If you’re a small to mid-sized business, you may have managed your travel on your own with no issues for a time. However, now you’re scaling up and you’ve realized you need to get help managing travel, and fast.
In order to get help managing travel don’t think that you can avoid headaches by simply removing travel from the business. While no one can argue that business travel has changed significantly over the last few years, business travel is still necessary to fuel collaboration and innovation, a Harvard Business School article recently noted. The article looked at a study that showed that a 10% increase in nonstop flights between two locations correlated with a 1.4% increase in new patents between firms in those places. This led researchers to believe that increased business travel can fuel research and invention.
While business travel is necessary, that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with travel-planning problems for good. Thankfully, travel management companies (TMCs) are here to take some of those travel-planning difficulties off your plate.
Here’s how a TMC can relieve some of your travel-related pain points. If any of these issues are struggles that you and your SME face on a regular basis, it’s time to get help managing travel by partnering with a qualified TMC sooner rather than later.
Organization
One of the biggest benefits that a TMC brings to your business and business travel is organization. No longer is planning and booking travel a process with a million moving parts and individuals all booking travel independently. No longer is it difficult or even impossible for you to track your travel spending and compile data on your business’s travel.
With a trusted TMC partner, your travel booking becomes systemized, efficient and organized. You’ll know what’s happening at all times and can easily gather data on upcoming travel, past travel spending and more.
Systemization
Processes and systems make a business run smoothly. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to convince your employees to always follow the processes and systems that you’d like when it comes to booking their travel — that is, until you partner with a TMC.
A TMC will help you set parameters around travel booking that encourage compliance. In many cases, travelers won’t even be able to move forward with a booking that does not stay within those parameters. Compliance within travel policies is oh-so-important and will result in cost savings and reduced risks for your company.
Travel Know-How
You’re likely not in the business of travel. You’re building your SME in an entirely unconnected industry. Because of that, it just makes sense that you wouldn’t be an expert in all things business travel, from finding the best deals to leveraging connections to simply knowing how to navigate issues like delays and canceled flights.
This is another area where, if you get help managing travel, a TMC can help. A vetted TMC will boast years of experience in the travel world, with all the travel know-how and connections that can ensure your teams only enjoy the best travel experiences possible.
Corporate Travel Know-How
But beyond just knowing the ins and outs of travel, TMCs specifically know the ins and outs, risks and rewards of corporate travel.
They know things that you might never even think of. They know how you can improve your travel policy to benefit your employees. They know how to boost employee morale through policy changes. They know what to do when the worst happens while travelers are on the road, and they know exactly what your company needs to do to keep travelers safe as part of your duty of care.
While these topics aren’t ones you’d need to know about when booking your own leisure trip, they’re vital considerations within corporate travel. A TMC can provide guidance on all of the above.
Cost
It’s no secret that business travel can become very costly for SMEs. Luckily, a TMC can help in this area, too.
As you scale up and the number of business trips your company takes increases, you don’t need to watch your travel budget increase exponentially as well. A TMC will use its valuable connections and access to savings to give your team better deals than you’d be able to book on your own.
Employee Support
You’re a busy executive. You can’t spend your entire working day focused on business travel.
However, when an employee on a business trip needs help, you can’t just abandon them. If you find yourself providing more support to traveling employees than you’d like to, hand this task over to your TMC. They’ll be able to provide that employee support night and day, 24-7. Your travelers feel taken care of, but you’re not the one having to take care of them.
Communication
If you have a difficult time communicating with employees regarding your travel policies and compliance issues, or if you have a difficult time onboarding new employees and teaching them the ins and outs of the policy and your travel program, you can take this task off your plate when you partner with a TMC. They’ll handle teaching employees to be compliant and address any compliance issues while also assisting with onboarding new employees so that they can quickly learn the ins and outs of your travel program as soon as they’re hired.
Get Help Managing Travel Today
If any of the above are pain points for you and your traveling team, it might be time to get help managing travel at your company.
JTB Business Travel can help with our broad suite of services that assist travelers, travel managers and executives alike throughout the entire travel booking and traveling process. From mobile booking to trip disruption assistance, 24-7 traveler support to travel policy development, we can do it all.
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