What is a managed travel service?
As depicted by its name, a managed travel service is related to management and traveling. Well in clearer terms these services are hired by the business so that a separate person can travel with the company as “Scheduling and reminding” agent and making sure that everyone is on track.
We know that traveling for business is extremely important for its success and expansion. People tend to set out on business trips with goals and missions. The travel management services send single or multiple agents depending upon the size of the travelers and the company.
They schedule appointments, make sure that everyone is on the right track and well prepared, discuss the agenda of the meetings, book hotels and conveyance and what not.
You must be wondering if it is a good investment for the company. Well once you go through the benefits of the services you will understand that having a planner around you is not a bad deal after all.
Benefits
Generate an ROI
A Travel management company works under budget and makes sure that you don’t go way too overboard with your expenditures. We all know that for a business to succeed, a positive Return On Investment is crucial. While your employees traveling alone can make the best decision for your business but they certainly won’t consider it a big deal to manage a record of the costs – it’s a paid trip after all!
While on the other hand hiring a TMC will act as a cost controller and manager on your behalf; observing and evaluating all the expenditures s they can maximize the cost savings while everyone has a comfortable and a good time.
Travel Policy Development
Before you travel you must consider a travel policy. The experts of the industry advice the companies on optimizing their travel policies and introduce a travel manager to increase productivity as well as using the internet to plan and manage your upcoming travel. Their tools and services to book and plan the corporate travel online can save some cash.
Risk and Crisis Management
It is their duty as your travel managers to ensure that everyone on the business trip is safe and does not face any inconvenience when it comes to travel and stay. Pairing up with a TMC will significantly reduce the risk of inconvenience and hazards because of their tools that help track the traveler, support in time of crisis and provides effective communication between the stakeholders and the employees representing the trip.
Efficient Travel policies
With a travel manager on your end, it is fairly obvious that you will not be the one taking care of the travel needs or planning what to do next. A plan will be discussed with the employees and upon everyone’s consent, the business trip can commence. They will also work towards building a relationship with employees to determine employee satisfaction and to evaluate if all their needs have been taken care of.
Deals and Discounts
These companies have contacts in the relevant market that you won’t have. Having a travel management service at you back will mean that you can get a discount at the possible hotels you are staying in or at the restaurants that offer discounts for foreigners on business meetings. All in all, they can offer a good deal when it comes to corporate travel and you can save costs for the time.
Consultation and Management
Having professional and dedicated individuals at the back end of the entire trip can help you in obtaining your objective and goal for the trip. How better can you perform when all your employees are on track everything is scheduled as planned and no one is complaining about any last-minute inconvenience. All this is possible because of the ability to optimize your plans.
Professionals
Despite all the employee care benefits and cost savings, the agents that are usually opted to travel with a certain corporate party have the knowledge and information about the area and they can help their clients have a better insight of the area they are at.
Round the clock availability
Whether it is3am in the morning or 3 pm at noon, if you are not feeling up to the par or your employees have these sudden emergency requirements, your agent will always be there for you to assist you in all aspects of the situation.
Information Centre
The companies can assist a business to make clear decisions about their travel and what the requirements are. A professional company will have the exact and precise knowledge about the area you are going to and hence they can provide you with optimal results within minutes.
Hire the best!
When it comes to hiring the most convenient company for you, you must do market research and review analysis before finalizing the right person for yourself.
- Set a budget for the Managed travel service you are opting for
- Perform research on which companies can work within your budget
- Check the proficiency of the company and the agent
- Elaborate them in detail about what you are expecting and how you need improvement
- Ask them questions about travel and their basic procedures to enhance the efficiency of the travel.
- Make it clear about your demands and expectations
- Observe that a TMC should be able to save at least 10-12% amount that you have budgeted.
Conclusion
When it comes to corporate travels, yielding the best outcomes is crucial. It is important that you consider hiring someone to take in the role of a travel manager. Working side by side with a travel management company can yield you benefits that you could not process solo. They take care of your employees, save you money and also have the capacity to work under a budget. When you are getting an advantage by investing a bit more than what you already are, it can prove to be a good investment.