How to Tackle Three of the Top Challenges Faced by Travel Managers

According to a new GBTA survey of travel managers, the travel ecosystem continues to change. Having the right tools to tackle the issues posed by these changes can enable you to deliver even more significant value to your organization. Here are three top challenges faced by travel managers today, and how you can overcome them.

Learn more about the changing travel landscape: Download the full GBTA report 

Policy compliance and invisible spend

An average of 37% of hotel bookings, and 15% of air bookings occur outside of corporate booking channels. With TripLink, part of Concur Travel, you can capture direct bookings without encouraging them so you can ensure your company receives your negotiated rates and you can apply policy.

Traveler experience

Many companies today are becoming more traveler focused. In fact, 34% of travel managers surveyed by GBTA said they’re spending more time communicating directly with travelers or addressing their concerns. Travel managers can meet this demand with TripIt. TripIt helps travelers get to where they’re going with features like Go Now ­– features like Go Now that alerts travelers when it’s time to head to the airport. TripIt also provides gate notifications, airport maps, and lists of ground transportation options once travelers land.

Employee well-being and safety

According to GBTA respondents, travelers expect quick communications from their company during an emergency. However one-third of Travel Managers still do not know how long it would take to confirm every employee’s safety in an incident. Concur Locate helps you get in touch with travelers at a moments notice and begin two-way communications via voice, SMS, and email. You can also send incident analysis and pre-trip reports to keep travelers informed about dangerous situations. And, with Tripit, you can provide travelers with access to neighborhood safety scores for categories such as women's safety, political freedoms, health and medical, and theft.

Read the GBTA report Lost in Translation for a more detailed look into the issues travel managers are facing today and ideas on how to make your travel program run at its best.