A travel management company (TMC) is a company that books and organises business travel. Typically, a firm may assign one or a few key contacts at the agency to assist them in adhering to corporate policy and providing on-the-spot support to travellers.
Business travel management that is efficient and organised can help cut travel expenses, streamline expense reports, optimise booking processes, and make managing the corporate travel experience much easier for all stakeholders involved.
Here’s our checklist for choosing the right business travel agency to ensure a smooth and successful journey for your business.
1. Seamless Integration
Finding a business travel agency that integrates directly into your company’s tech stack is critical, since it transforms time-consuming operations like cost management and trip compensation into quick, straightforward tasks.
2. A Hassle-Free Booking Experience
Business travellers should be permitted to arrange their own flights if that is their preference. At the same time, administrators should find it simple and pleasurable to make appointments for others.
Administrators can also rely on excellent tracking technologies to determine which employees are on which business trips and where they are going.
3. A Client-Orientated Travel Inventory
Your business travel agency should give your employees access to a list of preferred airlines and hotel brands. As a business, you should be able to access the entire world’s inventory without the need for a consumer tool.
4. Transparent Costs
You want a tool that would assist you in saving money on business travel. Before you sign up with any travel management business, be sure you understand the pricing structure. Look for warning signs such as charges for support calls or simple, normal bookings.
5. Reliable Support
This is when the human factor comes into play. When your flight has been cancelled and you desperately need to go to an event, no amount of travel technology will console you.
A travel assistant can immediately find an alternate route for you. Look for travel assistance that handles all of your travel needs, is available 24/7, in many languages, and has excellent feedback from travellers.
6. Integrated Travel Policies
What is the only way to ensure that travel policies are followed? By integrating your travel policy into the booking platform and requiring all of your travellers and administrators to use that online booking tool.
You must not only choose a tool with built-in travel policies and approval protocols, but you must also ensure that the product meets the aforementioned requirements for a great travel experience so that everyone is on board.
7. Clear Reports on Travel Spend
Having visibility into trip spending is quite beneficial! With trips booked on so many various platforms, it’s difficult to collect all of the information. Keep in mind that 46% of business travellers booked via consumer websites.
That data is dispersed and cannot be retrieved until it is expensed. Look for a company or platform that provides real-time reports to your finance team, assists with reimbursement processes, and integrates smoothly with your travel expenditure software.
