Human beings are social animals. We’re calibrated to interact with each other. And business travelers are people too! They’re the people who get out there for your business, pressing the flesh, sharing pleasant conversation over dinner and hitting it out of the park at important presentations, meetings and events. And it’s in that need for connection we’re going to present the information in this post. Travel management solutions features your employees will love allow them to be at their connective best and on board with the solution you’re currently using. Let’s build a better mousetrap!
Old School travel solutions are proving increasingly rigid and inflexible. This accounts for the fact that in most companies, only 50% of traveling employees use them. Rigidity isn’t the right solution to the problem of holding the budget line. Neither is limiting traveler choice. And if you’re using one of those Old School solutions, put in place before the tidal wave of technological change that’s making business travel more flexible, then it’s time for a change. Expanding traveler choice, offering incentives, round-the-clock support and other modern touches bring your solution up to date and places your travelers at the center of the program. Key is giving your travelers the choices they’re used to having in the open marketplace. When they’re able to get what they need while they’re out there, they’re far less likely to “go rogue” and abandon, your in-house solution.
By giving your travelers choices, you’ve taken a step closer to onboarding more of them to your way of doing things. But this is where incentives can really help. While your travelers are always going to want to be able to select the proximity of their accommodations to meeting and event locations, they’ll also be more likely to stick to the budget when you offer them incentives for doing so. Everything from travel upgrades to credit for personal travel count as incentives in this regard. But as with surveying your travelers for their travel preferences, surveying them for desirable incentives gives you a window into what they want. And what will motivate them to stay within your budget.
It’s a 24/7 world, so support for your travelers should be available around the clock. The smartphone is our friend in this regard, offering constant contact with employees in the field who may need support. When you’re not offering that, you’re compounding dissatisfaction with your program and its execution. Frustrated employees aren’t going to hit a presentation out of the park when they’ve met a brick wall on the service front and hung out to dry. Equipped with mobile alerts, chat and live support, travel management needs to be there for your employees, taking their business travel experience to the next level. It’s a winning solution.
With more than 20 years in the business of getting business travelers where they need to be comfortably and efficiently, ITG brings your business travel needs focused experience. Contact us.
