Travel is personal for everyone, and a lot to take on. Eventually, you’ll find that it’s too much for you or a colleague to take on, it’s like a full-time job in itself! That’s the time when it’s worth talking about using a corporate travel agent – or what we’d call a travel management company.
Travel management kind of explains itself – it’s the art of managing travel. Which, as you know isn’t just about bookings, but making changes, saving money, looking after everyone and more.
Here’s some quick wins that will get you started on your travel management journey – you might want to share these with your boss!
1. Choose a travel partner you have confidence in.
There’s more benefits to using a corporate travel agent than you might think. For example, they’re one point of contact for everything travel related. No need to use loads of different websites or suppliers!
2. Get yours hands on travel data
When you book through one agent, you’ll soon get a clear picture of what you’re spending on business travel, even down to which airlines and hotels. You’ll see what is being spent on other things like meals and taxis too.
3. Nail your travel policy
When you first started booking travel there might have been some rules. For example, your CEO might suggest that everyone stays in 3* hotels. That’s the start of a travel policy – a set of guidelines for booking travel. It‘s a good exercise to go through.
4. Understand your support network
When you’re using a travel management company (TMC), you get more than just a travel consultant. You’ll get a Customer Success Manager, who can help with things like writing your policy; there’s the team who negotiate cool discounts, the onboarding team who get you set up…the list goes on!
5. Use your Customer Success Manager
They can do so much for you, starting with deciphering your reports and holding quarterly reviews. Generally, they’re available for on-going advice and support for the bigger changes in travel.
6. Get your hands on great tech
Online travel websites are great, but aren’t tailored to business travel. Tech dedicated to corporate travel works seamlessly in your day-to-day, blending perfectly with human support. It helps your travellers while they’re on trips too.
7. Incorporate wider business goals
Example: If your business is really focused on sustainability, it does not look good to be using unsustainable travel suppliers. Consider big company goals like sustainability into your travel policy and get advice early on from your Customer Success Manager.
8. Put people first
Get complaints about the same thing in travel over and over? Listen to those needs and consider them when you make the step into travel management. Understanding their needs and wants means happier, better work trips!
9. Listen to your travelling community
Work trips don’t have to be stressful if you consider wellbeing and happiness. Think about questions like this – are travellers supported? How do you encourage balance on work trips? Are travellers feeling their best before and after a trip?
10. Remember that you’re not alone
Travel is SO fun, but can quickly become overwhelming. If you’re starting to feel the strain, it’s worth starting the conversation about getting support and using a travel management company. It will definitely save you some headaches!
“We have a diverse range of travel requirements, which are often complex and sometimes require us to move at pace. Corporate Traveller provides us with access to knowledgeable travel consultants, as well as the accessible Melon platform that empowers our individuals to better manage their travel requirements.”
Beckie Hallahan, Executive Assistant @ Vertical
3 quick-fire questions with Donna Joines
Donna is Head of Corporate Traveller UK
Q1: How can I save when using a travel company?
Donna: Knowing you’re getting the best price for a flight or hotel can be tricky. We have access to the best fares and rates, and thanks to our expertise our customers benefit from exclusive discounts tailored for UK companies. Plus we have access to specific industry rates, such as marine.
We also add value by saving you time by reducing your workload and taking care of everything. Instead of your boss calling you in the middle of the night asking for changes to their business trip, they can call your dedicated travel consultant or 24/7 emergency assistance number depending on the time of day. Additionally, you’ll have the option to use our travel management platform, Melon, to monitor your travellers, get insight into your travel policy and easily pull detailed reports.
Our team handle the details, so you can focus on what really matters, knowing that everything is in expert hands.
Q2: Traveller safety is important to us, what level of care is there?
Donna: Being able to speak to a person when something goes wrong is priceless. We’ve helped countless travellers when they’ve been in need, including when people have lost their passports and helping your travellers when they’re caught up in a distressing situation.
If you think about the recent global IT outage – it caused a lot of flights to be cancelled and airports were chaos. Rather than calling the airline for hours, those who booked with us contacted our team directly and were rebooked.
You just can’t beat the peace of mind that comes with speaking to someone and knowing everything is sorted.
Q3: What our are turnaround times for getting bookings made?
Donna: Now more than ever we’ve found people are expecting high levels of service, and at Corporate Traveller, we make it our business to provide the best value for every customer.
That’s why each customer has a designated travel consultant who knows you by name and knows your business inside out. That way, we can ensure the service is ideal for your needs.
We are there to keep the booking process stress-free. If you have a complex travel programme, our Expert Travel Consultants are there to do all the heavy lifting for you. It helps that all traveller data and profiles including loyalty programme numbers are stored in our secure system, so we don’t ask you for that information every time.
There’s also Melon – typically our clients are using our online booking tool to book the less complex trips. It’s simple to use and can be made in minutes using predetermined travel preferences.
Donna Joines
Head of Corporate Traveller UK
