7 Benefits of Hiring a Corporate Travel Manager

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7 Benefits of Hiring a Corporate Travel ManagerAllowing employees to make arrangements for business travel online may seem easy. However, if travel is a significant part of operating your business, it may be costing you more than you realize. With the help of a corporate travel manager, you could eliminate a host of travel headaches. More than a travel agent, corporate travel managers do much more than simply book tickets. What corporate travel management benefits are you missing out on?

A Corporate Travel Manager Can Help You Save Money

It’s a well-established fact, the more you buy, the more you can save. By developing relationships with trusted business travel providers, corporate travel agencies offer your business access to their collective bargaining power, providing you cost saving travel solutions. And unlike online services, where it’s assumed your purchase is a once-and-done endeavor, they will continue to provide you consistent cost-savings in the future, including discounted rates and traveler perks, such as better amenities.

A Corporate Travel Manager Can Help You Steer Clear of Hidden Fees

Travel websites are well-known for hidden fees and caveats in the fine print they hope the average traveler will overlook. However, a corporate travel manager can help your team avoid these snafus, bringing actual cost and complete details to light.

A Corporate Travel Manager Can Provide Your Team 24/7 Travel Assistance

The best corporate travel companies will provide your team 24/7 assistance for those frustrating moments of business travel when baggage is lost and flights are cancelled or delayed, providing immediate assistance to your employees when they need it most.

A Corporate Travel Manager Can Help You Create Corporate Travel Policy Guidelines

Do you frequently travel coach to save money, only to find some employees flying first class? With the help of a corporate travel manager to help your business create corporate travel policy guidelines, you can develop clear travel policy rules and procedures that protect your budget while ensuring the comfort of employees. By analyzing your current procedures, a corporate travel manager can help you design a custom plan based on your business’ specific needs, helping you save money, improve efficiency, and reduce travel planning stress.

A Corporate Travel Manager Can Provide Duty of Care Support

Corporate travel planning should account for every potential scenario, including emergencies such as natural disasters and political unrest. As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of your employees while they’re away. This duty of care can be overwhelming in these circumstances without support. With the help of a corporate travel manager, you can more easily make alternative arrangements in a crisis.

Reap the benefits only a corporate travel management company can provide. Contact GTI Travel today.

4 Tips for Improving your Corporate Travel Program

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It’s not uncommon for businesses to struggle with corporate travel program compliance. However, business travel management companies know corporate travel program policies are essential, safeguarding your employees and helping you maintain your bottom line. What if with a few tweaks, you could improve your travel program and compliance? Skeptical? It may be easier than you think.

4 Tips for Improving Your Corporate Travel Program (Your Employees Will Appreciate)

  1. Make Travel Policies Clear
    The two main reasons for a lack of adherence to travel policy guidelines are a lack of clarity and a lack of communication. When was the last time you communicated with your employees on company travel policies? Employee education is crucial, driving up compliance. Regular travelers should also be refreshed. Oftentimes, even management staff do not know travel policy well enough to clarify and enforce it.To boost compliance, make policies cut and dry, in plain English. Include definitions of key terms such as ancillary fees and restricted airfares to prevent confusion. Note the penalties for non-compliance. Make these policies easily accessible via the company intranet or through your business travel planner. Update these policies, and your employees, often for maximum benefit.
  2. Value Employee Satisfaction Alongside Savings
    Improving the booking and travel experience for employees is an easy way to boost employee compliance with travel policies. These may seem counterintuitive, but it is not. Improved employee satisfaction doesn’t always equate with higher expenses. Better traveler services boost compliance by changing employee behavior.Inviting feedback from traveling employees is a great way to drive change in this area. Free survey tools from your corporate travel agency can help you gain essential data. For instance, would employees happily choose a 3-star lodging over 4-star if it meant additional funds for dining? Such decisions simply shift costs, rather than driving them up.
  3. Gamify to Reach Compliance Goals
    Gamification can be an effective way to boost compliance. Implementing strategies such as leader boards and online badges for ranking employees in corporate travel policy compliance are an inexpensive and fun way to encourage employees to adhere to guidelines. To prevent yours from falling short, however, you’ll need to offer more than bragging rights. These aren’t enough to incentivize employees. Instead, consider financial incentives for savings, like gifting top-performing employees a percentage of savings earned.
  4. Beef Up Risk Management and Duty of Care Procedures
    Consider adding additional levels of safety and security to your duty of care and risk management programs. It is your legal and moral responsibility to protect employees from harm. Cover potential risks to travelers prior to each trip, devising a crisis management plan in case of emergency. Track employees at all times. These steps are especially essential for those employees visiting areas under travel alerts. Such procedures boost safety alongside travel policy compliance.

Don’t settle for the same old, same old. Change the name of the game with the help of GTI Travel today.