If your company requires frequent travel of your employees for business purposes, you should be aware of Travel Management Software. Without proper corporate travel management, your travel cost will be higher, and the travel experiences of your employees will be unpleasant.
The role of a travel manager in your company is to manage travel efficiently and cost-effectively. In this article, let’s discuss the best travel management practices for your business, which help you arrange a pleasant trip while saving your business’s resources.
The cost of business travel plays a significant role in your company’s financial growth. Studies suggest that business travel is an unpredictable expense for any business. However, after reading this article, you will get actionable tips to manage employee travel expenses effectively for your business.
1. Set up a Workflow for Travel Requests
An organized workflow is your company’s first step towards effective travel management. If you are managing travel management manually, it could result in a waste of time and create confusion.
If your employees make travel requests in multiple channels, you will get confused and even overlook a few recommendations. So establish one proper channel for your employees to make a travel request which you will get notified of. So you can view all the travel requests made in one place and review them for approval.
Also, it helps your HR team to gather all the necessary details about the trip. The lack of a proper system for requests will make your HR team contact the employees multiple times to collect data regarding their travel. Modern HRMS software consists of an effective employee travel management system that streamlines travel requests in one place, and you can fetch all the details regarding their travel.
2. Book Flight Tickets and Rooms Early
You should consider your employees’ safety, comfort and convenience while traveling for a business trip. The quality of their travel can make or break the trip’s goal. Beginning with the journey, you must provide a comfortable travel experience for your employees.
Book the flight tickets in advance to get the best deals and avoid last-minute confusion. The cost of flight tickets fluctuates, and you should consider it while planning your travels. You should inform your employees about their annual leave planning to book the flight tickets in advance.
Also, you should strike the best deal on the hotel rooms. You should not offer cheaper hotels to your employees during their travels. The best hotels are probably on a higher budget and will be booked sooner.
So you have to negotiate with the hotel to book the best room for your employees cost-effectively. One way to do this is by building a good relationship with the best hotels in the destination where your employees travel. Make sure you book the same hotel whenever your staff travels to a particular destination. It helps you get the best deals for your employees.
3. Build a List of Preferred Hotels
Searching for suitable hotels, their address and booking procedures every time while planning for a business trip is time-consuming and tiresome. So you should have a list of the preferable hotels in the location of your trip. This list should be based on comfort, convenience, safety, amenities and proximity to the meeting place.
Creating a detailed list with the hotel name, address, price, and booking procedure will help you. Employee travel management software can store all these data, allowing you to access them quickly whenever you need them.
4. Create Clear Checklists
To ensure a convenient and productive business trip, you should create a detailed checklist for your company. These checklists act as a guide for both you and your employees.
Create a checklist with the traveler’s details, including their name, passport details, dietary requirements, and travel performances. They will help you a lot while booking rooms and tickets.
A new traveler’s checklist will help your employees ensure their travel is comfortable and adhere to your company’s policies. Make sure you have checklists with all details required for domestic and international travel, as both are different.
Also, ensure you have a travel safety checklist for your employees, which helps them when needed. Detailed travel checklists for your employees will make a big difference in the quality of your travels.
5. Create a Company Travel Policy
You should have a travel policy for your employees which helps your organization run smoothly. The travel policy should include the do’s and don’ts of employee travel, airline ticket management necessities, criteria for air ticket encashments, travel reimbursements, etc.
Company travel policy will protect your business from legal consequences and provide a clear view of your company’s value.
6. Gather Feedback after a Business Trip
Feedbacks are the growth catalyst for any business. Ask your employees about the travel experience, the services, the comfort and everything related to the trip quality. Gather those feedback and review it to ensure your business travels are effective. If not, you can make the necessary changes to make it better for your employees.
You can use the best employee travel management software to streamline the entire business trip. From booking air tickets to collecting feedback from your employees, you can simplify business trips and enhance their efficiency.
HRMS software like Artify 360 comprises the best employee travel management software which your business will adore.
Request a free demo to get a detailed picture of how Artify 360 HRMS software streamlines business travel in your company.
