video of how the ThreatMetrix Fraud Network helps payment processors go to:http://threatmetrix.com/resource-center/videos-and-demos/threatmetrix-solutions-for-payment-processors/.

To read a whitepaper on the ThreatMetrix Fraud Network, go to:http://info.threatmetrix.com/ThreatMetrix-fraud-network.html.

About BillMyParents

BillMyParents provides payment solutions targeted to young people between the ages of 8 and 21. Their solutions facilitate communication between parents and young people and help teach financial responsibility. For more information, visit www.billmyparents.com.

BillMyParents Uses ThreatMetrix to Stop Fraud While Facilitating and Protecting Teen Online Spending

  

Leading Online Teen Payments Solution Is Able to Take More Orders With Less Friction While Determining Who Is and Who Isn't a Fraud Threat

LOS ALTOS, CA--(Marketwire - April 29, 2010) -  ThreatMetrix™, a fast growing provider of fraud detection solutions that do not require personally identifiable information (PII), today announced that BillMyParents®, the online teen payment solutions division of Socialwise, Inc. (OTCBB: SCLW), is using the ThreatMetrix Fraud Network to control fraud.

BillMyParents provides innovative and simple payment solutions for teens and their parents. When using the Supervised Shopping™ program, teens safely shop online on partner retail sites and click on the BillMyParents payment button that appears next to each product or in the shopping cart. Selections are sent right away by email to parents, who can easily manage and approve requests. The system ensures security of private financial data, and parents will soon be able to choose to deposit allowance-like spending amounts in advance for teens' use.

Prior to kicking off a national marketing campaign to promote the BillMyParents solution -- that featured teen spokespersons Ryan Sheckler, 2010 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards Favorite Male Athlete; professional skateboard and MTV reality show Fantasy Factor Rob Dyrdek; and professional motocross racer and four-time Rally America champion Travis Pastrana -- the company felt that it needed to be proactive and vigilant in protecting itself and its customers against the potential for fraud.

"In our beta testing prior to our national rollout, we saw a range of fraud scenarios from professional fraudsters using stolen credit cards to kids going wild with a card that was approved by a parent," said Jim Collas, president and CEO, Socialwise. "While we were able to catch these instances through manual intervention in our beta testing, we knew that approach would not scale in a full production environment. Since BillMyParents can reside in many different online environments and payment processes, we felt that we needed to make sure that we had the right tools in place to combat online fraud. After an internal evaluation of competitive fraud solutions, we chose the ThreatMetrix Fraud Network." 

According to Collas, it took them less than one week for BillMyParents to get up and running with the ThreatMetrix Fraud Network. "ThreatMetrix' customer implementation team helped us build rules and set scores to trigger which transactions were legitimate, which ones were fraudulent, and which ones should be placed in a fraud review queue for further evaluation."

"We really like the ThreatMetrix Fraud Network's ability to quickly and easily create custom fields that are specific to our business," continued Collas. "After implementation, we saw some additional things we wanted to put in place and were able to do so in a matter of minutes, not hours or days. ThreatMetrix saves us time and money by addressing all three of the major web fraud scenarios -- verifying new accounts, authorizing payments and transactions, and authorizing user logins -- in one solution."

"With ThreatMetrix, we get a holistic picture on fraud," continued Collas. "ThreatMetrix doesn't just give us an accept or reject recommendation. Instead, it tells me which rules fired. That makes it easy for us to go in and review any order and determine whether it is legitimate or fraudulent."

"Threat Metrix helps us in three major ways," said Collas. "First, from an overall ROI perspective, we don't have to eat fraud. Secondly, we are able to take more orders with less friction because we are more accurate in determining who is and who isn't a fraud threat. Finally, ThreatMetrix enables us to automate our order processing requiring fewer people to manage fraud."

To view a video of how the ThreatMetrix Fraud Network helps payment processors go to:http://threatmetrix.com/resource-center/videos-and-demos/threatmetrix-solutions-for-payment-processors/.

To read a whitepaper on the ThreatMetrix Fraud Network, go to:http://info.threatmetrix.com/ThreatMetrix-fraud-network.html.

About BillMyParents

BillMyParents provides payment solutions targeted to young people between the ages of 8 and 21. Their solutions facilitate communication between parents and young people and help teach financial responsibility. For more information, visit www.billmyparents.com.

Western Europe B2C E-Commerce Report 2010

Research and Markets: Western Europe B2C E-Commerce Report 2010

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ff503d/western_europe_b2c) has announced the addition of the "Western Europe B2C E-Commerce Report 2010" report to their offering.

Key Findings

• It is expected that the UK E-Commerce sector will consolidate in the short term, with the biggest merchants achieving the best results.


• 23 million French bought a product or service online in the third quarter of 2009 this represents about 7 out of 10 Internet users.


• In Spain, the second quarter of 2009 represented the highest quarterly growth in B2C E-Commerce (+16%) over the past 12 months.


• The number of Internet users in Italy reached 26 million in 2009, representing 45% of the total population.


• In the first nine months of 2009, E-Commerce sales in the Netherlands grew to EUR 4.1 billion, an increase of 20% compared to 2008. Due to Belgiums small population, three different languages, and the high retail density, the B2C E-Commerce market developed late.

Product Information

Effective decision support for E-Commerce managers

E-Commerce is the sales channel of the future. However, even the brightest prospects will not materialize, unless providers keep track of trends, consumer demands and competitors in this challenging market environment. The key to entrepreneurial success in the E-Commerce market is access to objective, reliable and up-to-date information that provides an insight into the dynamics of the market. This report is the one-stop source for these facts.

Contents

• Current Trends in the E-Commerce Segment


• Sales numbers and growth rates of B2C E-Commerce


• B2C E-Commerce vs. retail and home shopping sales figure comparisons


• Basic data on the number of internet users, penetration, types of used internet connections, number of internet shoppers and demographics (including penetration rates)


• Product rankings, which show the top selling assortments on the internet.


• Rankings and short profiles of the main competitors


• News on leading B2C E-Commerce companies

Western Europe B2C E-Commerce Report 2010

Research and Markets: Western Europe B2C E-Commerce Report 2010

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ff503d/western_europe_b2c) has announced the addition of the "Western Europe B2C E-Commerce Report 2010" report to their offering.

Key Findings

• It is expected that the UK E-Commerce sector will consolidate in the short term, with the biggest merchants achieving the best results.


• 23 million French bought a product or service online in the third quarter of 2009 this represents about 7 out of 10 Internet users.


• In Spain, the second quarter of 2009 represented the highest quarterly growth in B2C E-Commerce (+16%) over the past 12 months.


• The number of Internet users in Italy reached 26 million in 2009, representing 45% of the total population.


• In the first nine months of 2009, E-Commerce sales in the Netherlands grew to EUR 4.1 billion, an increase of 20% compared to 2008. Due to Belgiums small population, three different languages, and the high retail density, the B2C E-Commerce market developed late.

Product Information

Effective decision support for E-Commerce managers

E-Commerce is the sales channel of the future. However, even the brightest prospects will not materialize, unless providers keep track of trends, consumer demands and competitors in this challenging market environment. The key to entrepreneurial success in the E-Commerce market is access to objective, reliable and up-to-date information that provides an insight into the dynamics of the market. This report is the one-stop source for these facts.

Contents

• Current Trends in the E-Commerce Segment


• Sales numbers and growth rates of B2C E-Commerce


• B2C E-Commerce vs. retail and home shopping sales figure comparisons


• Basic data on the number of internet users, penetration, types of used internet connections, number of internet shoppers and demographics (including penetration rates)


• Product rankings, which show the top selling assortments on the internet.


• Rankings and short profiles of the main competitors


• News on leading B2C E-Commerce companies

MoneyGram International Adds Croatia to its Global Money Transfer Network

Expansion in Germany and Serbia supports return to Croatia

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MoneyGram International (NYSE:MGI), a leading global money transfer company, announced its return to Croatia today as Volksbank added MoneyGram’s services to 28 countrywide locations. MoneyGram’s return to Croatia follows MoneyGram’s alliance with Volksbank in Serbia in 2008 and the opening of 33 MoneyGram-owned retail locations in Germany since 2006.

“In addition to Croatia, we re-entered Hungary earlier this year and we plan to continue the expansion of our services by adding more countries to our network and more locations in the 190 countries and territories where we already operate.”

“MoneyGram is pleased to be back in Croatia with Volksbank, providing the country’s 4.5 million people a new choice and a better value for money transfer services,” said Massimo Canovi, MoneyGram International’s senior regional director for Southern Europe and the Balkans. “Volksbank is a leading financial institution across Southeastern Europe and has been a valued MoneyGram agent in Serbia since 2008. The Volksbank locations are available today to assist Croatians with their money transfer needs.”

Andrea Kovacs-Wöhry, member of Volksbank Croatia's Managing Board, said: "We are very pleased that our partnership with MoneyGram will enable us to provide our customers an affordable, reliable and convenient money transfer services at Volksbank branch offices in all of the major cities throughout Croatia."

Germany is home to more than 200,000 Croatians and more than 10 million migrants that regularly send funds to support family members and build personal savings. Since 2006, MoneyGram has steadily grown its owned money transfer retail locations in Germany to help migrant workers meet their financial needs.

“Our expansion in Germany continues to support our growth in Southeastern Europe and around the world,” Canovi continued. “In addition to Croatia, we re-entered Hungary earlier this year and we plan to continue the expansion of our services by adding more countries to our network and more locations in the 190 countries and territories where we already operate.”

In addition to its 190,000 traditional agent locations composed primarily of financial institutions, post offices and retail businesses, MoneyGram recently began mobile money transfer services.

Canovi concluded, “Our opportunities to meet remittance demands are changing. In 2009, we added our service at ATMs in the Middle East and provided our first transfers direct to mobile phones in the Philippines. If it’s a remittance transaction, we want to touch it, whether online, by phone or at one of our global agent locations. Our return to Croatia opens another market where consumers can experience the value of our services.”

About MoneyGram International

MoneyGram International offers more choices to people separated from family and friends by distance or those with limited bank relationships to meet their financial needs. A leading global payment services company, MoneyGram International helps consumers to pay bills quickly and safely send money around the world with funds arriving at available agent locations in as little as 10 minutes. Its global network is comprised of 190,000 agent locations in 190 countries and territories. MoneyGram's convenient and reliable network includes retailers, international post offices and financial institutions. To learn more about money transfer or bill payment at an agent location or online, please visit www.moneygram.com or find us on Facebook.

MoneyGram International Adds Croatia to its Global Money Transfer Network

Expansion in Germany and Serbia supports return to Croatia

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MoneyGram International (NYSE:MGI), a leading global money transfer company, announced its return to Croatia today as Volksbank added MoneyGram’s services to 28 countrywide locations. MoneyGram’s return to Croatia follows MoneyGram’s alliance with Volksbank in Serbia in 2008 and the opening of 33 MoneyGram-owned retail locations in Germany since 2006.

“In addition to Croatia, we re-entered Hungary earlier this year and we plan to continue the expansion of our services by adding more countries to our network and more locations in the 190 countries and territories where we already operate.”

“MoneyGram is pleased to be back in Croatia with Volksbank, providing the country’s 4.5 million people a new choice and a better value for money transfer services,” said Massimo Canovi, MoneyGram International’s senior regional director for Southern Europe and the Balkans. “Volksbank is a leading financial institution across Southeastern Europe and has been a valued MoneyGram agent in Serbia since 2008. The Volksbank locations are available today to assist Croatians with their money transfer needs.”

Andrea Kovacs-Wöhry, member of Volksbank Croatia's Managing Board, said: "We are very pleased that our partnership with MoneyGram will enable us to provide our customers an affordable, reliable and convenient money transfer services at Volksbank branch offices in all of the major cities throughout Croatia."

Germany is home to more than 200,000 Croatians and more than 10 million migrants that regularly send funds to support family members and build personal savings. Since 2006, MoneyGram has steadily grown its owned money transfer retail locations in Germany to help migrant workers meet their financial needs.

“Our expansion in Germany continues to support our growth in Southeastern Europe and around the world,” Canovi continued. “In addition to Croatia, we re-entered Hungary earlier this year and we plan to continue the expansion of our services by adding more countries to our network and more locations in the 190 countries and territories where we already operate.”

In addition to its 190,000 traditional agent locations composed primarily of financial institutions, post offices and retail businesses, MoneyGram recently began mobile money transfer services.

Canovi concluded, “Our opportunities to meet remittance demands are changing. In 2009, we added our service at ATMs in the Middle East and provided our first transfers direct to mobile phones in the Philippines. If it’s a remittance transaction, we want to touch it, whether online, by phone or at one of our global agent locations. Our return to Croatia opens another market where consumers can experience the value of our services.”

About MoneyGram International

MoneyGram International offers more choices to people separated from family and friends by distance or those with limited bank relationships to meet their financial needs. A leading global payment services company, MoneyGram International helps consumers to pay bills quickly and safely send money around the world with funds arriving at available agent locations in as little as 10 minutes. Its global network is comprised of 190,000 agent locations in 190 countries and territories. MoneyGram's convenient and reliable network includes retailers, international post offices and financial institutions. To learn more about money transfer or bill payment at an agent location or online, please visit www.moneygram.com or find us on Facebook.

American Express Business Travel Offers Automated Central Command Post

American Express Business Travel Offers Automated Central Command Post and Introduces Solution Suite for Managing Through the Unexpected

- Volcanic Ash Situation Highlights Need For Corporations to Have Traveler Tracking and Instant Communication Tools Combined with Strategic and Experienced Travel Counsel -

- More Than 150,000 American Express Travel Customers Were Impacted by the Volcanic Ash Situation -

- Company Shares 10 Tips for Effective Travel Program Management in a Crisis -

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Express Business Travel, a global leader in business travel management, announced today it is offering its automated central command post complimentary for those customers who implement its business continuity suite. Information learned from the volcanic ash cloud situation demonstrated the importance of continuous information exchange between corporate security, travel, finance and other departments and combining that with the creativity and persistence of experienced travel counselors became the formula to successfully manage through this unexpected situation. American Express Business Travel reported its client base had more than 150,000 travelers impacted by the travel cancellations.

American Express Business Travel is introducing a business continuity suite of products anchored by an online central command post that serves as the hub for traveler tracking tools and instant employee messaging necessary during a crisis. The core command post solution, or portal, is being offered complimentary to customers who purchase our business continuity suite. The suite also contains an after-hours solution and a telepresence/teleconference capability to serve as an alternate means for conducting business when the traditional methods (air, car, rail) are unavailable. If you are interested in taking advantage of this offer, contact your American Express Business Travel representative or you can email us at contactus@businesstravelconnexion.com.

“The recent travel complications resulting from the volcanic ash cloud highlighted the need for companies to have a central command post to manage information. Travelers needed to be located and re-accommodated, and there was a need to disseminate communications on a broad-scale to stranded travelers, as well as employees that may not have started their trip yet,” said Lisa Durocher, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing and Product Management, American Express Business Travel.

“These business critical functions required sophisticated tools and quick actions from experienced and knowledgeable travel counselors. Around the world, our service delivery network and travel counselors used creativity, flexibility and persistence – and more than 12,000 hours of overtime – to get travelers home or change travel plans for those who had yet to commence their trips,” added Julie Bottner, Senior Vice President, Global Service Delivery, American Express Business Travel.

Top Tips for Managing An Unexpected Travel Disruption

Companies with a plan in place clearly were in a better position to support their travelers and their companies through the most recent crisis. Following is a list of tips American Express recommends for companies to consider to ensure preparation and business continuity for any unforeseen travel disruption:

1. Be a safety net. Distressed travelers seek solace in their travel managers and expect a personal touch from their service. Collaborating effectively across business units including Travel, Risk/Security, Finance, Communications, Procurement, Technology and Human Resources is crucial to successfully supporting all of the needs of both travelers and the company. So plan ahead and have the right contacts aligned and policies in place before the next big event.

2. Take a fresh look. Nothing is more important than knowing the whereabouts of your travelers and verifying their safety. Do you have the appropriate tools to track your travelers in the event of an emergency? Be sure that you can access this information quickly, either through on-demand reporting, a GUI-based tool, or a combination of both. It is important to make sure your travel policy supports these tools by stressing the importance of making reservations (air AND Hotel, rail) as well as all changes through the approved travel channels. This will ensure all data is channeled through the traveler-tracking tools so that employees can be easily located. Also include this information in employee code of conduct training materials and in new employee manuals.

3. Evaluate your servicing configuration. Does it include allowances for emergency and after-hours service? Understand the contingency plans of your travel management company to be sure that your travelers will be able to make contact and get the help they need.

4. Revisit your traveler communications strategy. It must allow for two-way, real-time communication with employees and travelers both individually and company-wide. The best mobile solutions incorporate a mix of smart phone apps and text messaging for timely alerts and added convenience at an otherwise inconvenient time. Be sure to have an alternative plan of communication through the use of websites, social media channels and landlines in the event mobile networks are not available.

5. Revisit your traveler communications strategy, Part II. Consider a traveler portal solution that can target individual travelers based upon their preferences and travel history then post and push timely and relevant information on the fly. An added potential benefit is that travelers learn to rely upon this central location for all travel related information, resulting in productivity gains and improvements to policy compliance and savings.

6. Embrace telepresence and teleconferencing. With the proliferation of public telepresence rooms, this option will be more accessible, especially for companies who do not wish to invest in building their own facilities. Teleconferencing has come a long way and is also a viable option. A central booking solution for the whole of these options allows for easy booking and can minimize lost productivity due to travel interruptions.

7. Recycle those unused tickets. Utilize an automated ticket tracking application to identify all unused tickets. Refundable tickets are as good as cash in your pocket and non-refundables can frequently be used against a future trip to offset that expense.

8. Turn an eye to ROI. Some of these suggestions do require investment so it is important to understand and balance the costs against the potential tangible and intangible benefits of getting employees back to work and keeping them feeling safe and protected.

9. Be Social. Create the dialog with your peers through online forums and discussion boards. Share your experiences and pick up a new tip or learning along the way.

10. Debrief while the situation is still fresh. Talk to your impacted travelers and let their experience inform your supplier strategy, policy and crisis management plan. Were some suppliers more accommodating than others in making alternate arrangements for your travelers, waiving re-booking or other fees? Keep this in mind as you go through supplier negotiations in the future. A survey or questionnaire sent to all employees can help identify unrealized impacts and gaps in your corporate travel program while demonstrating a commitment to traveler service.

Putting the Volcanic Ash Situation in Context

American Express ramped up support throughout their global service delivery network in response to customer needs to find transport and accommodation, as well as chartering buses and flights from various destinations across the globe to pick up stranded travelers.

• More than 100,000 planes were grounded as a result of the volcanic ash.


• In some instances the American Express service delivery network experienced a 2,300 percent increase in call volume compared to a similar period of time.


• More than 150,000 travelers were impacted, both those that were stranded when the airspace closed and could not continue to their destinations, as well as those with planned trips about to commence.


• Travel counselors collectively made and received more than 1 million calls during the crisis, representing a 60 percent increase globally over what is typical for this time of year.


• Globally, we increased the scale of our service operations to support this extraordinary increase in demand, whereby travel counselors have logged more than 12,000 overtime hours.


• We sent emergency cash to card members and travelers for extended stays due to cancellations and also assisted with prescription replacement.


• More than 100 messages were written for employees and customers to deliver up to the minute information and the company blogged on their social media site, businesstravelconnexion.com, updates around airport closures and service information.

About American Express Business Travel

American Express Business Travel (www.americanexpress.com/businesstravel), a division of American Express Company, is committed to helping its clients maximize the return on their travel investment through increased cost savings, world-class customer service and greater spending control. With clients ranging from small businesses to multinational corporations, American Express Business Travel provides a combination of industry-leading technology, travel management consulting, strategic sourcing and supplier negotiation support, alongside global customer service available online and offline. The Company also provides a dynamic online community (www.businesstravelconneXion.com) harnessing the collective intelligence of those in the business travel industry offering a variety of perspectives, best practices, current research and industry news.

American Express operates one of the world’s largest travel agency networks with locations in over 140 countries worldwide. Total travel sales volume in 2009 was $21.5 billion, including proprietary volume, volume processed through joint ventures, and American Express branded volume processed through its partner network.

About American Express Company

American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more atwww.americanexpress.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com/americanexpress, www.twitter.com/americanexpress and www.youtube.com/americanexpress.