Ways a TMC Makes the Travel Ecosystem More Manageable
One huge challenge that you will face as a business travel manager is handling the conflict between traveling employees’ agendas and the need to adhere to corporate compliance.
Generally, traveling employees would be interested in things that will make their trip easier, such as having a wide array of accommodation options, freedom in making itinerary changes as needed, plus quick and intuitive booking procedures. On the other hand, your company needs to make sure that your employees comply with in-house travel policies.
Unfortunately, striking a balance between avoiding unnecessary trips and costs and maintaining your travel policy can be difficult, especially when you have other important tasks to manage. This is where a business travel agency can help. A competent agency can ensure that you meet your management goals in sending your employees on business trips – while ensuring they have an optimal travel experience.
Finding the right travel providers, negotiating for the best rates, tracking and monitoring your employees, ensuring they comply with your travel policy—these are just some of the things that make corporate travel management overwhelming. And, one single mistake can lead to huge losses in the end. That’s why a travel management company (TMC) is so helpful.
Here, we’ll explain how a TMC can make your travel ecosystem more manageable.
What systems are used in a corporate travel ecosystem?
You cannot efficiently manage corporate travel without a cohesive travel ecosystem. However, it can be a lot to bear. That’s where a TMC partnership comes in to play. They can expose you to and guide you through the following strategies:
1. Well thought-out technology strategy
To build a corporate travel strategy, you should take advantage of all the innovative travel solutions available today. These include, but are not limited to, simplified booking systems, real-time updates on bookings, policy compliance programs, weather alerts, and service-level monitoring systems.
2. Effective reporting system
All business trips should generate insightful reports on how your employees behave and use the budget. Typically, a good travel reporting system should include real-time dashboards as well as scheduled reports. An updated dashboard provides instant updates on service level performance (SLA), key performance indicators, and potential issues your employees might encounter while traveling. Standard, automated reports summarize SLA outcomes and enable you to see clearly see how your travel is progressing, which allows you to make data-backed decisions.
Overall, reporting gives you information on booking trends, traveler and spending behavior, savings and unnecessary costs, and other pertinent information in managing corporate travel.
3. Mobile apps
A highly functional travel app plays an important part in simplifying corporate travel. For example, Adelman’s Ava app enables you to seamlessly manage and update itineraries in one place. It also keeps you in the know about every detail pertaining to the trips your employees are taking, from their departure to their arrival, and everything in between. Moreover, it delivers weather updates, hotel directions, and airport information, making the task of travel management a lot easier.
4. Travel ecosystem map
Your travel ecosystem, by nature, has many moving parts — which can be overwhelming for even the most seasoned manager. By categorizing all the suppliers that you will be using for your travels, you can create a travel ecosystem map for your company.
Many travel solutions are emerging online every day, which makes management more complex. To ensure that you do not miss anything while developing your map, you should partner with a TMC.
With their help, you’ll rest assured that all tools are being used to simplify travel, maintain a good policy, and make the lives of your traveling employees easier.
How to strengthen your corporate travel ecosystem
To maintain a strong travel policy for your business, you should have a strategic travel ecosystem in place. Here are the steps that you should take:
1. Use market intelligence to shape strategy
By analyzing the current travel market, you can gather information and context to easily address issues you have in your program. You can analyze things like: all travel-related expenses, challenges your employees often have when traveling, travel risks, and rewards. Then, use the data you gather to make decisions in strengthening your travel program.
2. Research trends to map your travel ecosystem
Being updated on the changes happening in the travel sector allows you to anticipate and address potential problem areas and find opportunities that make traveling a lot better.
For example, by knowing the performance trends of specific airlines and routes in a certain region, you can prevent your employees from having to suffer from long delays that might hinder their trip.
3. Have a crisis management plan in place
There are many events that can significantly impact travel, from natural phenomena like pandemics to man-made occurrences like war. Not to mention that airports, hotels, and other travel suppliers respond differently to these events.
So, study how other companies effectively handle such scenarios, and then build a plan that you can apply to your business and execute on a dime in case a disaster strikes.
4. Seek the help of experts
If this sounds like a lot to take on by yourself, you’re not alone. There is just no substitute for skills and experience when it comes to managing corporate travel.
To make things easier for you and your traveling employees, you should let a business travel agency take care of arranging and managing your business trips.
How a travel management company helps manage your travels
While you can find travel information all over the internet, a business travel agency, such as Adelman Travel, can shed light on how each of your vendors should be interconnected, and how this integration can save you time, money, and headache.
Contact Adelman Travel today. We’ll look into your existing travel ecosystem and find ways to integrate innovative and appropriate relationships.