Corporate travel has increased manifold over the past decade. The tremendous rise in corporate or business travel is an indication that businesses are expanding locally and globally on a wide scale and/or vice-versa. Travel staffs are travelling more than ever before. The issue that most businesses are confronted with is the escalating business travel costs. One of the main reasons, though there may be several ones, is the lack of a travel policy and a sound business travel management tool.
To make the most of the time spent travelling and to minimise travel costs, there are some factors which corporations or companies must seriously consider in the long run:
- Establishing a travel policy:
A lot of discussion has already gone into the disadvantages of not having a robust travel policy , why many companies or corporations fail to enforce policies and how to create a travel policy. Those who need to understand why companies need to establish a travel policy are recommended to go through related topics in our blog section. A travel policy forms the basis for establishing standards on how business travel should be conducted, thereby lowering travel-related costs. - Forming a team to be responsible for travel-related tasks:
If a company has a high number of business trips to make per year, it is advisable for the company to form a small team that is accountable for corporate travel activities such as direct bookings and expense control methods, in addition to forming better ways of conducting travel policy based on the available budget. There is an excellent blog we have on the role of a travel manager that is worth a read. - Giving a sense of autonomy to the business traveller:
This can be bit tricky; only a thin line separates the autonomy and compliancy (of policies) by travelling employees. The travel policy shouldn’t be a means to an end. It should offer only directives and course correction rather than dictating terms. Check another useful blog on how to give your employees autonomy without sacrificing travel policy control. - Enhancing the traveller’s security:
A traveller’s security is of utmost significance. It is a company’s call to take security-related decision of a traveller and define standards that guarantee the same with bankable partners (TMCs, airlines, hotel network, travel insurance, etc) that will get him/her out of a tight spot.
- Mobility and automation:
Mobile solutions and automation is the name of the game. Use of chat bots and AI-powered systems has changed the way business or corporate travel management is carried out. Mobile solutions offer access to all levels of information required during the various stages of the trip including ticket reservations, search options, alerts in case of itinerary changes, boarding info and flight status, among others.
If a company is looking to evolve over time and keep pace with the way business travel is planned and organized, it is recommended that it covers the aforementioned points; opting to invest in a reliable partner such as Tripeur, an all-in-one powerful corporate travel & expense management software, can pay rich dividends in terms of reducing business costs.