Designed to support passengers on a daily basis, SNCF Connect is now more than just a leisure or commuter service: more than a million customers are already using it for their business trips. From commuting to long-distance journeys, the service also offers real-time passenger information and options for business travellers.
To take things a step further, SNCF Voyageurs' technology subsidiary launched a solution in 2024 aimed directly at business travellers. With the aim of " constantly innovating and pioneering the market It's a great way to get to know your customers," explains Cédric Vandenbrouck, Sales Director at SNCF Connect & Tech, who spearheaded the project. The platform goes a step further by offering features designed for them and their families. A pro area to centralise everything, meeting the needs of the self-employed, employees of SMEs and employees of large companies alike. The aim? A single customer account for business and personal travel.
One account, two distinct uses
That's the beauty of it: passengers who are used to using SNCF Connect privately don't need to manage two separate accounts. With a Pro/Perso switch on the booking site, all passengers have to do is indicate the reason for their journey - before launching their search - to have their SNCF Connect account activated. switch the journey to work mode. And if the passenger's company has signed up to the Contrat Pro, SNCF Connect can associate its company code with the search as soon as a business reservation is made.
Ease of use guided by the customer promise: " an enhanced user experience to make your working life easier ". The SNCF Connect teams have set about eliminating one of the main concerns of business travellers: accounting management of their travel. Processes can vary greatly from one company to another, between travellers who pay in advance and those who pay with their business card, between companies that reimburse expense accounts as they go along or on the basis of a quarterly balance sheet, and so on. It's hard to find your way around!
To make life easier for passengers who have bought tickets for business purposes (identified by the "Pro" label on SNCF Connect), they can find their payment receipts directly in the Espace pro immediately after purchase, and then retrieve and download them up to 13 months after the trip. Even better: they are sent by e-mail to the address chosen by the traveller, either their own, or that of their company's travel manager or accounts department. And, as business and personal trips are differentiated, there's no risk of the booking of the next holiday being traced back to management!
SNCF Connect, a big first at the IFTM
Going further, doing better for the customer. That's why the SNCF Connect teams are coming to meet the business travel industry this year. By taking part in the IFTM trade fair for the first time, " our presence is designed to showcase the innovations we have launched, but also to feed off each other that we will have on site to enrich our proposal and, in the future, cover even more of the needs of professionals "explains Cédric Vandenbrouck.
Creating synergies and forming new partnerships: the sales director is thinking in particular of the players in professional expense management, " an area where we know we can still do more. going further to meet our customers' challenges ". As well as being a travel agency and reservation platform, SNCF Connect & Tech is also a service provider and digital solutions editor, with over 1,300 employees, or " France's largest community of tech experts in sustainable mobility ". Together with the business travel industry, we can look forward to new features that will make life even easier for professionals and companies alike.
Travel managers and suppliers, the SNCF Connect teams are looking forward to seeing you from 23 to 25 September at the IFTM Business Club.
Contact: equipe_pro@connect-tech.sncf
