Eight best practice tipsfor booking travel

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One question we asked: what are the biggest concernsfor travel management in 2013?

In February 2013, we quizzed over 120 senior travel managers about

their key priorities. We also asked what they expected from their

travel management company. They were unanimous about one

thing: travel management is about so much more than choosing the

best way of getting from A to B. That’s why we decided to put together this guide highlighting our

tips for improved effectiveness and traveller satisfaction.

Is it possible to achieve all these objectives?We definitely think so. Find out how to combine critical cost

savings with keeping travellers content, safe and productive

while on the go.

Introduction

1 Encourage travel compliance

2 Be flexible but effective

3 The power of internal communication

4 The right technology. The right time

5 Personal preferences matter

6 Staying safe. Minimising risk

7 Understanding the benefits of global

8 Understanding other cost efficiencies

What’s inside

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REDUCING COSTS

IMPROVING TRAVEL POLICY

SAFETY & SECURITY

EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION

62%

40%

59%

33%

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It goes without saying that a travel policy onlysucceeds if travellers comply with it. And that willbe influenced by how far it fits with their individualneeds. Even if you can’t deliver a VIP service toeveryone, you could come close!

Make savings that suit the travellerWhere appropriate, try to book as far as possible in advance and

use preferred suppliers. Explain the reason to the traveller, but

make sure they are happy with the arrangements.

Add value to the tripSupplier negotiations needn’t be limited to room rates and seat

prices. Use your travel management company’s buying power

to include

Seek out additional servicesBuying power can be useful for less common needs too. Like

identifying specific business venues, providing visas for unusual

locations, or supporting travellers out of hours.

Make booking hassle-freeIf your organisation uses online booking tools provided by a travel

management company, make sure they are traveller-friendly and

synced with other applications.

1. Encourage travel compliance

To create savings in 2013, 50% of

respondents will focus on air bookings.

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Only 0.9% of respondents said

flexibility was not important as

part of a travel policy.

2. Be flexible but effectiveAn effectively managed travel policy can encouragetravel policy compliance and drive savings. Flexibility,where practical, is part of being effective.

Why? Because travellers will comply with travel guidelines more

readily if they sense they have at least some control over their

travel options.

Encourage your organisation to use a travel management company that fits culturallyOne that will work with you and adapt its service to suit the

particular needs of your organisation, and its different teams, job

titles and regions.

Get the ‘flexible but effective’ balance rightWhere travel policy permits allow travellers to personalise

their plans, giving them more control over their itinerary

and comfort.

But make sure key requirements of the policy are

clearly stated – like advance booking and pre trip

approval. And online booking tools can be set up

to filter out non-compliant choices.

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Stakeholders who are aware of travel objectives andwhy they have been chosen are more likely to acceptthe rules and guidelines.

Get buy-in from senior managersIt’s vital. If the message comes from the top, it’s far more likely to

filter down through the organisation. Getting senior managers on

your side will help to persuade travellers to follow suit.

Use management information (MI)If you can get your hands on MI, use it to communicate key

trends and costs. Educating travellers on, for example, most

popular suppliers and key savings will encourage compliance

with travel policy.

Create a dialogue with travellersIt will help you to understand their challenges – and vice versa.

Try surveys to gain insight into your travellers’ minds. There are a

variety of free tools, such as Survey Monkey, a good TMC will be able

to help advise how to get started.

Make the most of new digital channelsThey could revolutionise your internal communications. Try

‘enterprise platforms’ like Yammer, Chatter, Jive and Telligent

Enterprise and test which suits your organisation best, using small

groups of colleagues.

3. The power of internal communication

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of respondents in our survey said that better

internal communication would improve

compliance with their travel policy.56%

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Travellers will consider a travel policy successful if it supports their personal itinerary and preferences. Andthere’s a range of tools and technologies that can helpyou exceed their expectations.

Adopt user-friendly toolsIf you use online tools provided by a travel management company,

make sure they’re user friendly. Spend time configuring the tools to

suit your business requirements.

If travellers can or must use online booking, make it as seamless and

hassle free as possible.

Use customised mobile AppsWhich offer the opportunity to update travellers, when appropriate.

They can provide important information about airlines, transport,

destinations and emergency contacts. And often these Apps save

information that can be read offline when you don’t have access to

WiFi or a network signal.

Inform at the right timeMobile messaging is a popular way of updating or reminding

travellers, and creating seamless journeys, for example updating

on flight delays or severe weather conditions.

4. The right technology. The right time

44% of respondents said their travel

management company doesn’t offer a mobile

App. 63% of those 44% said they’d like one.

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Build on travel policy buy-in by taking personal preferences into account, where possible.

This isn’t as complicated as you might think, even in larger

organisations.

Create individual profilesThe key lies in the individual online profile, which stores basic

data and more advanced preferences – such as bath or shower, or

favourite hotel chains.

These small details are really important to travellers. The

individual profile means you can offer the traveller a better

experience through recognising their preferences – for example,

by giving senior management access to airport lounges or meet-

andassist services.

5. Personal preferences matter

Track preferences and behaviourUse MI to track traveller preferences and

behaviour. With this knowledge you

can recommend ways to make

their travel easier. And advise

when they are booking or

travelling ‘out of policy’.

Innovative internal

communications will

help you to share

updates on special offers.

Although hard to measure and not central

to ROI, 33% of respondents still said

employee satisfaction was very important.

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Travel policy may seem mundane to many travellers. So it helps to remind them that it’s a means to fulfill your obligations, as far as possible. And these include their safety. Make sure safety and security policies are clear and accessible to travellers.

Use technology to alert travellersWith the right technology, you can contact travellers swiftly about

delays, incidents, or even immediate danger. And they can react

accordingly, no matter where they are or what the time is.

6. Staying safe. Minimising risk

Expect consistent service 24/7, regardless of locationMake sure your travel management company can provide the

same level of service whatever the time and wherever the

location. Consistent service and technology 24/7 will help to

maximise savings.

Ask for emergency alertsA good travel management company should offer

you emergency alerts. This technology delivers

instant travel news and should be configurable so

it’s relevant to your business. It may also provide

emergency tracking of travellers’ whereabouts at

a given time.

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When asked why a 24/7 service was

important, the largest number of

respondents (33%) said it improved

the safety & security of travellers.

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Companies that operate globally are increasinglyconsolidating their travel. It undoubtedly producessavings and encourages best practice. Here are some points to be aware of.

The use of consistent, global technologyIdeally your travel management company will have global offices

which can support your key locations and business demands. And

its technology should be the same everywhere. Regional differences

make it very difficult to compare data and monitor compliance.

Balancing global and local policiesIt’s often logical for global policies to be standard across all markets:

by using preferred global suppliers, for example. But just as cultures

differ, so does the way in which travel is booked and managed. It’s

therefore good practice for each region to deliver a local touch.

Consider data on the performance of your globalisation programmeIf you use a travel management company that itself operates

globally, this avoids having to collect and match up figures and

data from several different companies and countries. Instead

you’ll receive collated data that’s easily understood and can

be analysed according to need.

7. Understanding the benefits of global54% of respondents said traveller

safety and security was the priority,

followed by cost savings, when

planning global travel programmes.

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Linking travel management to the planning of meetings and events - which represent significant organisational spend - can save your business money. For most businesses, making this connection still requires a considerable shift in thinking.

Consistent policies for cost reductionBy consolidating travel policy on the one hand, and meeting and

events policy on the other, management of both is more likely to

meet organisational objectives. The priority will be maximising

savings and controlling costs.

Risk factors and traveller safetyIdeally your organisation is adopting consistent policies,

booking methods and technologies, and can react more

efficiently in an emergency.

8. Understanding other cost efficiencies

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Want to know more?For examples of case studies and more how-to guides, visit the ATPI Knowledge Hub.

Consolidation of dataEspecially between the travel and events functions is good practice.

Ideally your organisation is using online booking tools and a single,

centralised payment mechanism to make this possible. It will also

increase transparency, encourage compliance & help to measure

productivity versus spend.

The majority of respondents (59%)

lacked a consolidated travel, meeting

and events policy. Of those 59%, 56%

thought they should be consolidated.

Published: 06.13

ATPI is among the world’s leading travel management companies. Our dynamic and innovative approach to savings and service has earned us one of the highest client retention rates in the industry.

With over 100 offices worldwide, the company has successful

operations in corporate travel, corporate event management,

online travel technology and specialist travel management for

a number of key industries.

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