As you move to increase your travel back to previous levels (and beyond) there are corporate travel services which are crucial to managing the movement of your employees around the world.
- Tracking Travel Restrictions Around The World. Even though we’re 18 months into the pandemic a wide disparity of protocols exist among different nations. In no area is this more important than in Europe. Some countries don’t allow American visitors, while other countries are moving to end all covid restrictions. Make your travelers’ job easier by letting your travel management company keep track of the changing rules. Until the pandemic is declared over (which is coming within the near future) delegate the responsibility for keeping track of the changing landscape for travelers. They have the tools to get the job done.
. - Duty of Care. Tracking where your travelers are at all times
is also crucial. What was once considered optional for corporate travel programs, is now a requirement. Even for firms who don’t do much international travel. One positive development of the pandemic is a heightened awareness about corporate stewardship and taking the extra steps to insure employee safety while they are on the road is a top consideration. Your corporate travel agency will help you assemble a suite of services to include such items as real time alerts, foreign medical coverage, emergency extraction and trip insurance. Your Account Manager can also assist you in pulling together the internal resources at your company to be ready for any emergency. Preparation regarding family contact numbers, prescriptions and medical requirements can be assembled in advance and ready for use by company managers, risk professionals and agency personnel in a moment’s notice.
. - Supplier Management. Getting the most from your suppliers is a primary function good TMCs handle. From following up on customer service issues (like no show charges at hotels and bumped airline flights) to running a hotel RFP your agency can ensure your supplier relationships are delivering the highest level of benefit. At Teplis, we are one of a select number of agencies in the U.S. to hold preferred status with the three top U.S. airlines…American, Delta and United. We also have preferred airline relationships with Air Canada, Air France, Air China, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, KLM, LAN, Lufthansa, Qatar, Qantas, Scandinavian, Singapore, Swissair, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin America and Virgin Australia. When you need an advocate, we’re ready to help.
. - Lowest Fare Guarantee. With air travel supply
and demand fluctuating wildly across markets, having a low fare guarantee will go a long way toward convincing your superiors that your firm’s travelers are always flying at the best rate. To have an agency that can deliver in this area you’ll need a TMC with a robust, multi-source fare search engine. At Teplis we take low Frosch negotiated agency rates and benefits, compare them with consortia discounts, add in any carrier-specific upgrades or corporate discounts and then check internet-only and direct connect content. And, of course, for those VIPs who like personalized fare searches we offer NDC content where price is secondary to personal preference.
. - Overall Cost Reduction. A well-managed corporate travel program has a lot of moving pieces, and the bigger the account the more likely there are stubborn, hidden cost factors which have been missed by previous TMCs or travel managers. Having a comprehensive travel review by an outside party can uncover these leaks in your travel program and get them fixed once and for all. Typical loss centers are bookings through non-preferred vendors, last-minute reservations, gas refills at the car rental location, unapproved hotel charges and international trips made online instead of with an agent where an upgrade might be available.
. - Deep Dive Reporting. Keeping on top of these cost centers moving forward is helped with the use of a powerful travel reporting system. Ideally, one where you can instantly benchmark your rates against thousands of similar travel accounts. Having the ability to examine airline, hotel and car rental rates, down to market level, will be a valuable tool in separating occassional overpayment from chronic overcharging. Also helpful are queries where individual traveler behaviors are checked, helping your managers get travelers who are costing your company money back in line. Make life easier for accounting personnel who have to process expense reports and assemble billable travel invoices, by giving them accurate data sets to do their job.
and demand fluctuating wildly across markets, having a low fare guarantee will go a long way toward convincing your superiors that your firm’s travelers are always flying at the best rate. To have an agency that can deliver in this area you’ll need a TMC with a robust, multi-source fare search engine. At Teplis we take low Frosch negotiated agency rates and benefits, compare them with consortia discounts, add in any carrier-specific upgrades or corporate discounts and then check internet-only and direct connect content. And, of course, for those VIPs who like personalized fare searches we offer NDC content where price is secondary to personal preference.
these cost centers moving forward is helped with the use of a powerful travel reporting system. Ideally, one where you can instantly benchmark your rates against thousands of similar travel accounts. Having the ability to examine airline, hotel and car rental rates, down to market level, will be a valuable tool in separating occassional overpayment from chronic overcharging. Also helpful are queries where individual traveler behaviors are checked, helping your managers get travelers who are costing your company money back in line. Make life easier for accounting personnel who have to process expense reports and assemble billable travel invoices, by giving them accurate data sets to do their job.Resist the temptation to go it alone. Corporate Travel Services are not something you should do without in a post-pandemic world. Do yourself a favor and get partnered up with our winning team at Teplis today!
