ETS2 is right around the corner, and an agency’s internal communication will be key to making ETS2 a success.
As we approach the five-year anniversary of completing implementation of ETS1 at my agency, it is important to look back at a key reason ETS1 was a success here: communication.
ETS1 was a major change at my agency. We had been doing electronic authorizations and vouchering for a few years in a home-grown system, but ETS1 added integrated online booking and system-controlled adherence to travel policies to the equation.
It was mandatory to implement ETS1 so it was vital that our employees knew that it had to happen. At my agency, executives were consistently given the message that ETS1 was going to happen and why, and they were provided with regular updates about the progress of the project to implement ETS1.
This executive-level communication could then cascade down from the top of the agency – and travelers knew that their bosses were on board with the change to ETS1. The same will be needed for ETS2.
At the same time executives were being engaged, our agency’s project team utilized “super users” from locations nationwide to interact directly with the travelers in their parts of the country. “Super users” not only provided face-to-face communication with their colleagues, but also served as a first-line of defense for travelers having difficulties with our new ETS1 system.
I believe that a strategy of communicating at all levels of an agency will be needed to make ETS2 successful.
By: Kevin Young