Given our UK and international client base, we wanted to find a solution for our staff with regards to ground travel in London and across the UK, as well as in many locations overseas. Our main aim was to put in place an all-in-one-platform to consolidate all the tasks related to travel administration.
Advantages of this would be to allow us to make prompt payments and enjoy significant savings by cutting staff hours and reducing the costs incurred through unmanaged travel.
Before signing up with Gett Business Solutions, managing travel logistics across our company was fraught with challenges. There was no consistency; employees were using different service providers, and this resulted in uncontrolled spend, complex administration and fragmented reporting, not to mention considerable variations in standards.
Now, we have one central hub for all our ground-travel needs. This has led to customised company-wide travel policies and procedures, and less of our employees’ time is now being spent on travel admin, including keeping and filing receipts and filling in forms to make travel claims and billing. A single invoice is generated each month; this has resulted in a significant cut to the workload of staff members, so they can get on with what they do best rather than approving seemingly endless individual receipts.
Additionally, advanced tracking and reporting tools have enabled greater visibility and transparency, allowing us to eradicate hidden and indirect costs. Importantly, the unified solution ensures tighter security as our worldwide suppliers have already been vetted and approved.
While many of our employees are happy to use the latest tech, not all feel comfortable using apps, particularly when booking their travel. However, the Gett app is intuitive and simple to use, making it accessible to all.
We wanted to make the whole booking process more transparent so that all employees booking a ride would be able to see clearly what would be their most time- and cost-effective option in every situation.
Gett’s on-demand and pre-booking features and its extensive fleet mean there are enough vehicles of a suitable size as and when we need them, whether it’s for a journey into the city centre or the suburbs, in rush hour or during off-peak periods.
We liked the fact that its range includes a black-cab option, as this allows lawyers and clients to arrive at court and other destinations in a vehicle that is in keeping with their standing. The privacy screen inside the vehicle also means lawyers feel comfortable having confidential conversations in the cab, whether in person or on the phone. Additionally, the fact that the vehicle can use bus lanes means that employees don’t get stuck in as much traffic, ensuring they reach their client meetings punctually.
Green credentials
Another important consideration for us when looking to appoint a travel-management system was the supplier’s green credentials.
As a company, sustainability is at the forefront of our corporate ethos, and we have made it our mission to reduce our carbon footprint. It was therefore of particular interest to us that Gett Business Solutions is the first major corporate ground-travel app to offer carbon-neutral rides.
“The advantage for us as travel managers is the reporting function, if people are using alternative providers, we don’t know our CO2 emissions, staff location etc. and for our health and safety department it’s important to have those stats – for most firms, it’s important to have that information.”
Gett’s technology lowers ‘dead mileage’ – the distance a driver travels before picking up a passenger – and it supports the adoption of electronic and hybrid taxis. Its green model offers a substantial social and financial pay-off, and it offsets the carbon that is emitted on rides through a partnership with EcoAct, with a variety of Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) certified projects in developing countries.
We have been very impressed by the high quality of personal service we have received from Gett Business Solutions. It has dramatically improved customer engagement, while the timely handling of any issue has minimised costs from travel delays and administrative matters.
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