Best Practices for Modern Travel Managers
The role of a travel manager has evolved dramatically. It's no longer just about booking flights and hotels. Today's travel managers are strategic leaders responsible for a multi-million dollar program that impacts the company's finances, culture, and employee well-being.
To succeed in this modern landscape, travel managers need to move beyond reactive tasks and adopt a proactive, data-driven approach. Here are the essential best practices for elevating your travel program.
1. Automate Everything You Can
Your time is your most valuable asset. The more you can automate routine tasks, the more time you have for strategic initiatives.
- Policy Enforcement: Build your travel policy directly into your booking platform. Let the technology automatically flag or block out-of-policy options.
- Approval Workflows: Eliminate email chains. Use an automated system to route travel requests to the correct approvers based on cost, department, or policy exceptions.
- Reporting: Schedule key reports to be delivered to your inbox automatically. Track your top metrics—like online adoption, policy compliance, and average ticket price—without having to manually pull data.
2. Become a Data Analyst
Data is the language of modern business. To demonstrate the value of your travel program, you need to be fluent in it.
- Identify Key Metrics: Focus on the KPIs that matter most to your leadership total travel spend, spend vs. budget, missed savings opportunities, and policy compliance rates.
- Tell a Story with Data: Don't just present numbers; provide insights. For example, if you see a spike in last-minute bookings from the sales team, investigate the cause. Is it poor planning, or is there a business reason? Use this data to have a strategic conversation with that department's leader.
- Leverage Data for Negotiations: Your consolidated spending data is your biggest leverage when negotiating with airlines, hotels, and car rental companies. Use it to secure better rates and perks.
3. Prioritize the Traveler Experience
A travel program that your employees hate is a program that will fail. Low adoption rates lead to off-platform bookings, which means you lose visibility and control.
- Provide Choice: Use a travel management platform with a vast inventory. Travelers are more likely to book in-policy if they have good options to choose from.
- Invest in a Great Mobile App: Business travel happens on the go. Your travelers need a powerful mobile app that allows them to access their itinerary, receive real-time alerts, and get support when they need it.
- Gather Feedback: Regularly survey your travelers. Ask them what's working and what's not. Use their feedback to make continuous improvements to the program.
4. Champion Duty of Care
Your most important responsibility is the safety and well-being of your travelers.
- Implement Traveler Tracking: You need to know where your employees are in case of an emergency. This is only possible if all bookings are made through a central platform.
- Proactive Communication: Use a system that can send automated risk alerts to travelers who may be impacted by a security or weather event.
- Have a Plan: Work with your company's security and HR teams to develop a clear emergency response plan. Ensure every traveler knows who to call for help.
By embracing these best practices, you can transform your role and your travel program, delivering strategic value that goes far beyond just booking trips.
Ready to upgrade your travel management toolkit?