At a time when travel budgets have been slashed and travel managers are being increasingly tasked with showing value to an organization, now is the best time to review your travel program.
It’s no surprise that in the current economy, we’re hearing from clients and prospects alike that now is the time to closely review all areas of spend. Unfortunately, with layoffs and cutbacks being more the norm than the exception, many companies are lacking the resources or the inclination to do a review of their current travel program. But this is actually the best time to take a look at your program with an eye to increasing compliance and optimizing spend.
The biggest reasons you should consider implementing, or reviewing, you company’s travel program are:
- Your company may have changed
When was the last time you took a serious look at your travel program? What has changed since then? Consider your corporate objectives. Do you have a greater focus on risk management? On program compliance? Does your program provide the technology, support, tools and service configuration to service your company the way it needs to be serviced now and going forward?
- Your travel has changed
Since you last reviewed or looked at a managed travel program how has the company changed with regards to who travels, why they travel, and where they travel to? When was the last time your policy was updated? And does your current travel budget meet the needs for a travel program that likely requires tighter controls?
- Your travel management company may have changed
This economy has been tough on a number of industries and travel providers are not exempt. Is your TMC bigger – do you still feel valued and listened to? Are they smaller? Can they still meet your needs for service and technology? Do they still understand your business and have they offered new solutions to meet your changing needs?
- In travel, the only constant is changing technology
Since you last looked at travel have you updated your booking process? Are your unused airline credits captured, managed and reported on automatically? What apps are you using and are they meeting your needs? Does your policy reflect your millennial travellers love of the sharing economy? And does the reporting solution offered by your TMC give you the date you need, when you want it, in a timely fashion?
At a time when travel budgets have been slashed and travel managers are being increasingly tasked with showing value to an organization, maybe this is exactly the right time to ensure you are fully optimizing your travel spend.