How Tech Solutions Have Changed How Corporate Travel Agents Book Trips

How Tech Solutions Have Changed How Corporate Travel Agents Book Trips

Technology means you can book an airline ticket in seconds. Gone are the days when corporate travel involved ringing up airlines, setting up separate accounts, and juggling paperwork. 

Corporate travel has evolved with technology, allowing corporate travel managers and employees to get real-time insights into trips and access to competitive rates. Over 445 million business trips happen every year, with corporate travelers making up 12% of airline passengers.

Tech solutions are making corporate travel more affordable and faster to book for travel agents, finance managers, and employees. We’re exploring how the evolution of technology has made complicated corporate travel more streamlined with simplified booking systems. 

Roundtrip Blog
495
7 minutes read

Why is corporate travel complicated?

Booking corporate travel isn’t like organizing a vacation. It’s more complicated as travel agents and finance managers find themselves juggling multiple trips at once and having to abide by the company’s travel policies and budget restrictions. 

Travel agents must ensure that employees have accurate travel information and can check-in for flights and hotels without any problems. After the pandemic, corporate travel has been experiencing a boom as business gets back to usual – with even more firms starting to travel. 

Booking corporate travel isn’t like organizing a vacation. It’s more complicated as travel agents and finance managers find themselves juggling multiple trips at once and having to abide by the company’s travel policies and budget restrictions. 
Photo: Africa Studio/ Shutterstock.com

Research by WPI Economics suggests that “nearly half of the firms that did not fly prior to the pandemic expect to do so by 2024.” 

The increased demand for corporate travel means tech solutions are crucial to streamline every step of the booking process and itinerary. 

At Roundtrip, our goal is to simplify corporate travel to let you focus on what really matters.

Our user-friendly interface allows you to book any travel service in less than a minute with access to competitive rates and millions of hotels.

How technology has transformed corporate travel

The latest technology has made the booking process more time-efficient and convenient, with customizable options to suit every company’s needs.

Artificial intelligence and automation offer corporations and employees insights into their travel as manual bookings are replaced by integrated systems.

The latest technology has made the booking process more time-efficient and convenient, with customizable options to suit every company’s needs.
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Corporate travel agents can seamlessly manage multiple bookings, with employees accessing their travel plans on the go. We’re exploring how technology has transformed corporate travel and simplified every step, from booking to expense reporting. 

You can book corporate travel in under 60 seconds with Roundtrip.

Electronic payments

Corporate travel includes multiple transactions, from booking transport and accommodation to costs incurred during the trip, such as car rental, parking, and airport expenses. Every company manages its finances differently, whether it’s with company credit cards or expense accounts. If you’re organizing corporate travel internationally, paying on a credit card can incur currency exchange costs and additional fees. 

It’s impractical to carry out their transactions with cash or a cheque, especially for international travel. Technology has jumped in with a solution. Corporate travel agents and employees can choose from a range of payment options online or in person. Electronic payments make it easier to keep on top of invoicing for expenses and tax reporting.

Corporate travel agents and employees can choose from a range of payment options online or in person.
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Roundtrip enables you to pay for your trip in a way that suits your company’s finances. Choose from a credit card, payment link, invoice, or payment at check-in. With Roundtrip you can use cashback through our loyal program to book hotels and upgrade room categories.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is everywhere you look in today’s travel industry. Every time you search for a flight or hotel, AI is filtering through thousands of options to give you the most relevant options. 

Searching through dozens of airline websites and hotel operators can still be time-consuming. Corporate travel agents and employees must ensure that potential options meet the company’s travel policy.

Every time you search for a flight or hotel, AI is filtering through thousands of options to give you the most relevant options. 
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AI is working to customize corporate travel and streamline booking options with management software that leverages data insights and pre-set travel options. 

Roundtrip makes it easier to select accommodation options based on your company’s travel policies.

You get access to exclusive rates and a wide inventory from our international partners. Easily filter through accommodation and transport options that match your company’s travel policy to book within just two clicks.

AI will continue to track your travel bookings to offer better personalization for future bookings, helping you book faster with options that suit your travel policy and budget.

Automated expense reporting

Corporate travel can be a nightmare for finance teams. They’re left with bundles of paper receipts, invoices, and expenses to keep track of. Accurate reporting is essential to ensure employees have their expenses covered and the company correctly files their financial reports.

A digital workflow makes financial reporting more efficient, allowing managers to quickly approve expenses and file receipts accordingly. 
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The latest travel technology offers expense management automation, replacing manual systems with digital accounts for instant access. Finance teams can be more efficient with extra transparency on corporate travel bookings. 

Replacing traditional receipts with automated expense reporting offers extra risk management by preventing fraud and incorrect filings.

Companies can easily transition to automated expenses with simplified business travel solutions like Roundtrip. 

We offer access to downloadable invoices and reports to make expensing and financial reporting easy. Finance teams can merge orders into registers, manage accounts, and consolidate invoices to make expense reporting more efficient. A digital workflow makes financial reporting more efficient, allowing managers to quickly approve expenses and file receipts accordingly. 

Companies can further digitalize their corporate travel accounting by using the “Additional Expenses” tab of their Roundtrip account to upload digital receipts for everything from business dinners to dry-cleaning. 

Dedicated customer support

Even the most frequent corporate travelers can find themselves dealing with unexpected hiccups. Companies have a duty of care to their employees while traveling, ensuring risk management, and providing alternative options if an emergency arises.

Your account manager can help with any corporate travel emergencies and facilitate last-minute changes to keep everything stress-free. 
Photo: DC Studio/ Shutterstock.

Delayed flights are one of the biggest concerns for business travelers, a problem faced by over 65%, with more than 30% dealing with flight cancellations. Our customer service team is on hand to help with rebooking and managing flight delays.

We have a dedicated team of multi-lingual account managers at Roundtrip available 24/7 with an exclusive pre-service service to make travel stress-free.

Your account manager can help with any corporate travel emergencies and facilitate last-minute changes to keep everything stress-free. Give your employees access to your Roundtrip account to manage their bookings at any stage, even if something comes up outside of office hours. 

Integrated booking systems

Work trips used to be complicated, with travel booking each part individually. These booking options are more time-intensive and often cost your company more as it’s difficult to compare prices from different providers. Instead of getting an instant overview, you have to manually compare options. Integrated booking systems put everything under one roof, from car rentals to accommodation and airline tickets.

Corporate travel agents can get an instant overview of travel costs for easy budgeting. Roundtrip’s user-friendly interface means you can book any travel service in less than 60 seconds, making it quicker than ordering your morning coffee. 

Integrated booking systems put everything under one roof, from car rentals to accommodation and airline tickets.
Photo: SvetaZi / Shutterstock.com

Empower your employees to book their corporate travel with access to Roundtrip. Our integrated booking system has a mass upload tool and invitation link to delegate travel booking to other employees with full transparency. 

Travel agents and finance managers can create employee profiles to automate booking information and reduce common errors, like spelling mistakes. Name changes can cost more than the original ticket, and integrated employee profiles can minimize this unnecessary expense. 

Booking through apps and online platforms

Corporate travel no longer involves ringing up an airline or calling around hotels for the best deal. Travel booking tools include user-friendly apps and websites that offer a seamless experience. Airlines apps provide real-time travel updates for extra peace of mind and flight tracking. Last-minute corporate travel just got easier with the Roundtrip app.

You can get instant access to your account and book any service directly through our app, including downloading vouchers and adding travel information.

Data insights and travel analysis

Data powers everything in business. Tech solutions provide companies with real-time travel data to analyze spending and policy compliance. Utilizing this data enables companies to optimize their travel planning and identify areas for potential savings. 

Tech solutions provide companies with real-time travel data to analyze spending and policy compliance. Utilizing this data enables companies to optimize their travel planning and identify areas for potential savings.
Photo: ekapol sirachainan / Shutterstock.com

Leveraging data enables companies to ensure their travel expenses align with the company’s objectives and long-term goals. Travel management solutions like Roundtrip give insights into travel trends and trip transparency to develop your company’s travel policy. 

Corporate travel made easy with Roundtrip

Corporate travel has become more efficient, affordable, and manageable with technological advances. Companies have real-time data and access to competitive rates with travel management software that ensures policy compliance and 24/7 customer support. 

Our online booking platform is designed for corporate travel managers and employees alike, putting all the resources you need on one website – from airline and train tickets to hotels and transfers.


Get started with Roundtrip today to streamline your corporate travel with access to 2.5 million hotels in 220 countries and special rates on airline tickets. 

Book now

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