SME Corporate Travel Toolkit

Introduction 

It’s time to talk business travel. It’s the way your company gets it done. Travel offers growth, team bonding, creativity, solid relationships, and plenty more.  

It’s the start-ups and small to mid-sized companies (SMEs) that are powering travel’s recovery from the pandemic; jumping on planes and trains more often than the corporate giants. What does that tell us? That travel is integral to getting the job done and building successful businesses.

Over time, many SME businesses find that travel is getting a bit…out of control. You’ve seen it yourself. The team expands quickly and soon they’re travelling frequently to all corners of the world. It becomes hard to keep track of; not just where people are on a given week, but also how much it’s costing. Some of the processes can be clunky and when your people are managing their own business travel they end up spending hours trying to book trips themselves (aka DIY business travel!)

Then throw safety, health, wellbeing, and the environment into the mix. Oh, and border closures, testing requirements and ever-changing travel rules. Silently but earnestly, travel has gotten more complex.

Your next move? Just keep reading. We built this series to provide you a comprehensive view of how to build a great travel program. The most important thing is that you don’t have to do this on your own.

Want more info right away? Let’s chat!

All travel is personal, even when it’s done for work.

Your travellers have their own preferences for their business trips – from how they book, to the meals they have on the plane and the accommodation they pick. Travel is also unique for each and every business. Some companies care about containing costs, others are all about freedom of choice for their travellers, while some just want to make sure they have someone to call when things get hairy (think pandemic-sized travel disruptions!)

But every company cares about the safety of their colleagues, especially these days. There’s no room for error when it comes to traveller wellness and safety  - whether they’re in the office or out on the road.

Feeling the pressure to create all that customisation in a process that works for everyone? It doesn’t need to be difficult. Enlist a travel partner that can do all the above (and more) for you. In the travel industry these companies are commonly known as a travel management company or TMC for short.  

Want more info right away?

Let’s chat

All travel is personal, even when it’s done for work.

Your travellers have their own preferences for their business trips – from how they book, to the meals they have on the plane and the accommodation they pick. Travel is also unique for each and every business. Some companies care about containing costs, others are all about freedom of choice for their travellers, while some just want to make sure they have someone to call when things get hairy (think pandemic-sized travel disruptions!)

But every company cares about the safety of their colleagues, especially these days. There’s no room for error when it comes to traveller wellness and safety  - whether they’re in the office or out on the road.

Feeling the pressure to create all that customisation in a process that works for everyone? It doesn’t need to be difficult. Enlist a travel partner that can do all the above (and more) for you. In the travel industry these companies are commonly known as a travel management company or TMC for short.  

Want more info right away?

Let’s chat

Don’t waste another second or another Rand.  

Your business has goals and objectives beyond your travel program. In fact, it’s probably one of the least important pieces of the puzzle that is business strategy. But it’s still a big piece...and you need to make sure that you’re not overpaying.  

Booking business travel isn’t just about getting the cheapest rates, especially if your flight gets cancelled or needs to be rearranged. It ends up costing you more in the long run, in both time AND money. Now you need to consider costs from a higher vantage point; looking 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. And that’s why it pays to outsource your business travel needs to a business that knows exactly what you crave.   

New questions to ask and answer

Maybe before the days of "you’re on mute" you could try and go it alone, but things have changed in the world of business travel since the dark days of 2020. Now, instead of your travellers focusing on the best airlines for their frequent flyer points/miles, it’s flexibility, facts and communication that are vital. Plus, your travellers want to also know how your company supports the safety of women travellers and what your plans are for sustainable business travel options. There are new questions to ask and answer.

What does this mean? Your corporate travel policy needs to reflect this new world of agility, health and safety while also balancing the personal preferences of your people. A well-planned business travel policy mitigates the risk of leaving your company exposed to complications...and helps you save money too. It also makes life much easier and painless in the future.

“Sweat more in peace, bleed less in battle”

Sun Tzu.

When you spend the time and effort to get your policy right, you’re setting yourself up for massive gains in the long run.

Annnnnd, surprise! We’re here to help!

A starter policy could include instructions on booking information, domestic and international flights, accommodation and car hire/transport.

Taking your business travel policy from good to great will take a bit of time. And generally, when you’re developing a more detailed policy, the process will involve input from a few key stakeholders. But, to kick-start the process for you, here’s a template of questions to guide the first draft of your policy.

Download the Template. 

Look, we’re lucky. Travel sells itself...it’s in our human nature to connect with others; whether it’s pleasure or business. We know that every plane has a seat, every hotel has a bed, and you have choice! So how do we step up? By knowing what will make that airplane seat more comfortable, how to make that room more enjoyable and what will make the whole journey way smoother. That way, your travellers can perform at their peak. 

That starts and ends with our people. And we’re not just talking about our Travel Managers. It’s also all of our other people who sit behind the scenes. The onboarding experts that hold your hand through the process, the in-house emergency service team, the customer success teams and the negotiators that work with the airlines and hotels to secure the best possible rates. It takes an army of travel experts, all fighting for you and your success (and here at Corporate Traveller we’ve been doing it for 40 years).  

Who's on your team

Meet your team

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.  

Read blog 

The onboarding process 

3, 2, 1…wheels up! 

Here’s a pointer... whenever you tell the team that you’ve partnered with a new travel management company, you’ll likely hear concern about employees wanting freedom to book how they wish. Some like to book online, others prefer to get someone else to handle absolutely everything. We’ve already shown you how we deliver when it comes to personalised service....so let’s show you how our tech solution is up to the challenge for those who prefer to book online. 

Truth be told, the online booking piece is the easiest. It really is. We’ve integrated hundreds of airlines, hotels and car rentals into our platform, so we serve up everything to your travellers instantly. Literally, we even include small regional airlines that operate in the remote corners of the earth. The real magic comes when our technology begins to understand each traveller’s preferences and we start to serve up products that we know they’ll love – favourite airlines, familiar hotels, and flight times that suit each schedule...the list goes on. 

On top of a seamless booking experience, our other tech tools are top notch too. We’ve got you covered with authorisation, risk management, reporting and a very cool mobile app called Sam :]. 

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. 

Tech Vs Touch: The Great Balancing Act

A report from travel website Skift indicated that 70% of travellers have at some stage, felt they’ve had to fend for themselves when something went wrong while travelling.  

Why is this? 

Is it because the traveller didn’t have the tight tech to inform them of a disruption and connect them to instant support or was it because the chatbot was useless for taking control of the situation? 

Companies that will stand out in the future are those that know how to strike the perfect balance between automation and human assistance.  
After all, one can’t exist without the other. 

Download our insights piece into why tech and touch = is such a delicate balancing act. 

Tech Vs Touch: The Great Balancing Act

Have you met Sam? 

Want a travel assistant that fits in your pocket and tells you when there’s a delay that will affect your travel plans before everyone else knows? Meet Sam! 

It’s the topic sweeping businesses globally...sustainability. You’ve likely heard it buzzing around your office and across your social feeds, and for good reason. The reality is that businesses and individuals need to start taking sustainability seriously but knowing where to begin can be a bit overwhelming. That’s why it’s important to work with a partner that has similar values and is committed to help your business become more progressive. 

Listen, we won’t claim to know everything about everything, but we can give you some resources, ideas, and a bit of help to get you started. We’re in the business of travel, so our wheelhouse is helping you make your business travel count. We’re on the journey with you, and if we all start taking a personal stake, it’s amazing what we can accomplish. Let’s go! 

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 

Read how to make it count

What in the world are we doing about sustainability? 

When it comes to sustainability you have to lead by example. That’s why Corporate Traveller is committed to walking the walk.  

Find out what actions we’re taking so far, and how we’re being put to the test...

Read more

Guide: Planting the seeds for sustainable business travel  

Ready to get started? We’ve got you covered. This guide covers a range of ideas to get you thinking about:  

• Why sustainability matters 
• Why aligning with company goals and objectives on sustainability is so important 
• Policy advice and account management 
• How you can begin  

Download guide 

Tools to dial up your sustainability  

We’re making it easier to track your travel, understand the more responsible options out there, and build your sustainability policies as part of your travel programme.  

Have a look at some of the tools that can get you started. 

Read more  

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 are five top technology tools SMEs need for business travel. 

Read more 

• What a perfect business travel team looks like
• Everything you need when it comes to business travel tech
• Sustainability and your business travel
• Travel risk management and protecting your people
• How reporting and analysis optimises your program
• Scoring exclusive deals and other benefits