Travelling for business can be stressful; there are so many moving parts, and that’s without considering the strain on family life. Improving the traveller experience is in everyone’s best interest, but it can improve employee wellbeing, increase productivity and engagement.
Remember when companies had just one person booking everything? Well, this outdated business travel model has been thrown out in favour of a passenger-driven experience. Which makes total sense; after all, it’s their business trip, they should have a say in how it’s managed, right?
But then comes the worry that you give them too much autonomy. When control is lost, spend can become hellishly unmanageable. You have no say over the accommodation travellers book, which ground transport providers they’re using, and what they’re spending in general. To be able to balance the cost element with the autonomous is tricky. We’re all striving for happy employees, so how can you better their travel experience? We’ll tell you in this post!
Ditch the admin stress
When travelling for business, keeping your mind focused on the trip’s aim is essential, so that means removing any additional worries and tasks.
Admin is the bane of everyone’s life, but you don’t have to drown in it. Instead of taking the admin tasks such as expense reporting off the traveller’s mind and putting them straight onto your plate, make use of automation.
Technology has come on leaps and bounds in the last ten years, and that technological advancement includes software that helps automate expensing and other administrative tasks.
Imagine how much time you’ll gain if you didn’t have to trawl through expense reports painstakingly?
Consider gamification
We all love a game – whether it’s collecting air miles for rewards or filling up a Starbucks loyalty card for a free coffee – a game always makes the most mundane aspects of our lives a little more exciting.
With that in mind, how can you transfer this thought process into the traveller experience?
By rewarding them for smarter, better choices. When they choose the cost-effective hotel option, when they save money by utilising a reusable water bottle or book ground travel with a preferrer supplier or choose a carbon-neutral taxi ride – they get points. The points could lead to a treat, whether that’s time off, a bonus, or vouchers for their favourite restaurant.
A game system can help incentivise mundane travel elements while saving the company money and embracing greener travel aspects.
Simplify the booking process
As we’ve already mentioned, the traditional business travel booking process is archaic and has already been bumped for a passenger-first approach.
Historically, travellers would visit a travel agent who booked their flights, hotel, airport transfers etc. But now, the consumer is empowered to book and research every aspect of their holiday. They can book flights independently from their hotel, or book an Airbnb – what travellers wanted changed so travel trends shifted. And it’s no different for business travellers.
Business travellers need autonomy; they want to be firmly in the driving seat when it comes to trip management — who can blame them? Wouldn’t you want control over how you travelled, where you stayed, what lounges you visit?
Finding a travel solution that works for you, not just in a local capacity but internationally, too, is crucial to delivering a smooth traveller experience.
With a ground travel SaaS solution, you can hand over the reins with a sense of controlled autonomy. A solution like this means as the travel manager you can build your travel programme yourself, you can create a programme that perfectly fits your travel policy.
With a ground travel SaaS solution, you have control over which vendors you implement and work alongside, which generates a list your travellers can choose from as they travel around the world. By handing over the final choice to your travellers they feel more in control of their trip, they can still build it as they see fit, just with a few limitations.
Read next: How to find a travel provider that ticks all the boxes.
