Last Updated on: March 7, 2023 at 9:25 am
Travel is back and for most companies out there who say travel is critical to achieving their goals the travel game just got more important. But, despite travel being both an important enabler and a significant risk source, 46% of business travellers prefer using consumer sites to book travel. We know, we’ve been there, alternatives to the consumer platforms don’t always add up, travel management is an odd component of a successful strategy – as long as it is happening, and happening well, little executive attention is given to it.
If you’re a travel manager, you will agree that there are many gaps to fill when it comes to efficient and effective travel management when booking through consumer sites. Traveller behaviour has also changed over the years with both online and mobile digital platforms are gaining popularity as travel booking channels. For business travellers, consumer platforms and their mobile apps may provide ease of browsing and booking, but it leaves much else to be desired end-to-end.
How are travel management platforms better than consumer platforms? The short answer – a good travel management solution gives you the same great prices and choice but with many other purpose-built features entailing traveller health and safety, convenience, travel experience, cost management and more.
Travel management has always been key to a successful business travel programme, but post-pandemic, there is an even greater need for end-to-end support. Modern travel management empowers travellers to make choices fuss-free while delivering more productivity and value-add for companies.
For employees that are anxious to travel, how does your company travel programme assure them they are well taken care of? Spending on business travel yields positive business outcomes and return on investment (ROI), but is your business equipped with the right tools for decision-making?
Here, we cover the advantages of the right travel management solution over consumer booking tools for your business travel programme.
In this article, we'll take a look at:
Saving time during the booking process is critical – and it’s fair to say that most consumer platforms do a great job at optimising the single user experience. But keeping track of bookings and producing reports becomes a nightmare.
At TruTrip we’ve worked hard to ensure we meet, and in many cases beat, the same standards set by consumer platforms. And we’ve gone even further is through all the processes surrounding travel booking. How do your travellers stay within policy? How is business travel in your company paid for? If the traveller is to pay first and get reimbursed later, how do they get that money back? How can the business understand what travel is happening and how to do better for overall business goals? This is where travel management platforms like TruTrip make all the difference.
For instance, having an automated travel policy increases budget compliance. Your team has the freedom of choice and convenience of booking on a single platform while staying compliant every time. Travel managers can see the booked reservations in real-time and can quickly approve or reject bookings.
With an all-in-one travel management platform, employees can spend more time thinking about what drives the business rather than carrying out administration tasks.
As the consumer platforms cater almost wholly towards individual experience, travel managers and businesses don’t get a clear overview of travel that has been booked and where their people are travelling to. This creates a huge risk and compliance issue.
Getting the most out of your business travel programme requires complete visibility into when and where employees are travelling. With real-time monitoring of your traveller’s whereabouts and risk intelligence, you can be proactive in your reaction to health and safety risks. The TruCare dashboard and partnership with Riskline help you fulfil your duty of care responsibilities and reassure travellers.
Risk management and duty of care go beyond monitoring. Having business travel flexibility like TruFlex lets you plan travel ahead of time and make any cancellations at the last minute – no questions asked. You can cancel for any reason and get at least 80% cash refunded instantly. And if anything unexpected happens mid-trip, our team is available 24/7 to provide support to travellers.
One common gripe about consumer platforms is the lack of customer service or follow-through on issues after a booking is made and paid for. When you have important business to attend to, the last thing you want is to be on the receiving end of subpar service and added frustration.
Once a trip is cancelled or a booking request is rejected, the “My Trips” page on TruTrip gives travellers a clear snapshot of what went wrong and the next steps to be taken. There is also a support team on standby 24/7 to provide personalised assistance via chat, call or email.
We know travel can be complex with added restrictions and requirements. To make it as easy as possible for you, Covid Entry Check gives you all the latest information at a single click. If you are a TruTrip user, the Fit-to-Fly feature tells you all the travel requirements of a route during a flight search.
It is not just administrative tasks that travel management platforms help your company with. Great travel management takes your business further. With basic administration out of the way, you can focus on your business goals. Depending on your business needs and company culture, there are areas that business travel management platforms can help you do better
Your travel management platform shouldn’t be a standalone solution. By integrating it with other software, you can get all the help you need seamlessly. This is for tracking expenses, flexible travel, reporting, HR and tax planning and more. Overall, your travel management becomes an integral business solution that looks after your employees and business goals.
Let us help you take your business travel management to the next level with our thoughtful, traveller-first platform. Book a demo or sign up for a free trial to see we can fulfil all your business travel needs.
TruTrip streamlines booking, management, and reporting for hassle-free business trips.