Products You Must Have For Business Travel

 After the COVID-19 pandemic, companies and startups have started investing in business travel to generate incremental revenue. To make sure travelers feel safe, they have revamped their corporate travel policies. They are now constantly looking for advanced solutions like business travel management software to make it easier for employees to book flights, accommodations, and car rentals.

​But business travelers like you need several business travel products to make work trips successful. The fact is, some of these business travel products will help you improve your efficiency at work, while others will improve your overall experience as a business traveler. At the same time, there are certain accessories that can't be ignored in order to stay comfortable and safe in the post-pandemic age.

Source: ​https://itilite.wordpress.com/2022/08/16/business-travel-products-you-must-have/

What is the Difference between Online Travel Agency and a Travel Management Company?

 After the COVID-19 pandemic, companies and startups have been increasing business travel costs with the aim of generating incremental revenue. In addition to updating corporate travel policies, they have been focusing on meeting and managing varying business travel needs.

Some businesses meet their work travel requirements by partnering with a travel management company, while others opt for an online travel agency. Both travel management companies and online travel agencies help clients simplify and accelerate business travel booking.

They enable employees to choose from an extensive travel inventory and avail of negotiated or discounted rates. But a travel management company and an online travel agency differ from each other in many categories, including scope, solutions, services, and tools. Hence, decision-makers can manage varying travel management needs efficiently only by differentiating between the two options.

Online Travel Agency

An online travel agency makes it easier for business travelers to research, plan, and book business trips by launching an online marketplace. The online marketplace created opportunities for work travelers to compare flights, accommodations, car rentals, and similar business travel products provided by multiple vendors and suppliers.

Also, they can control business travel costs by availing of discounts and deals. The website helps them to make payments and receive booking confirmations instantly. Many business travelers opt for online travel agencies to conveniently plan and book business trips using a computer or mobile device.

Travel Management Company

A travel management company helps companies and startups manage their business travel needs efficiently. Like an online travel agency, a travel management company simplifies business travel booking by providing self-booking tools and supporting managed travel bookings.

But the company streamlines the client’s travel management process entirely by ensuring policy compliance, providing a duty of care, and delivering real-time notifications. Also, some travel management companies these days help businesses manage travel expenses efficiently and prevent travel expense frauds through automation.

Likewise, many travel management companies these days use data analytics to provide actionable insights that help clients make informed decisions. Hence, businesses find it profitable to meet their current and emerging business travel needs by partnering with the right travel management company.

Travel Management Company vs. Online Travel Agency

Travel Program Implementation

The digital products and services provided by online travel agencies do not help clients implement custom business travel programs. But travel management companies help clients implement and manage travel programs efficiently by providing specialized services.

The software provided by them helps companies implement custom travel policy guidelines and multiple approval workflows. Also, businesses can refine the work travel policy by consulting the experienced travel consultants deployed by the travel management company.

Travel Booking Tools

Both travel management companies and online travel agencies provide users with self-booking tools. But the tools provided by online travel agencies help employees buy business products and services on the go. Most agencies do not deploy qualified professionals to curtail operational costs.

Many travel management companies these days support managed business travel booking. In addition to providing self-booking tools, they help employees get support while comparing and booking travel products. Hence, it becomes easier for employees to enjoy superior travel experiences by booking the right travel products.

Travel Booking Costs

Most online travel agencies require airlines, hotel chains, and other suppliers to pay fees to display their travel products. Hence, business travelers lack the opportunities to book travel products and services at lower rates. Unlike travel agencies, travel management companies do not charge their suppliers.

They allow employees to book travel products using a global distribution system. Many companies even build a network of suppliers to provide travel products and services at lower rates to clients. Also, they recommend the right travel products or services to a user according to preset business travel guidelines and budget.

Duty of Care

A duty of care has become an essential aspect of business travel in the post-pandemic age. Every organization these days keeps employees safe and stress-free during business trips by ensuring they can access the required duty of care without any hassles or delays.

Online travel agencies do not provide a duty of care to users after they book business travels. But travel management companies help organizations boost the employee travel experience by enabling access to a duty of care through the customer support team.

Travel Expense Management

While designing business travel programs, decision-makers have to focus extensively on controlling and managing business travel expenses. In addition to speeding up travel expense reimbursements, they have to explore ways to prevent travel expense fraud.

Unlike online travel agencies, travel management companies help businesses streamline the travel expense management process. Leading companies these days implement a unified travel and expense management software solution. The software comes with built-in features to prevent travel expense fraud and automate travel expense audits.

Travel Data Analysis

Businesses these days collect large amounts of employee travel data regularly. They must leverage the travel data to make informed decisions that result in meeting business traveler expectations and control travel expenses.

A business leverages employee travel data fully only by partnering with a travel management company instead of an online travel agency. The travel management software launched by leading companies these days features data analytics. The analytics helps decision-makers understand employees’ travel preferences and spending habits in minutes.

Choosing between a Travel Management Company and an Online Travel Agency

A business can make it easier for employees to book business travels by opting for an online travel agency. The online platform created by the online travel agency will allow employees to choose from multiple airlines, hotels, and car rentals. Also, they can book the desired options at discounted rates.

But no business can streamline the travel management process only by simplifying booking. That is why; companies and startups these days prefer travel management companies to online travel agencies to manage their work travel needs effectively.

A business can partner with a leading travel management company to improve work travel experiences and control business travel costs through automation. The travel management software provided by the company will enable employees to choose from many options and book the desired option at discounted rates.

However, the software will ensure that the employee does not violate the employer’s predefined travel guidelines. Also, the employees can stay comfortable and safe during the business trip by accessing the duty of care provided by the travel management company across business travel destinations.

12 Features To Look For In A Corporate Travel Management Solution

 In the post-pandemic age, companies and startups can generate incremental revenue by investing in corporate travel. But you’ll succeed only by meeting and managing your organization’s business trips. Corporate travel management helps you improve employees’ business travel experiences and control costs while handling trips.

You can simplify and streamline employee travel management by automating your processes. The right corporate travel management solution will boost the travel experience by providing employees with self-booking tools, which will help them avoid overspending and make sure they are getting the most out of their trips. Likewise, the software will help your finance team prevent policy violations and get actionable insights by analyzing travel data.

Source: https://medium.com/@itiliteonline/12-features-of-a-corporate-travel-management-solution-876477d2b39b

Booking Business Travel Tips for Travel Managers

 The role and responsibilities of travel managers have been evolving. Travel managers these days analyze employee travel data to gain actionable insights for improving traveler experiences and controlling business travel expenses. However, business travel booking will remain one of the key responsibilities of travel managers like you.

While planning and booking business travel, you have to focus on two important factors. Firstly, your choice of corporate travel booking must keep the work traveler safe and stress-free throughout the business trip. Secondly, you have to ensure that business travel bookings do not violate travel policy and inflate the travel budget.

That is why you need to compare information about flights, hotels, car rentals, and other business travel products from various sources. Also, you have to keep in mind what your business travelers want while comparing various options.

Here are a slew of tips and best practices you should consider while booking business travel tips.

7 Tips Travel Managers Should Remember While Booking Business Travel

1. Understand Your Organization’s Travel Policy

Your organization’s travel policy defines which employees travel, why employees travel, and how employees travel. These factors are crucial prerequisites for corporate travel booking. You must spend some time understanding the organization’s travel policy elaborately.

The initial research with help you answer essential questions like has the company implemented travel management software, has the company hired a business travel agency, and does the company allow employees to book.

Also, you can refer to the business travel policy to identify reimbursable travel expenses and prevent employees from incurring non-reimbursable costs during the business trip.

2. Know What Business Travelers Want

While booking business travel, you should remember that the travel experience of employees directly impacts the outcome of business trips. Hence, your business travel booking must meet the needs and expectations of work travelers.

That is why; you must spend some time understanding what business travelers want. You can understand the needs and expectations of frequent work travelers by interacting with them regularly. At the same time, surveys conducted by various companies help you know business travel sentiments.

For instance, a Business Travel Show Europe survey suggests that business travelers want more choices, flexibility, and safety in the post-COVID-19 world. You can consider the business travel sentiments to boost business travel booking.

3. Explore Ways to Get Negotiated Rates

In addition to improving business travel experiences, you must focus on controlling your organization’s work travel costs while booking business trips. You can reduce business travel costs significantly by booking flights, accommodations, and car rentals at discounted or negotiated rates.

But you will find it challenging to get discounted rates by building a network of suppliers or vendors. You can overcome this barrier by partnering with a travel management company or implementing one of the best travelmanagement software.

In addition to facilitating travel booking at discounted rates, the travel management software or company will provide business travelers with options to choose from several airlines, hotel chains, and car rental companies.

4. Create Business Travel Itineraries

As a travel manager, you have to plan and book business trips regularly for multiple employees. There are always chances that you may not remember the travel itinerary of individual employees. You can record and remember the schedule of events or destinations for every business trip by creating individual itineraries.

The travel itinerary will make it easier for you to book flights, hotels, and car rentals accurately. Also, you can share the itinerary with the work traveler to ensure that she does not miss the flight or run late for an appointment. There are many online tools and templates that help you create travel itineraries without putting in extra time and effort.

5. Automate Business Travel Booking

You can save both time and effort through the automation of business travel booking. The customizable travel management software solutions allow you to implement policy checks and approval workflows according to your organization’s travel policy.

Also, some of the best travel management software applications feature self-booking and travel expense management tools. You can implement the software to enable employees to book flights, hotels, and car rentals at discounted rates while choosing from multiple vendors and suppliers.

At the same time, the software will help you identify policy violations and travel expense frauds. The analytics used by the software will make it easier for you to control corporate travel costs by identifying unnecessary travel expenses and discovering untapped corporate fares.

6. Encourage Employees to Reduce Expenses

In addition to meeting travelers’ expectations, you must help your organization control travel expenses. While allowing employees to book trips, you can reduce costs by encouraging them to avoid last-minute bookings.

Likewise, you should encourage and incentivize them to choose low-cost alternatives while booking business travel. You can implement the best travel management software to recommend cost-effective alternatives to employees using analytics when they are comparing flights, hotels, and car rentals.

Also, the software creates opportunities for you to reduce travel costs by running employee incentive programs. You can implement these business travel cost control measures easily while customizing the software.

7. Manage Unforeseen Circumstances Proactively

Your responsibilities as a travel manager do not end with business travel booking. In addition to simplifying corporate travel booking, you must keep in place a plan to handle unforeseen circumstances associated with the booking.

For instance, you must handle unforeseen circumstances like flight cancellation, flight delays, and hotel booking changes proactively. You need to ensure that employees do not experience stress due to such unanticipated events.

You can easily handle such situations by keeping employees informed about the changes. At the same time, you must follow up with the suppliers or vendors to solve these issues as early as possible.

Conclusion

Your role as a travel manager will evolve consistently. But booking business travel tips will remain one of your primary responsibilities. You can implement these tips or best practices while booking business travel tips to choose/recommend options that improve employees’ business travel experience without escalating your organization’s corporate travel spending.

References

https://www.locomote.com/blog/6-tips-to-how-to-master-corporate-travel-management

https://meonvalleytravel.com/business-travel/10-top-tips-for-booking-corporate-travel/

https://startupxplore.com/en/blog/7-things-every-corporate-travel-manager-should-know-in-2021/

https://salestrip.com/insights/expert-tips-to-improve-corporate-travel-booking/

What is the Purpose of Having a Corporate Travel Security Policy?

The COVID-19 pandemic has become endemic in most geographic regions. Consequently, the coronavirus risk reduction has created a surge in the number of domestic and international business trips. Companies and startups are increasing business travel budgets and making employees travel to various destinations.

But traveler safety and security remain an essential aspect of post-pandemic business travels. Enterprises are revamping their existing corporate travel policies to include a dedicated set of policies for traveler safety. This is called a corporate travel security policy. 

Corporate travel security policy boosts the business travel experience of employees by making them feel confident and stress-free.

At the same time, the corporate travel security policy helps businesses cover a variety of unanticipated risks and meet legal obligations like the Duty of Care. Every organization must customize safety and security guidelines while updating corporate travel policy. But there is a slew of reasons why every business must have a corporate travel security policy in the post-pandemic age.

7 Reasons Why Every Organization Must Have a Corporate Travel Security Policy

1. Update and Communicate Travel Rules

COVID-19 has changed both domestic and international business travels. Hygiene requirements, boarding procedures, and travel restrictions vary across travel destinations. Hence, enterprises have to regularly update their corporate travel policies to boost traveler safety and security.

Also, they need to ensure that the updated travel rules are communicated to every employee clearly and quickly. Real-time communication will help employees book safer business travel products and services.

Employees can leverage the information to know how to avail of assistance and support to manage natural, technical, and human-caused hazards in a foreign location. 

2. Help Employees Plan Business Trips

In the post-pandemic age, employees will engage in work travel to build and nourish business relationships. Hence, you will travel to new destinations regularly. They have to focus on a slew of factors to stay safe in an unknown city.

For instance, they have to eliminate the risk of coronavirus infections by identifying safer hotels. Likewise, they need to minimize the risk of thefts and kidnapping by ensuring that the hotels are located in the right part of the city.

The corporate travel security policy will make it easier for employees to choose the right business travel products and services. Also, the policy will help employees minimize risks by preparing customized business travel checklists.  

3. Meet Work Travelers’ Expectations

According to the research conducted by SAP, a majority of business travelers are willing to continue work travel for business purposes. But they expect quality, security, and flexibility while planning and arranging business trips.

Businesses can meet one of the key expectations of business travelers by implementing a robust corporate travel security policy. Employees can refer to the policy to know how to get a duty of care and receive real-time updates on potential risks.

The policy will create opportunities for them to use safety and security as key parameters while comparing and booking essential travel products like flights, accommodations, and car rentals.

4. Manage Various Threats and Hazards

Often business trips are disrupted due to a variety of threats and hazards. Some of these threats emerge due to natural calamities like floods and earthquakes, while others are caused by human actions or technological issues.

The corporate travel security policy creates opportunities for decision-makers to identify and manage these threats and hazards. It will help traveling employees manage local issues like kidnapping and theft by providing region-specific briefs.

Also, employees can refer to the policy to avail of the resources required to minimize risks and manage emergencies. The policy will include contingency plans for proactively managing each type of threat or hazard.

5. Meet Duty of Care Requirements

A duty of care is a moral as well as legal responsibility for modern enterprises. Businesses need to ensure the safety and security of employees as they engage in professional responsibilities like corporate travel.

In addition to protecting travelers' physical and mental health, a duty of care helps them manage various risks. The corporate travel security policy helps businesses simultaneously meet legal responsibilities and reduce liability exposure.

It facilitates business traveler tracking and monitoring situations in real-time. Also, employees can refer to the policy to learn how to avail the support or solution required to handle unanticipated incidents and emergencies.

6. Real-Time Traveler Tracking

In the post-pandemic age, multiple employees will travel to various destinations for work purposes. Enterprises have to focus on enhancing the safety and security of every business traveler regardless of her current location.

That is why corporate travel tracking will become an integral part of post-pandemic business travel management. Also, it creates opportunities for businesses to automate work traveler tracking.

An organization can implement travel management software that provides real-time locations of traveling employees across geographies. The travel manager can use the software to boost traveler safety by sending information and updates in real-time.

7. Optimize Enterprise Data Security

Corporate travelers these days need a variety of sensitive business information to close deals and retain clients. Leading companies these days enhance data security by making employees access the presentation, spreadsheets, and other digital files stored in the cloud.

But employees still store information on their laptops and USB devices to accelerate data sharing and decision-making. The corporate travel security policy will help them keep sensitive data secure during business trips by following security protocols and rules.

Also, work travelers can refer to the policy to recover lost and stolen documents by contacting the business travel agent. Many organizations include specific guidelines in the policy to optimize the security of sensitive business information.

Conclusion

In addition to keeping business travelers safe, secure, and confident, the corporate travel security policy helps businesses minimize risks and meet legal obligations. While making a corporate travel security policy, decision-makers must focus on managing a variety of incidents, threats, and hazards disrupting business travel.

Also, they need to update the policy frequently to keep business travelers safe across destinations. Many organizations invest in unified corporate travel and expense management software to accelerate corporate travel security policy implementation.

The software tracks business travelers in real-time across destinations. It further delivers the latest travel rules, location-specific travel restrictions, and other real-time information. At the same time, employees can use the software to access a duty of care when needed.

A company or startup can leverage the software to implement a corporate travel security policy and update travel guidelines. Additionally, the software comes with features to simplify business travel booking and speed up business travel expense reimbursements.

9 Basic Functions Of A Travel Management Agency

 ​Companies and startups invest in business travel expenses with the aim of building business relationships and closing more deals. By establishing corporate travel programs, enterprises can enhance the employee travel experience by allowing employees to take advantage of flexible booking options, including airfare discounts and other perks.

​​A travel management agency or travel management company makes it easier for clients to manage and meet their business travel requirements by providing a variety of services, solutions, and tools. In addition to boosting employees’ work travel experience, travel management agencies help employers reduce business travel expenses and make data-driven decisions.

Source : ​https://itilite.wordpress.com/2022/07/26/what-are-the-9-basic-functions-of-a-travel-management-agency/