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On
the Road Again
The
average business traveler spends 8.5 years on the road, but
technology makes it easier to keep in touch and use time away
more effectively.
By
Liese Hutchison
The
normal business traveler makes 21 business trips a year,
for an average of 48 nights away from the office and home.
That's the bad news. The good news is that technology is
making the business traveler's forays more productive and
less isolating. With the explosion of mobile phones,
Pocket PCs, organizers and laptops, a few pounds of gadgets
stored in one extra piece of carry-on luggage keeps the
person on the go in the know.
The
number one technology tool used by business travelers
is the mobile phone. First introduced approximately 20
years ago and weighing almost as many pounds, the dinosaurs
of mobile phones had limited ranges and one feature--making
and receiving calls. Today's phones are lightweight and
loaded with options--voice mail, call forwarding, call
waiting, three-way calling, two-way radios, phone directories,
hands-free options, paging, one-touch dialing and so on.
With all these features one might assume
mobile phones are expensive, but with competition from
Sprint PCS, Nextel, Ameritech, Southwestern Bell, and
AT&T, mobile phone costs and monthly packages are
affordable for most users.
Above:
Hewlett-Packard's Jornada series gives users access
to e-mail and the Internet, synchronization to their desktop
PCs, numerous software applications and fun games.
Up
until now, international business travelers haven't
been able to use their phones overseas because of incompatible
services. A study conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide on
behalf of Nextel found that
most business travelers don't use mobile phones when
they travel abroad. Seventy-three percent make calls
from their hotels and 53 percent use calling cards.
However, 37 percent of survey respondents said they're
frustrated that even though they can call out, business
colleagues can't reach them. In addition, 34 percent
of international travelers experienced a number of problems
such as not being able to find a phone, purchase a calling
card or secure a clear connection.
Nextel
Communications recently introduced its Nextel Worldwide
service that provides customers with one phone, one
number and worldwide access. Nextel Worldwide is the
first and only dual-mode 100 percent wireless service
in the United States and in more than 65 countries.
Travelers can now make calls throughout
Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and
South America.
"Nextel
Worldwide simplifies the idea of global roaming
for international travelers who will now have the
convenience of one phone and one number and receive
one bill," says Joyce Davidson, Nextel Missouri
market manager. "It's simple--whatever number you
use here in the U.S. travels with you."
The
next most used travel tool is the laptop computer.
Compaq, IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Apple all offer
laptops to their customers. But the item that's
catching on the fastest and offers almost everything
a laptop offers is the hand-held computer. The most
easily recognized is the Palm Pilot by Palm Inc.,
but Microsoft recently introduced the software for
the Pocket PC. Hewlett-Packard is one of the computer
companies providing the hardware.
HP's
Jornada series gives the business traveler a small,
pocket-size device that allows them to synchronize
to their desktop PCs, update appointments, access
e-mail with AOL and Yahoo software, write memos
using Microsoft Word, balance their business expenses
using Microsoft Excel and browse web sites using
Microsoft Internet Explorer.
"Our
customers want to do more than just calendar and
contact management," notes Kok-Khoon Lim, general
manager of HP's Asia Pacific PC Division. He states
that the release of its latest Jordana Pocket PC
offers imaging, audio and e-book capabilities along
with games for the traveler needing a break between
meetings or flights.
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BUSINESS
TRAVELER FACTS
The
average business traveler:
The
business traveler uses technology:
-
20
percent of all business travelers book
hotels and flights using the Internet
-
70
percent bring laptops
-
47
percent use the Internet or another on-line
service while on the road
-
half
contact colleagues at least once a day
using e-mail
-
10
percent e-mail home at least once during
a business trip
Sources:
National Business Travel Association and AOG
Business Travel
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With
a $350 Nextel i2000 worldwide phone, a $500 Pocket
PC and a $1,500 laptop, the business traveler has
the hardware needed to conduct business on the road
and keep in contact with the office. But IBM doesn't
think the hardware alone is enough to provide time-savings
and much needed real-time information to the business
traveler.
Big
Blue recently announced Internet-enabled services
with several business partners--Swissair, Japan
Airlines, Delta Airlines and British Airways. Using
IBM technology, business customers can now book
flights, check schedules and make alternative arrangements
through their mobile phones, hand-held computers
and laptops directly with the airline.
"The
travel partnerships that are forming are already
beginning to take advantage of the technology that
permits dissemination of information for the benefit
of travelers who have the technology," states Bruce
Methner, client solutions executive for IBM Global
Services, Travel and Transportation. "By providing
timely information regarding flight delays, cancellations
and gate changes in airports with widely dispersed
facilities, these travelers are able to reduce the
inconvenience and frustration commonly associated
with business travel."
This
article was written by Liese L. Hutchison, assistant
professor in the department of communication at
Saint Louis University and a free-lance writer.
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