Over the years, corporate travel has become a common norm to expand the business and brand’s influence across the world. With the increasing frequency of travel overseas, corporate travelers experience lethargy and low morale to take regular business trips. However, travel managers and admins can motivate the employees by enhancing the overall business travel experience. From setting up relaxed travel policies to booking comfortable flights and accommodations, there are numerous ways in which the experience of employee travel can be elevated.
Tips to better the business travel experience
1. Effective Communication
Communication is the key to efficiently dispatching travel documents, itinerary lists, travel policy postulates, and other such necessary details over multiple channels. One formal communication can be maintained on the official email ID along with regular updates on SMS, and office communication channels such as Teams, or Skype. Efficient communication will help employees with the required awareness of the booking details and plan their working hours and travel accordingly.
2. Travel Policy Awareness
Travel policy defines the roots of business travel bookings and the boundaries that govern a corporate trip. Travel admins should ensure that the employees are familiar with the necessary rules and regulations of corporate travel. Additionally, travel policy should be included in the booking engine and platform that the company is using. The travel policy inclusion in the platform will smoothen the process of flight and accommodation booking by flagging the out-of-policy itineraries.
3. Seamless Booking Process
One of the biggest issues that employees face while planning for a corporate trip is the meticulous booking and approval process. They have to take permission and notify various departments before making the booking for the trip. Several mail trails are built to justify the booking costs and get approvals from all the stakeholders. Travel admins can utilize self-booking platforms such as Paxes that incorporate travel policy and prevent overbooking. Further, Paxes streamlines the multiple approval process giving a seamless booking experience,
4. Travel and Accommodation Comfort
Though business class can look expensive, it is important to book VIP travel in business or first class. Additionally, travel managers should avoid layovers and connecting flights so as to save time and enhance the comfort of the travelers. One should ensure to provide airport transfers to the hotels and other locations. They should ensure that the booking details are forwarded in various ways including emails, messages, and SMSs. Business travelers should be accommodated in nothing less than 3-star hotels after long flights and who are traveling on tight schedules. Hotels should provide business amenities and lounges for networking and meeting requirements. Meeting venues should be nearer to the hotel with great cab experience.
5. Traveler Safety and Security
When employees are traveling for business-related activities, corporations should ensure to provide a high level of safety and security not just legal but moral obligation. Travel admins can look out for all-inclusive Duty of Care packages. They can also cover the employees with the best in the-market travel insurance. They should provide employees with emergency contacts, medical facility numbers, and numerous other authorities’ contact details. Additionally, you should update them with insurgency or unrest updates if any, and have a sound evacuation plan.
6. Expense Management
Collecting and tracking expenses is one of the key issues attached to business travel. Employees have to produce every invoice and expense detail on paper to get reimbursement for their expenditures. Most of the time invoices get lost or discrepancies arise due to nameless reasons that degrade the experience of the employee causing mistrust. Therefore, travel admins should employ online expense management systems that work online from the corporate credit cards simplifying the payment and recording of the spend.
Suggested Read: Business Travel Expense Management Company In Dubai Benefits
7. Travel Support
While safety is a necessary aspect, travel support is equally crucial for solving different issues of traveling employees on-field. Travel admins should communicate changes in plans such as flight cancellations, rescheduling, and others immediately to elevate the experience of the employee. Additionally, employees can have numerous questions while on travel that need frequent answers so as to increase productivity, compliance, and experience of the trip.
8. Traveler Feedback
Corporations should welcome constructive feedback and respect the opinions of the employees without biases. Employees provide a first-hand review of the trip and its nitty-gritty. They should be asked objective questions with a column for feedback. The review process should be of a few minutes which warrants active participation and honest opinions. One can identify the room for improvement and enhance the future traveling experience of the employees.
Corporate travel has undeniably become an integral part of expanding businesses and their global reach. However, the frequent and often exhaustive nature of these trips can take a toll on the morale and energy of corporate travelers. The good news is that travel managers and administrators can play a crucial role in enhancing the overall business travel experience for employees.
Suggested Read: 15 Tips On How To Plan Successful Business Trips
Business Travel Experience FAQs
How can a seamless booking process benefit business travelers?
A good booking process, facilitated by self-booking platforms like Paxes, reduces the complexity and time-consuming approval process that employees often face.
How can an online expense management system simplify the business travel experience?
Online expense management systems simplify the process of collecting and tracking expenses. They allow employees to use corporate credit cards for payments and record expenses online, eliminating the need for paper invoices.
What is the importance of travel support in enhancing the business travel experience?
Travel support is crucial for addressing changes in travel plans, flight cancellations, rescheduling, and answering employees
