The Ultimate SME Travel Management Toolkit
Welcome to the definitive toolkit for SME business travel. The Ultimate SME Travel Management Toolkit is the only resource you need to boost your company’s travel budget and processes.
Introduction
Corporate travel is vital to getting the job done and building successful businesses. It means growth, team bonding, creativity and solid relationships.
Over time though, many businesses find that travel gets...out of control. Growth is quicker than anticipated, and it becomes difficult to track the costs, the changes, the carbon impact, and where people are. And who knows how long your team are spending researching their work trips or calling airlines.
When it’s starting to get too much, it’s time to reassess. That's where this toolkit comes into play. Whatever you want to learn or challenge to overcome, these are the tools to help.
Hey Tom, tell everyone why we created this toolkit for SMEs
Tom Walley is Corporate Traveler's Global Managing Director!
Eight ways DIY travel bookings are bad for business
Booking travel ad hoc on the web? It's wasting time, money and productivity. You'll see...
- How it's putting travelers at risk.
- Why travel shouldn't stress anyone out.
- How productivity drops without the right tools.
Read blog
Tool 1: Business travel services
SME travel management
What you’ll learn
- You and the team don't have to have the travel strain on your shoulders.
- DIY travel booking is bad for business.
- Real-life stories to show what it means to have help and support.
- How to be a pro in picking the right TMC.
It’s time to formalize your travel goals.
“Initially, booking work travel was great. Everyone booked what they like, then expensed. But then the team grew, the projects got bigger, and it got hard to keep track of it all. We had to change a flight last minute recently, and it took ages to get sorted, when I should be focused elsewhere.”
Sound familiar? It's common for growing organizations to become burdened with travel admin. Questions start to arise. Can you curb travel spend? Are you booking travel the right way? What’s the environmental impact of all this travel on the planet?
Do-It-Yourself travel booking doesn’t cut it anymore. Your travel needs objectives, and your processes need improvement. While it seems counterproductive, this is the time when many SMEs begin to partner with a corporate travel agency.
Unsure what a corporate travel agent, aka a travel management company (TMC), can deliver that you’re not already getting? Keep scrolling for tips, information, and real-life scenarios. Or, find out more about business travel services here.
Unmanaged or managed travel?
What's in the best interest of your travelers and your company's bottom line? Let's dive into:
- Travel policy and bookings.
- Trip approval processes.
- Preferred suppliers and tech.
Myths and magic of managed travel
Is your travel budget too small for managed travel? Is it quicker to book your travel online? We answer these questions and more in this guide!
Find your perfect TMC match
Find a clearer path when you’re sifting through the promises and promotions. Ask yourself questions such as:
- Do I need a one-stop-travel-shop?
- Do we need a local or global perspective?
- Is there a risk of 'too many cooks'?
Your checklist for the right fit TMC
Your travel management team
What you’ll learn
- What team and support a TMC brings.
- Service and care are #1 priority.
- Onboarding can be speedy and smooth.
- How to convince everyone this is a good idea.
Service, support and care isn’t a bandwagon to jump on.
Forget flight seats and hotel rooms for a moment.
Brilliant service is vital for better business travel. Your travel consultant knows exactly what works. They'll have the tricks and insider knowledge so your travelers are comfortable and happy, at prices that doesn’t send gasps around the office. They're also there for any changes, disruption or crisis that pops up. In 2023 we received 180,000 emergency calls and many of those flights were changed; valuable time and money that saved.
And they aren’t the only ones available at your disposal. There’s the support from onboarding experts, the out-of-hours team, the customer success team and the negotiators that work with airlines and hotels to get the best discounts. It takes an army of travel experts, all working towards your goals. Let's learn more about them.
Service – The #1 Concern
Service has never been more important. We all feel it when things go wrong or we’re waiting in a queue, which is why we’re so committed to ensuring our clients don’t. Find out what a recent survey of our people and some clients have to say about service when it comes to their business trips.
Customer Success Manager...does what it says in the title
Once you look closer, there's a lot of moving parts, and people, in corporate travel. To run like clockwork is totally possible and we’re here to make it happen. That's why all of our clients get a Customer Success Manager. What they do? Well, the clue’s in the job title but find out more here.
Travel wizards, ready to help
Plenty of our travel teams have more than 100 years of experience between them! That’s phenomenal, right? All that travel knowledge and expertise, waiting to help travelers with bookings, changes and advice at the touch of a button or over the phone.
Discover more about dedicated travel expertise
Case study: Extending Bboxx’s team
Natasha Cooper, EA to Bboxx Founder Mansoor Hamayun considers the Corporate Traveler team as colleagues of her own. The power of their bond and communication was tested during the COVID pandemic, only to be energized and better than ever.
Q&A with Global Head of Onboarding, James McIlvenna
Onboarding a new customer is the bridge between sales and on-going customer success. It’s all about people, culture and goals!
Spend 2 minutes with James to hear what the onboarding team’s priorities are.
Change loading...getting buy-in
The technical challenges of introducing new technology or admin processes often pale in comparison to the most significant change obstacle of all: internal resistance.
This guide includes:
- Clarifying leadership & change management across the generations
- 3 steps: designing, deploying and driving change
- Bringing an expert on board
download your copy of the guide
Tool 2: Business travel booking technology
What you’ll learn
- Why online booking is worth it.
- Why tech can perfectly complement human support.
- How successful companies get the most out of their travel tech.
There’s value in a business travel booking tool.
A managed travel program doesn’t just need brilliant human support, but great technology too! It’s that combination that’s the best for efficient travel that has care at its core.
An online booking tool is normally first on the list for tech. It might seem pointless to have one, with the Expedias and Booking.coms of the world. But a corporate booking tool is built differently to accompany for business travel’s specific requirements – think preferred choices, exclusive discounts, secure data capture.
When it takes just five minutes to book a flight on our own tool Melon, it’s no wonder that an increasing number of the # flights booked with us a year are turning to online booking. Keep scrolling for blogs and resources or find out more about business travel booking technology here.
What is corporate travel booking software?
From those making travel budget decisions to jet setters on the road, everyone can benefit from online booking travel solutions. It's about more than booking too; the data and analytics can boost your entire travel program.
Tech + People = a perfect match
Your growing business needs a solution that brings the best of both worlds together.
People are crucial, but tech is also a big piece. Read about how tech and business travel click.
“The Melon platform serves as an easy-to-use travel search engine as well as an intelligent booking tool. My favourite thing about Melon is the Chat support functionality and incredible response times. I can quickly message a real, live agent and get the support that I need, then go about my day.”
VIZIO
Stop. Look. Listen.
We’d love to show you what Melon is capable of so that you can see why our customers love it.
A 3-minute demo is all you need to see.
Save time and money with the right technology.
So far, your toolkit includes a team of business travel experts and an easy-to-use tool for online bookings.
If you’re looking for more ways to save time and money with technology, there’s lots out there to explore. But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean lots of logins and passwords; your TMC should provide a one-stop-shop portal to access everything in one place.
Having one place to login saves # hours of your teams’ time with:
- Less searching, more tailored travel options: Our smart algorithms direct you to what’s best to book for your company budget.
- Fewer repetitive tasks: Thanks to clever workflows and tasks you can complete in your own time.
- 1 number to call when you’re struggling: 24/7 travel support to make changes and help with complex requests. They'll pick up in seconds too.
- Avoiding common mistakes: ‘Heads Up’ messages pop up before you’ve made costly clicks.
Find out more about the essential business travel tools available.
Five must-have travel tools
Technology for business travel is all about making things simple, streamlining processes, gaining visibility and, most importantly, making sure your people are safe and informed. Here’s five top technology tools SMEs need for business travel.
Melon does it all
Melon is the ultimate travel management solution that covers all your bases from booking, safety, reporting, policy, and expense.
- Ultra-intuitive design
- 5-minute bookings
- On-point reporting for smarter decisions
- Access the best rates, no debates
- Live chat with a travel consultant
Interested to know more?
Business travel policy
What you’ll learn
- What a travel policy is.
- Template to get your policy started.
- How your policy can be benchmarked.
Deciding company travel guidelines.
You've got your travel partner with the blend of service and technology you’ve been looking for. Now it’s time to get some guidelines in place and everything set up to your company’s preferences. It's time to form your corporate travel policy.
Your corporate travel policy doesn’t need to be long, but it clearly states expectations and any rules you want to mandate. For example, you might insist all travel bookings must go through your TMC. There could be a rule that flights under 6 hours must be booked in economy, but 6+ can be in business class. Or you might request that every trip goes through an approval process.
While every company’s policy is different, your TMC can help you identify what should be included. As can the resources below!
Policy perfection: The key ingredients
In today’s global business environment, organizations are juggling office-based employees, staff who are working from home, consultants and teams that are spread across continents. Then add to the mix: tight budgets and new goals around sustainability, and suddenly a clear and updated travel policy is more important than ever.
In simple terms...if you don’t have a formal travel policy in place, you need one. This guide delves into the ingredients for the policy mix.
download your copy of the guide
Template: Kick-start your business travel policy
Creating a rock-solid business travel policy is about:
- Asking the right questions.
- Answering those questions according to your business’s goals and traveler needs.
- Specifying your preferences on a policy document.
- Telling your people about the policy and making it stick.
Taking your travel policy from good to great will take a bit of time. But, to kick-start the process for you, here’s a template of questions to guide the first draft of your policy.
Benchmark your travel policy
Already have a travel policy and want to know how effective it is?
Take this easy 2-minute travel policy benchmarking quiz and get the answers on what’s working, what’s not and how to take your policy from basic to brilliant.
It’s also a great way to benchmark against others in the industry. Ready to see how your policy is doing?
Take the test
“Since selecting Corporate Traveler, we have gained far greater insight into our travel trends which has allowed us to implement new policies while providing our staff with the necessary flexibility.”
Peter Rendall, Chief Financial Officer @ Unispace
Safety and risk management
What you’ll learn:
- Risk is about more than extreme weather and disasters.
- You can trust in technology to support your travelers on the road.
- Read a real-life example where we helped in a disaster.
Help your team feel safe on their business trips.
When you think about risk, the extreme scenarios come to mind. The protests, natural disasters, or attacks that mean you must get your colleagues out of a country quickly. But safety and security are also in the everyday. Think city safety tips, choosing safe accommodation and vetting suppliers. Or what to do if someone loses their passport or is stuck when a border closes.
From managing travel concerns with trustworthy advice and 24/7 support, to health and safety dashboards and traveler tracking. Safety must be part of your managed travel arsenal.
Does it sound overwhelming? Don’t stress. Keep scrolling for advice and insights to get started.
Checklist: Safer travel
Be prepared! There are simple steps that you and your travelers can make to have safer business trips. From packing their bags to on the road and what to do after; here’s a checklist to think about.
Trust in the tech
As a business owner or travel manager, keeping your travelers safe is your top priority. One that could keep you up at night. (Why do things always go wrong after hours?)
Luckily, we have the tools, tech and expertise to support you. Even better, today’s tech is easy to use. Intrigued? Find out exactly how to make the most our risk management tools in your travel program.
The lowdown on traveler tracking
Hear it from our customers
Corporate Traveler was drafted in to manage the complex travel bookings and amendments for the crew of Blast! Films show “Flying to the Ends of the Earth.”
When disaster struck, we had to get the crew home.
READ THE CASE STUDY
Traveler wellbeing
What you’ll learn
- Your traveler’s safety extends to mental health and wellbeing.
- Bad habits creep up on work trips, how do you encourage balance?
- Get back to the basics – keep it simple and clear.
- Your policy and travel choices can show you care.
Work trips shouldn’t take a toll on physical and mental health.
Maintaining a balance still applies when your colleagues are on the road visiting offices, attending conferences or meeting up for work. Everyone performs at their best when a work trip goes to plan – even something as simple as a decent nights’ sleep makes a huge impact. Or perhaps they just want a flight time that allows them to keep up a fitness routine.
If you are the one setting the travel policy or booking travel, there are ways you can support wellbeing through your policies and supplier choices.
What to remember with people on the road
It's exciting to get out there in the world! Less screen time and more in-person time is always a win. But gone are the days of back-to-back trips and red-eye flights, and there’s more expectation than ever to keep staff safe.
Your TravelFit guide
Late nights, networking drinks and client lunches easily turn into less sleep, more calories and a day with a fuzzy headache. But many travelers are turning a page, so we grilled our Healthwise team to get tips on keeping track of your health while traveling for work. This is one to share with your colleagues.
Wellness vs Sustainability vs Cost
So, we’re focused on wellbeing for this chapter. But there’s no hiding from the fact that some of the measures that make happier travelers will cost more than other options and may cause more damage to our environment. Is there a way to balance all three?
5 questions to ask
Keen to make sure you have happy travelers? It’s time to really think about the balance they’re craving, and the ways you can actively start to implement change. Ask yourself these five questions for a great place to start.
Expense management
What you’ll learn
- How to build a business travel expense policy step-by-step
- There’s a simple solution to managing traveler’s expenses
Build a policy that puts your expenses in check.
There’s no question that without a policy in place, business travel expenses can get out of control, quickly. But there’s no point in building a policy if it isn’t communicated well.
With this guide, we’ll take you through building a travel and expense policy step-by-step, and even give you a template to work from.
Simplify expense management with Ramp
Managing business travel expenses is all about striking the right balance. You need a system that’s easy to operate, keeps costs in check, and offers flexibility when travel plans go awry.
Nobody enjoys additional administrative tasks, especially during business trips. Handling travel expenses consumes valuable time for internal teams and busy professionals. Common frustrations include misplaced receipts, postponed reimbursements, and adhering to company policies.
So, how can we make it better, more intuitive and less of a headache?
Ramp’s smart corporate card and powerful expense automations are designed to save you time and money on business travel. With an easy setup and smooth integration with Corporate Traveler and Melon, you can start your journey with minimal fuss. Best of all, it's free for all USA-based Corporate Traveler users as part of our suite of technology solutions!
Tool 4: Corporate travel savings and reporting
Corporate travel savings
What you’ll learn
- Saving on business travel is about much more than the cheapest fare.
- There’s some low-hanging fruit to know about.
- It’s not just the financial cost you need to consider.
- There’s a template to help.
Saving money is about more than the cheapest price.
No one should be overpaying for corporate travel rates. You need to know exactly what you’re spending on business trips, where to get the best travel deals, and how to stay under budget. Plus, booking travel isn’t just about getting the cheapest rates, especially if your flight gets canceled or needs to be rearranged.
Step back and look across the entire travel program. Is Mary in Sales spending too much time on InsertAirlineHere.com when she should be closing deals or running sales training? That’s the train of thought to jump on.
Working with a travel partner can save companies up to 18% per work trip and drive up to 25% in corporate travel discounts. Keep scrolling to read about some of the quick wins, and the bigger savings steps.
5 quick wins to save money. Jackpot!
It’s no secret that booking business travel in advance usually means better rates, but there are plenty of other ways to save too!
Here are five quick wins to get you started.
Money (and stress)-saving reasons to offload your travel admin
Despite what its label suggests, a managed travel program can still give your teams a lot of freedom.
Here are some of the more obscure ways to save on business travel...
Savings across the travel industry
Here are a handful of ways to get moving when it comes to saving money with airlines, hotels and ground transport providers.
Guide: Don’t pinch pennies. Make smart savings.
Business travel putting a dent in your company budget? As line items go – business travel can pack a punch but there’s insider ways to get impressive savings. Download this guide for advice on:
- Slashing the biggest costs first.
- How to spend wisely.
- Next level savings.
Plus, we show you how one of our customers saved big on their own business travel.
Data and analytics
What you’ll learn
- How data can elevate business travel.
- Travel data spans more than financial.
- How a client saved $1000s.
There's power in travel data.
You've carefully crafted your travel policy, introduced a new TMC to your colleagues, and everyone’s booking happily either on the phone, through the tool or over chat.
Your next important tool is your travel data. With bookings flowing through one TMC, you’re probably about to have more data than you can handle. You'll learn what your company’s popular routes are, where hotels are being booked, how much is being spent on travel in total.
Ditch those Excel attachments though – instead you’ll get real-time snapshots and detailed analytics of financial, sustainability and risk data. Your Customer Success Manager can shed light on how you can use that data to make further optimizations and save more time and money.
Use data to bring certainty to changes
What types of data analytics are out there, and how can they help you make informed decisions? This blog breaks down how streamlining your data and having access to dashboards can elevate business travel.
How new processes led to $18k in travel savings
Even when you’re paying for the services of a TMC, there’s thousands that can be saved. Discover how Beyond Energy saved with tactics such as:
- Improving processes
- Detailed reporting
- Negotiating special discounts
Corporate travel rates & perks
What you’ll learn
- There are plenty of ways to squeeze the best value out of your travel.
- A good travel partner should always deliver extra savings and deals.
- Bespoke deals, just for your business, are totally possible.
Roll on the travel extras!
Wi-Fi, lounge access, room upgrades, flexible cancellation, car parking! Your TMC should have a black book of deals and contacts to not only secure the best prices around but package up all the things you’d expect to be included in an air or hotel price.
In the travel world, these different options are called ‘content’. It's how travelers can see different prices and options in the online booking tool – with each clearly displaying what the price includes and any restrictions. There are millions of options; content can even include rates from websites like Expedia.
How do you know you’re getting the widest range of content, and the best prices out there? Well, a travel partner, but also with the help of the below blogs and guides.
6 reasons why it’s worth booking hotels with a TMC
It can be tricky to convince your employees to book with your TMC, especially if they are used to booking online with whoever they want. We've listed some of the benefits of booking your hotel night through a TMC (well, us).
Hotel savings you can bank on
Who doesn’t love the best rate in town? But do you really have the hours to spend searching Booking.com, Expedia and hotel websites? Probably not. A combination of your TMC’s hotel specialist teams (with all the insider knowledge) and travel technology can secure you those savings. Suite! (see what we did there?)
The techy side of air pricing
If you read up on business travel frequently, you’ll often hear the terms GDS and NDC. It all goes back to when the internet changed the travel industry, and how technology adapted to make sure companies like you get the best prices. If you’d like to know the background, this is the guide to read!
Loyalty programs
What you’ll learn
- Loyalty programs are great for individuals and companies.
- Improve the travel experience for your colleagues.
- Save money along the way.
Points don’t have to be sacrificed with managed travel.
Travel suppliers are on a relentless mission to get more people to sign up for their loyalty programs. By knowing preferences and booking habits, they can offer an experience, perks and deals that they know will delight each individual traveler. Noone can deny that’s a better experience.
With all that on offer, it’s common for your colleagues to ask why they still need to use a TMC. But going back to the start of this toolkit – DIY bookings aren’t great for business, and this toolkit has armed you with even more reasons why managed travel and a TMC makes sense.
Plus, travelers can still earn points when booking with a TMC, and there’s corporate programs you can sign up to! Keep scrolling to understand more.
The lowdown on airline loyalty programs
Airlines don’t just have personal loyalty programs; there’s corporate ones available too. Read about the top airline loyalty schemes and the rewards you get for each. We'll also share how your company and travelers can still earn points when booking with us.
Tool 5 - Sustainable business travel
What you’ll learn
- Why sustainability in travel matters
- How to align with company goals.
- Tips and tools to help you.
- What in the world are we doing about sustainability?
Empower your travelers with sustainable travel choices
While travel might not be a large amount of your company’s carbon footprint, it’s one that is often top of mind. You may be getting questions from either your bosses or travelers such as:
- Can we encourage people to take the train over flying?
- How can we reduce our company travel footprint?
- Is this hotel brand sustainable and ethical?
- Can I use an electric car hire option?
As you can tell – sustainability is a consideration across the entire business travel process. Whether you want to start using more sustainable suppliers, change up your travel policy or offset your footprint; your TMC can help with a plan and strategy. Keep scrolling for tips and advice to get started.
Sustainability and making your business travel count
It’s possible to reach your business’ sustainability goals and get to where you need to be by making each trip count. We’ll look at:
- What actions can be taken to make it count
- Small steps for bigger impact
- How airlines are helping
Ready to add a TMC to your toolkit?
Talk to Corporate Traveler today; the travel management company for small and medium-sized organisations.