Top 5 Business Travel Booking Procedures for Travel Managers

Travel managers have a lot on their hands, and this overwhelming load of responsibilities can often take a toll. Hence, it makes sense to find ways that can help save both time and money while also streamlining the processes associated with corporate travel and business travel expenses:

 

Business travel booking processes can be pretty demanding. This can be primarily due to the fragmented nature of the procedures associated with corporate travel that involves bookings for flights, hotels, cabs, and collating expenses, among others. It can therefore be challenging to manage the travel requirements of an individual and ensure a smooth travel program for multiple itineraries or make group bookings. The travel manager’s role thus encompasses several responsibilities, and technologically adept solutions can help simplify these to a great extent.

 

Having a defined plan of action that is duly supported by advanced travel management procedures can significantly improve the employees’ experience and help save time. So, here are the top 5 processes that can make the management of business travel accounts more efficient:

 

 

 

Usually, the challenges associated with online business travel booking result from the absence of a standard system. This not only creates a lot of confusion but can cause wastage of resources. This can severely complicate things for the travel managers who need help to track and control the bookings made for the employees travelling for work. Hence, having a standard procedure for your organization can help both the travel admins as well as the employees to have a comprehensive understanding of various facets of the company’s travel. It is, therefore, crucial to be clear and define your corporate business travel goals by keeping the following in mind:

 

• Business objectives.
• Employee satisfaction and safety.
• Budgetary Requirements.
• Approval flows and timelines.

 

The above-mentioned goals can be achieved only by setting up a defined process, using the company’s travel policy as a guide.

 

 

A corporate travel policy defines the rules pertaining to the planning, booking, and reimbursements for business trips undertaken by the employees. These guidelines are to be followed before making the bookings in order to avoid going overboard the company’s travel budget. A good travel policy defines the:

 

• Approval flows.
• The travel expense limit pertaining to hotel accommodations, business travel flights, cabs, etc.
• Meal expenses- breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc.
• Forex and other such expense limits.
• Medical and insurance coverage.

and similar expenditures.

 

With the help of the best business travel management companies, companies can effectively integrate the travel policy with the bookings can ensure 100% compliance, thus achieving higher savings.

 

 

Many companies make the employees pay for the booking expenses and then reimburse it later. However, this is not the most efficient way when it comes to business travel and expense management. This creates several complications, like non-compliance and is a breeding ground for expense fraud. Travel managers should therefore opt for centralized payments through the company credit card. Such business travel solutions can help travel admins better keep track of the travel expenses and collate invoices for greater visibility.

 

 

While flight bookings usually come with limited options because finding the right alternative that fits the budget as well as the time that is most convenient for a flyer is difficult, the hotel booking process gives you access to endless options. Even though a large inventory for booking business travel has its benefits, travel admins do not have the time to surf through an overwhelmingly long list of hotels that do not meet the requirements.

 

It, therefore, makes sense to come up with a list that has:

 

• The most frequented or preferred hotels of the employees.
• The best corporate rates.
• Hotels that fit the allowed expense limit for each location.

 

and similar parameters that make your company’s business travel management more efficient.

 

 

Time is of the essence when it comes to business trips. It, therefore, makes sense to find ways to book trips from a business travel platform that offers comprehensive booking solutions, including hotel, flights, trains, ground transfer, forex, visa, and more. It can save the travel manager’s time by letting the employees make the bookings themselves from a one-stop solution. A good corporate business travel management solution also saves all the booking information automatically and it can be easily accessed at any time. Additionally, both admins and the employees can get instant updates and alerts, gaining peace of mind owing to everything being available on a single platform.

 

 

With the aid of these booking procedures, the process of business travel booking can be made more time efficient and manageable. However, with an excellent one-stop travel management solution like myBiz, you can also get access to exclusive business travel deals and cost-efficient booking options that are easily customizable. The easy-to-use travel platform offers unified travel and expense management, making corporate travel easy and effortless!

 

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

 

Q1. How can automation help make business travel and expense management more efficient?

Ans. Automated corporate travel management can help in easy policy set up, define spending limits, and ensure compliance while facilitating easy bookings and reimbursement claims, among so much more.

 

Q2. How can having all the business travel information in one place help?

Ans. Having all the business travel information automatically saved in one place that can be accessed in just a click can make it more accessible for employees on the move. It can help them stay updated, be more compliant, and be stress-free.

 

Q3. How can having a list of preferred hotels help simplify business travel management?

Ans. A list of preferred hotels can help save time and get access to better-negotiated rates, thereby increasing the overall savings on the employees’ travels.

 

Q4. How can partnering with a travel management solution simplify business trips?

Ans. The right travel management tool can help streamline the booking processes and can simplify a range of tasks associated with business trips.