How to Streamline Business Travel

The devil is always in the detail. No matter how times you have made a travel booking, there are always situations whereby your plans can become derailed. Planning is key to ensuring a business trip is a success and it is the finer details that make the difference between an acceptable trip and a great one.   

1. Business Travel policy

Every business should have a defined travel policy– no matter the size of the company. It should clearly outline the processes and procedures that need to be followed for booking business travel. The travel policy will help everyone involved to understand which booking avenues are approved, its limits and the information that you need to book it. There will be no more quibbles or challenges to your queries – everybody will be singing to the same tune and will be able to follow the pre-determined process.

If your business doesn’t have a travel policy in place, it is advisable to speak to seniors and develop one. Business travel is extremely difficult to control, effectively, without a travel policy.

2. Delegate

Before you even finalise an itinerary, you have much work to do. You need to ensure that approval has been obtained for the trip, that all necessary travel documents are valid, diaries are re-organised, and meetings arranged. You can then start scouting for flights – finding the most appropriate flights for the relevant dates at the best possible price. You can then repeat the process for accommodation and for transfers. If plans change, which they invariably do, you then need to start back at the beginning. It is a time-consuming and frustrating process.

Booking business travel requires a huge amount of research, so delegating these tasks to a travel management company means that you don’t have to do the leg work. A business travel agent streamlines the whole process but still gives the traveller options to suit their individual and company preferences. They can even hold seats at a guaranteed price whilst you finalise your plans. Simply let your account manager know how long you will need to finalise and they will recommend a fare which will be guaranteed in the interim. This means that you can budget for the trip accurately and quote for your clients, with confidence that prices will not increase and de-rail your well-laid plans. 

Booking business travel can take hours of additional work, but you can now complete the process in minutes.

3. Itineraries

A well-planned itinerary is the backbone of every successful business trip. It influences every decision that has to be made when booking business travel but the itinerary is just as important a document for you as it is for the traveller – so ensure that it includes information that you need too. For example, confusion can occur when you are dealing with different time zones, so document both time zones for quick reference. Itineraries need to be clear and concise, but they are not just for the traveller.

PAs and EAs have a long list of responsibilities within a business and, typically, don’t have the capacity to devote a huge amount of time to finding the most suitable and best value flight options, fact-find about hotels, negotiate refunds or liaise with travellers when journeys don’t go to plan. 

But arranging business travel doesn’t have to feel like you are continuously putting out fires. A&G Corporate Travel Ltd is a specialist business travel agent who can help you. We are passionate about helping our clients achieve business success – for the short and long haul. 

We take the stress out of booking business travel. We work with you to identify your requirements so we can create a bespoke package which meets them and exceeds expectations. We’re even the point of contact, should the travel plans go off-track. A&G are an independent business travel agent, which means that the options that we provide are selected for their suitability and value, rather than to meet contractual airline targets.

Contact us today to find out more.