In recent weeks, most wanderlust associated to travel is being curtailed amid the global spread of the novel coronavirus, and it is all having an impact on the travel and hospitality sectors.
These are truly uncharted times, and OZ wants to stand beside our clients as the world navigates COVID-19 together. OZ helps clients assess and develop a future strategy and plan for their revenue stream, products and services, customers, geographies, operations, technologies, and data platforms. We can help secure remote working, supply chain and logistics, as well as research and development by leveraging our latest solution, Immerse. Immerse enables clients to conduct remote workshops, innovation, and collaboration sessions. This service packages meeting facilitation software that is more sophisticated than Zoom and the like.
While cruise ships are being denied from ports around the globe, the U.S. State Department is advising that U.S. citizens, “particularly travelers with underlying health conditions, should not travel by cruise ship.” OZ is helping mitigate the effects using Salus, a solution that aids cruise lines and local health authorities in detecting and containing the coronavirus.
Tech is at the forefront of travel these days, as thermal scanners are in demand in airports. These devices can scan the body temperatures of fliers and detect higher-than-normal temperatures—a key sign in containing the spread of COVID-19. However, tech is also taking a back seat to this crisis as airports need to monitor the health of passengers. Smart gates in airports around the world are being suspended.
Social media has been the key to communicating date changes and cancellation policies for the airline industry. Email marketing has followed suit by informing clientele that they are making reservation modifications easier. While a decrease in travel site sales took a hit in February, travelers are still looking for the best deals, providing opportunities to the travel and hospitality sector to pivot and embrace future bookings. A rallying cry from these sectors is going viral—in a good way: don’t cancel your travel; work with the industry to change the dates and save tourism.
Murray consults with clients to create digital solutions that align with their vision, markets, customers and products. Prior to OZ, Murray co-founded Biztegra, a digital marketing, engagement and technology agency.
He also held senior positions at some of the world’s largest digital agencies, including Razorfish and Sapient, and began his career at what is now Accenture. An IASSC Certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt™, Murray earned his B.S./B.A. in computer science and finance from the University of Florida.