Mobile safety alerts introduced by FCm

FCm Travel Solutions UK has added a new mobile phone alert system to its collection of safety services.

The IRRIDIS system provides clients with email and mobile SMS text alerts. Bookings made via travel management company FCm can be accessed either on-demand or through a system-wide alert.

It has been introduced because the agency found that traveller security now ranks within the top three criteria when appointing a travel management company.

Clients who want information on their staff travelling to or in a particular location, can send an SMS message to the IRRIDIS server at any time quoting either a country or destination name. The system sends an automatic response within 60 seconds by SMS telling the client how many travellers they have in the destination and the number of staff scheduled to travel there. Users of IRRIDIS are assigned a five-digit password that, for heightened security, must be supplied when issuing a request for information.

In the event of a major incident, clients subscribing to IRRIDIS receive an automatic system-wide alert from FCm to a nominated registered mobile telephone. The text message will contain information on the client’s staff in a specific destination, or those who are scheduled to travel there.                                                                                                                                  

The system provides pre- and on-trip traveller information to a given destination for all air, rail, hotel, car hire and ferry bookings made through FCm.

In addition, two reports will be emailed to the subscriber providing detailed information such as flight number and routing, hotel name and destination, car hire company, pick up and drop off points.  

Subscription to the service costs £750 a year for the first mobile phone user, and £250 for each additional user. Clients subscribing before the end of November save £150 on the first mobile phone registration if they sign up two or more users.

FCm account management director Alex Woodworth said: “We believe FCm Travel Solutions will be the first travel management company to launch this kind of ‘push and pull’ tracking and alert service in the UK.

“Security is high on our clients’ list of priorities these days and we work closely with them to find solutions to meet not only their commercial requirements, but also the need for their employees to travel as safely as possible. IRRIDIS provides our clients with the ability to track the movements of their travellers at any time within seconds”.

Report by Phil Davies