How to Build a Successful Corporate Travel Program

Contents

• What is a corporate travel program?
• Why is a corporate travel program important?
• The benefits of launching a corporate travel program
• 5 best practices to build an effective corporate travel program
• Simplify corporate travel planning and management with Roundtrip
  

What is a corporate travel program?

A corporate travel program is a system that defines a company’s approach to business travel. It helps organizations meet their travel needs and deliver a smooth experience for corporate travelers. This end-to-end system provides a framework for arranging and managing business trips. By streamlining the process, corporate travel programs ensure cost-efficiency, traveler comfort and safety, and policy compliance. 

Some people use corporate travel programs and travel policy interchangeably. However, these terms don’t mean the same thing. A travel policy defines the company’s rules and guidelines that its employees must follow during business trips. It doesn’t offer a holistic framework for execution and management.

A corporate travel program sets up procedures for business travel and provides booking rules and expense management tutorials.

As a travel manager, you can enhance your company’s programs by partnering with airlines and travel agencies. These guidelines and partnerships can minimize travel expenses for the company and its employees.

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Why is a corporate travel program important?

Organizing business travel is complicated. It gives many corporate travel managers sleepless nights. A business travel program can eliminate your worries.

Here are three reasons why your company needs a corporate travel program:

Streamline travel planning

As a corporate travel manager, you understand the benefits of planning trips in advance. Air ticket price fluctuations and accommodation availability issues can derail your plans.

An effective corporate travel program can handle all aspects of business trips, from booking hotels, flights, and train tickets to tracking expenses.

The system streamlines the booking process to help you avoid last-minute surprises.

Adhere to travel policies

Corporate travel managers implement travel policies organization-wide. These policies define budgetary, disbursements, and compliance requirements for traveling employees. How does your company define corporate travel? Which expenses are reimbursable? With a corporate travel program, you can ensure all business trips align with the company’s travel policy. 

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Centralize business travel processes

Corporate travel consists of several procedures and activities, from creating itineraries to ensuring travelers’ safety and tracking expenses. Each event introduces unique risks and challenges. The situation is worsened by cancellations and unforeseen events.

A corporate travel program can help centralize and visualize all business travel processes in one location.

For example, you can use Roundtrip to plan and manage business travel and book hotels, flights, or a transfer quickly and easily. Implementing these processes on a single online booking platform can simplify corporate travel management and ensure employees enjoy hassle-free trips. 

The benefits of launching a corporate travel program

Business travel isn’t immune to environmental and socioeconomic challenges and conditions. Issues like extreme weather and airline strikes can derail your travel plans. A corporate travel program can help you mitigate risks. It eliminates the guesswork in planning and execution.

Here are the benefits of creating and launching a corporate travel program:

Avoid errors

Corporate travel is time-sensitive, unlike personal trips. Remember, companies compete for the same opportunities and customers. A corporate travel program can eliminate these risks by streamlining planning. An online booking platform can enhance predictability and accuracy in business travel planning and management. For example, Roundtrip uses employee profiles to provide specific details when they book services. This feature eliminates human errors with check-in or flights. 

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Save time

Corporate travel programs leverage the company’s policies with technology. For example, you can use an online booking platform like Roundtrip to automate travel plans and policies.

This tech-driven approach simplifies the process and saves time. Employees can focus on revenue-generating activities instead of wasting time on travel arrangements.

Ensure travel safety

Traveling to a new city or another country can expose travelers to safety risks, such as weather disruptions, geopolitical issues, and medical emergencies. A travel program helps companies establish safety protocols.

For example, Roundtrip has a dedicated team on standby 24/7 to help business travelers solve issues during their trips. This approach enhances the safety of employees on the road. 

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Minimize business travel expenses

You can implement a travel program with an online booking platform, like Roundtrip, to help travelers find hotels, flights, and train tickets. It will guide booking procedures and ensure employees select cost-effective travel services. As a corporate travel manager, you can leverage the booking platform to capitalize on offers and group discounts and track employee travel expenses. Standardizing these processes can save your company money.

A corporate travel program standardizes business trips according to your company’s policies.

5 best practices to build an effective corporate travel program

An effective corporate travel program should be customized to your company’s travel needs. There’s no one-fits-all plan for all organizations and business travelers. Fortunately, building a corporate travel program isn’t complicated. Understand your company’s travel policies and needs. Then, find reliable tools to implement them.

Here are five best practices for creating an effective corporate travel program: 

Step 1: Analyze your company’s travel needs

Why does your company need a corporate travel program? Startups engage in business travel to find investors or introduce consumers to their products. These trips may be shorter and cheaper than weeks-long conferences and trade events attended by established companies. Determine your company’s frequent business travelers, travel frequency, popular destinations, and accommodation and transportation options.

Then, analyze the state of your organization’s corporate travel program. What policies or processes guide employees’ travel and booking procedures? Does the company use an online booking platform? This information lays the foundation for a successful corporate travel program. 

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Step 2: Refine your company’s travel policies and processes

What gaps exist in your company’s travel policy and process? The idea is to fill these gaps to create an effective program. First, define what qualifies as a business travel expense. Then, refine your company’s travel policies with clear guidelines for booking and reimbursement procedures. Ensure the policies align with your company’s objectives, budget constraints, and compliance requirements. 

Step 3: Select the best travel model based on your policies 

You’ll need a business travel model to implement the policies. You can use the mandated model if your company has strict travel policies. Employees must book hotels and flights using dedicated travel providers and specified payment methods. However, it isn’t the best option if your company doesn’t want to outsource the booking process to a third-party travel management company. 

You can create a custom strategy that meets your company’s unique business travel needs.

Companies prioritizing employees’ freedom and autonomy in booking decisions can use the open-booking model. However, it can complicate travel expense tracking. Another option is the hybrid model that blends mandated and open-booking models.

For example, you can allow employees to book travel services but restrict them to a specific online booking platform. 

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Step 4: Choose a travel planning and management platform

A reliable online booking platform is the cornerstone of a corporate travel program. Analyze the model you picked in Step 3. Then, select an online booking platform that aligns with your company’s policies and processes. The best solution should meet the needs of all stakeholders and provide 24/7 support and flexible payment options. It should also offer comprehensive travel services, including hotels, flights, and train tickets. One online booking platform that fulfills these requirements is Roundtrip. This system helps corporate travel managers, finance teams, and employees plan and manage business trips. 

Step 5: Implement your corporate travel program

Corporate travel managers can use a platform like Roundtrip to implement their travel programs. This service offers user-friendly tools for automating travel plans and policies.

A reliable online booking platform is essential for building a successful corporate travel program. With Roundtrip, employees can access travel services using an invitation link or a mass upload tool. This system also provides downloadable invoices and reports to simplify travel expense tracking.

Simplify corporate travel planning and management with Roundtrip

Corporate travel managers, finance teams, and employees can automate their travel plans and policies with Roundtrip. Our online booking platform simplifies corporate travel with user-friendly tools and robust features. It provides access to over 2.6 million hotels, transfers, car rentals, and airline tickets.

Get started with Roundtrip today to streamline your corporate travel programs.

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