Businesses that require their staff to travel frequently require outside assistance. Business travel entails much more than just bookings: travel policy formulation, risk management, the duty of care, disruptions, expenditures, visas, and so on. Travel management may rapidly become overwhelming, so corporations that travel frequently hire travel management firms.
But here's the problem: how do you pick the best travel management firm among the available possibilities?
It's ideal to start by looking for features that all travel management companies should share. So here are the five qualities you should look for when looking for a managed travel solution.
There is no substitute for experience. Travel management firms that have been in business for a long time have seen it all: natural disasters, airline strikes, hotel mergers, economic downturns, pandemics, etc. The advantage is that they've gained experience and are better able to assist their clients due to such problems.
It might be tempting to go with a travel management firm advertising its proprietary technology. However, while technology is vital (as discussed below), having the voice of expertise on your side will be highly beneficial.
How can you know if a travel management business has the expertise you require? First, inquire about their experience working with business clients. Please inquire about the development of their travel management firm. Finally, ask for recommendations; an experienced TMC will have existing clients who will gladly talk with prospective clients on the TMC's behalf.
Technology is, without a doubt, extremely vital. However, your TMC should also be able to assist you in selecting and implementing the best travel technologies for your company. FOR EXAMPLE, at Voyage Plan Travel, we assist our clients in selecting the most cost-effective travel technology and then implementing those solutions.
What is the significance of technology? The correct travel technology should be able to assist with:
Savings: The best part is that choosing the appropriate travel technologies saves you money. Technology can assist you in enforcing your travel policy, tracking and monitoring trends, identifying inefficiencies, and other tasks. Integrate with the correct travel technologies to get the most out of your business travel investment.
Risk management: Travel technologies can assist you in keeping in touch with your passengers and monitoring potentially dangerous circumstances throughout the world. The COVID-19 epidemic has raised awareness of risk management, and the duty of care businesses owe to their customers. The correct technology can assist you in better managing risk and fulfilling your duty of care obligations.
Automation: Analog trip management is inefficient, slow, and prone to mistakes. Travel managers and travellers can focus on what matters most by automating digital travel management. Find a travel technology stack that decreases travel management's administrative burden.
Introducing new travel technologies can, of course, put your company's data security at risk. When speaking with different travel management companies, inquire about their data security policies. Without the proper protection, data connected to payment methods, travel plans, personal information, health care records, and more could be at risk in today's environment.
Travel delays are unavoidable. When you ask your staff to leave the office for work, it's a reality of life. Flights will be cancelled due to storms. Meetings will last a long time. Itineraries will be expanded to include more cities. Travel Managers and travellers need to be able to contact their TMCs to find solutions when these changes and disruptions occur. Your TMC should be regularly reaching out to your travellers and travel managers!
Your Travel management business should be accessible to you and your travellers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Then you'll be able to contact your TMC using any method you desire, including email, voice calls, texts, websites, mobile applications, etc. In 2022 and beyond, the ideal way to provide customer service is to be thorough, so ensure your TMC provides this level of service.
A Travel management company should serve as a one-stop-shop for all travel-related needs. Consider your complete travel programme from beginning to end, noting all the tiny aspects and jobs that go into transporting your personnel from point A to point B securely. Your TMC should be able to assist you with all aspects of programme management, from negotiating rates and crafting your travel policy to designing an omnichannel experience for your travellers that will increase policy compliance and reduce risk. It would be best if you didn't have to enlist the services of a third party for any aspect of your business travel.
Consider this: In the most basic terms, a TMC should be able to assist you with all aspects of business travel, from planning to execution. That's a thorough service.
#ChooseTheRightTMC! Voyage Plan Travels works with both small and large businesses, assisting travellers on their journeys and maximizing their investment and reducing total cost. A common-sense approach to business travel underpins everything we do and give.
Contact us to discover more about what we can do as your travel management firm.
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