insight
Browser extensions? For business travel? Game changing.
Introducing FCM Extension
You probably use browser extensions all the time. Things like PayPal Honey save you money by applying discount codes, Grammarly checks your spelling across the web, and LastPass creates and stores secure passwords. The main benefit of browser extensions is they are easy to install, constantly work in the background, and assist you in real-time during various workflows or tasks.
And as their name suggests, extensions simply expand on, or extend, the functionality of other sites.
At FCM, our team saw the potential to incorporate a browser extension organically into every part of the corporate travel lifestyle.
But rather than us explain all that, we’ve got Harcher Batravil, FCM Solutions Engineer, to take you on a guided tour of FCM Extension.
FCM Extension in action
You don’t need to take it from us that browser extensions are an A+ addition to your travel tech stack – our friends at Discovery Inc. can do that for us. When their global travel operations were paused in 2020, it transformed into an opportunity to use that time to not only create fixes, but to innovate.
Discover how you can use FCM Extension
Get the message out
Knowledge is power, and it deters bad choices. Being in-the-know just makes everyone’s lives simpler and reduces room for error.
So, instead of sending an email en masse and crossing your fingers, you can send company policy updates right where it matters most: at point-of-booking. Is your traveller browsing fares on American Airlines’ site and not in your OBT? The FCM Extension will pop in – and over 2,000 websites – to remind them to return to the OBT, link included.
Another example. Have you changed the maximum reimbursable cost for accommodation? The Extension will shoot over a notification to travellers when they land on the hotel booking page.
Just-in-time messaging support is your personal megaphone, without noise complaints or ear drum damage.
Go green
How can we ask travellers to make “greener” decisions, when the very act of getting on a plane, well, isn’t?
It turns out that you just need to provide evidence and options. For example, the FCM Extension shows sustainability alerts that are a biiiiit of a wake-up call. Being told your trip to San Diego has the equivalent carbon footprint of flying 10% of the distance to the Moon is sobering.
But what’s even better is that the Extension can also show trip options that are better for the planet, including hotels. And if a rail alternative option for the trip exists, the Extension will make a very sensible suggestion: “Have you thought about taking the train?”
Organisations can also provide dynamic updates on their sustainability initiative. Let your travellers know that your greener efforts are working. For example, send out a notification that announces eco-friendly travel choices have reduced your company’s carbon footprint!
Safety and risk, managed with a click
Sometimes travellers may be busy and they don’t read your risk pamphlet, or they accidentally delete your email alerts.
The FCM Extension is your safety sidekick. If a traveller is booking a trip in a location with sociopolitical unrest, you can trigger the Extension to warn them about the location. If there is a current disease outbreak, you can provide reminders about testing, entry requirements, and quarantine measures.
Remember, this is all provided before they book, so you can quite literally stop a traveller disaster before it happens.
IT approved
Your final hurdle to adopting browser extension travel tech is your security and privacy teams. A browser extension may set off all their red flags, including the popup blocker. Luckily, the FCM Extension plays nice with network security.
The FCM Extension can be deployed to designated browsers via a simple global push on the backend. There’s no need for each traveller to individually download the extension, so no risks there. And the Extension is secure - admins have very granular control over what data is captured and on which sites. If you don’t want to redirect searches on consumer sites, you can just enable the extension on your OBT.
In short, setup is agile and simple. And we’ll help you every step of the way.