|
|
5 Secrets to cutting your business travel costs
If you've never been properly walked through the benefits of professionally managed
travel, your business is at a major disadvantage. Expert business travel management
can open up a world of savings and efficiencies for your organization.
In this paper, you'll discover 5 different ways to reduce your business travel costs.
Each on their own are valuable, but applied collectively they will uncover hidden
potential that you never thought possible.
Among other strategies, you’ll discover
- The value of policy compliance
- The value of automatic quality check, error free reservations
- How you get the best value every day
1. Automatic quality check, error free reservations
When partnering with a travel expert ensure they have the technology to check every
reservations against 100+ routines to ensure bookings are accurate every time and
adhere to your travel policy.
The system used by the travel management company must have an Automatic Seat Finder
to book the best possible seat on the airplane according to your travel preferences.
Finding yourself on a waitlist for the flight you want can be troublesome, especially
with your busy schedule. It must have an Automatic Waitlist Clearance & Fare Searching
ability which will automatically and continuously check 24/7 airline waitlists to
ensure you're first in line should a seat become available as well as check for
fare changes
2. Dedicated, personal and flexible service
Partner with a travel management company that offers dedicated, personal and flexible
service and your business will benefit from high-touch travel assistance delivered
by small teams that develop an in-depth understanding of your business.
Dedicated personal service means your business will be appointed its own account
manager, travel expert or team to look after your every need. A dedicated travel
expert will also work to a pre-determined service level agreement, which includes
agreed-upon standards for services, priorities and responsibilities.
In addition find out what your travel provider’s operating hours are and if they
offer extended work hours for easy access to your own travel team. And finally,
look for a travel manager that offers no fixed contracts to ensure your business
is free to leave if you’re not happy with the quality of service
3. Supplier consolidation
Try to book with the same hotel chain or car hire company to leverage your travel
volume with suppliers. A consolidated accommodation program will provide clear insight
into how much business you have to offer a hotel, which can help in the negotiation
process. The broader the knowledge your travel expert has of your travel volume,
the easier it is for them to negotiate competitive corporate rates on your behalf.
Likewise if you have employees using rental vehicles across the country or in one
area in particular – stick to the same car hire company and find out if your car
hire volume qualifies for discounted corporate rates
4. Travel policy
A travel policy provides an essential framework for your travel. Amongst other things,
a policy outlines how your people travel, where they stay, what cabin class they
travel in, what hotels you stay at and if your company uses preferred suppliers.
The most successful business travel policies are concise, have clear mandates and
are ‘owned’ internally by someone in your business that will work with your travel
expert to measure, track and take corrective action for non compliance.
Good policy design is a crucial aspect of maintaining cost containment across your
travel program. A proactive travel expert will not only help you develop a policy,
but they will also help to implement and monitor the policy for company-wide compliance
5. Access to lowest logical fare and best rate of day
Companies which effectively use a lowest logical fare (LLF) policy, are achieving
maximum savings on air travel. By using LLF, your business is making the most of
discount air tickets offered by a spread of carriers.
Likewise if your company has access to best rate of day for hotels, you’ll receive
the best rate and lowest rate across a spread of suppliers. LLF and rate of the
day ideally, should be controlled and monitored by an experienced travel manager
or a travel management company provided online booking tool.
Ask your travel manager for LLF reporting which highlights aspects such as the savings
made (as a result of contracted air agreements), missed savings where LLF has not
been selected and lost savings by reason code, airline taken, city pairs, cost centres
and or travellers
|