Booking.com，特别是它的地面运输业务部门，是全球最大的博彩平台最大的科技雇主之一 . We spent some time with CTO, Gavin Barton, to find out more.
In this interview, Gavin talks about the business’s plans for the immediate future, 描述存在于组织内部的文化和技术, explains why Booking.com is a committed member of Manchester’s tech community, and discusses the impact of autonomous vehicles.
Gavin, could you tell us a little bit more about Booking.com’s ground transportation unit and what the company's goals are?
当然，我们的主要目标是提供旅行的地面运输元素. Booking.com already offers a really strong accommodation proposition, 但我们未来的战略是从头到尾照顾好整个旅行体验. That means that as well as accommodation, we’re offering services such as car rental and taxis on Booking.com - from our home here in Manchester.
In a nutshell, Booking.Com是一家让人们更容易体验世界的全球性企业.
And could you explain your role in the company?
我要对全球最大的博彩平台发生的一切与科技相关的事情负责, 从数据中心到软件工程，哪一个都可以. I oversee the development of new technology, and then the process by which we make it operational, to deliver benefits for us, our customers, our partners and our suppliers.
What role does Booking.com play within Manchester’s tech community?
We’re one of Manchester’s biggest employers, 在我们位于市中心的总部，有600多名员工参与产品开发和技术. Finding passionate, 人才是我们工作的关键部分，然后是为他们提供一个良好的工作场所.
我们致力于为各个阶层的人提供进入科技行业的途径. We hire from Manchester Digital’s Level Four Software Development Apprenticeship在美国，我们每年招收20多名毕业生 #DigitalFutures Ambassadors programme; we recently had a group of year nine girls from a school in Bolton come into the office to talk about future careers in tech.
我们在加强全球最大的博彩平台作为科技和创新中心的地位方面扮演着重要的角色——指导和指导下一代人才与此密切相关.
What benefits do you feel from these outputs?
I think it helps motivate us. It gives us a sense of purpose, 在培训方面，这有助于拓宽人们的能力, developing, learning and so forth.
它是全球最大的博彩平台人们之间的联系和不断增加的参与——为彼此创造不同，发展他们的技术技能，致力于最新的创新.
As CTO, what are the key challenges you face when in the role?
每个角色都有自己的挑战——其中一些挑战在整个商业社区都很常见——比如组建团队, retaining talent and maximising the available budget. 我们经常问自己的问题包括如何让事情保持有趣, how to find the right people at the right time, how to develop our culture and how to grow the organisation. Addressing these challenges makes us a better business, 这对我们、对我们合作的企业和人来说是好消息吗.
The technical nature of what we do bring challenges of its own. In many respects, 我们汇集供应并整合供应商提供的许多服务, which means featuring their products on our site. We have thousands of integrations with different suppliers, 为160多个国家的消费者提供本地化的多模式运输产品, more than 40 languages, and more than 60,000 destinations.
将客户置于所有决策的中心是克服这些复杂性的关键, and making our products and services as user-friendly as possible.
You must deal with an incredible amount of data. What techniques for success have you found in that space?
我们建立了很多自己的数据基础设施，并利用我们发现的数据来推动我们做出决策. For example, we do a huge amount of A/B testing, and we use this information to enhance our product offering, based on what customers respond best to.
I’d say data drives this business. We use platforms like Hadoop to collect, organise and analyse data, 这样我们就能了解我们是如何进行实时交易的. 这有助于我们做出重要的交易决策，例如是否以及何时推出新产品和服务.
And how would you describe the culture at Booking.com?
每个人都为在这里工作感到无比自豪，大家都喜欢自己的工作. We’re committed to providing a safe, welcoming environment in which people can reach their full potential.
We’ve designed the whole organisation around product teams, making cross-functional, collaborative working groups that aren’t necessarily hierarchical, and that are customer-focussed.
我们让我们的团队以创造性的方式解决问题，尽可能地使用技术. 这是我们和许多其他企业继续投资的领域.
And how does the culture that you've created work in practice? How does that affect the consumer end?
我们积极鼓励我们的团队走出去尝试我们的产品和服务. 设身处地地为客户着想，意味着他们可以直接了解我们的目标.
The culture here centres around driving value for customers. A/B testing adds another layer of insight to our decision making, 帮助我们理解对客户最有吸引力的东西, 以及我们如何改进功能，使整体体验更好.
不断变化的技术对行业客户体验的未来意味着什么?
A smarter, more intelligent experience - across mobile, desktop and tablet, and increasingly on smart devices, too. 而不是客户必须访问网站和搜索汽车, we can match them with a vehicle that’s ideally suited to their trip. If you go to certain parts of the USA, we can offer a convertible that will enhance the experience, for example.
It’s about being as relevant as possible for the customer, 使他们更容易预订汽车并使汽车成为强大的一部分, comprehensive itinerary.
自动驾驶汽车将对商业产生什么影响，你正在为此做计划吗?
它已经在我们的雷达上，我们正在通过将事物分解为模块化的服务和功能，为未来的技术奠定基础.
出租车领域可能是我们自动驾驶汽车产品的一个合乎逻辑的起点. From the customer’s perspective, 出租车是一辆租来的车，不管有没有司机，它都会按照指示把你送到目的地.
我们必须在这个领域不断创新，这样当时机到来时, 自动驾驶产品是我们更广泛产品线中的最新产品，而不是我们所做的全部转变.
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