I have learned that it is not so much about the size of the company that determines whether to establish the relationships with the travel agency to manage your business travel, but rather the company travel needs. Every company needs a travel policy. In general, bigger companies will often contract the traditional travel agency and usually have travel coordinators within their teams permanently employed by the company. However, often times, smaller companies travel extensively and are in dire need of well organized business travel model. If your decided to hire an outside consultant to help you manager your company travel & expense, here is my check list on what a good outside consultant should be able to do for you:
- Finding the best TMC for your company business travel needs
- Setting the travel policy with your team
- Negotiating deals with suppliers directly as well as with travel agencies
- Implementing your program with TMC of your choice
- Demonstrating the best value and options in business travel management choices
- Working closely with your team and understanding your team needs
- RFPs and contracts with suppliers and service providers
- Online Booking Tool Administrations (Concur, Deem, Getthere etc…)
- Training your travel coordinators
- Assisting your travelers and road worriers
- Working with your executives directly to ensure their vision and goals are met
- Helping you understand loyalty programs
- Helping you reduce cost of travel that impacts your bottom line
- Consulting your team on savings and achieving the highest ROI
- Providing recommendation to manage business travel most effectively in the future
Travel business is not an easy one. Travel industry is always changing and your travelers can face multiple challenges on day to day basis, whether is a weather related, or industry driven crisis. Their time is valuable. A good consultant should be able to develop the confidence level within your team and help you improve your company travel culture, as well as compliance and adherence to the policy.
