7 Ways to Save By Outsourcing Your Travel Management

Whether you’re running a national or global business, corporate travel is an essential investment in the success of your organisation. Travel expenses are generally the second or third highest cost after wages. With outsourcing travel management to experts, your corporate travel costs don’t have to spiral out of control.

An increasing number of businesses are realising the benefits of outsourcing their travel to professional corporate travel management companies (TMCs).

Here are seven ways placing your corporate travel in the hands of a professional TMC can save your business.

 

1.   Save by streamlining your processes.

When you use a TMC, you have one central person or team managing all your travel requirements. This means processes can be more easily streamlined rather than having various people involved in booking travel.

 

2.   Save by managing KPIs and meeting performance targets.

Setting and measuring KPIs is easier when you’re only dealing with one supplier. Performance is easier to keep track of, so you can see what’s working and what isn’t at a glance. TMCs can provide regular reporting and added transparency regarding your corporate travel costs.

 

3.   Save by keeping track of budgets and travel spend.

Trying to ensure multiple employees stay on budget and adhere to company policies when they are booking their corporate travel can be challenging. If you have a strong policy in place, you’ll minimise non-compliance and even eliminate it if the TMC uses the right tools.

 

4.   Save by increasing staff productivity.

When they don’t have to spend time arranging travel, your employees can focus on what they do best. This can improve productivity because staff will not be distracted with travel concerns that can take hours to manage. Instead, they can do the jobs they’re hired to do.

 

5.   Save with more effective problem-solving.

If an employee gets stranded at the airport, misses their connecting flight or loses their luggage, an experienced TMC will know how to handle the situation in the most effective, cost-saving way. This reduces the likelihood that a travel mishap will lead to a budget blowout or other unfortunate consequences.

 

6.   Save with negotiated discounts.

Most TMCs have negotiated discounts with providers including car hire companies, hotels and airlines. Working with them lets you access these discounts and save money.

 

7.   Save time with tools.

Good TMCs use technology to their advantage. Online booking tools like Alienta help simplify the process of booking travel and allow you to access the best fares and rates possible on even rail and ferries. This not only saves your business money, it saves time as you know your employees are taking the fastest route from A to B (and C, D and E).

For businesses that rely on travel for their survival and growth, the cost can be significant. Outsourcing your travel management affords you the dual benefits of being able to save, while also getting a better level of service.

New Corporate Travel Technology Takes Off

The demand for corporate travel in Australia has grown in recent years, and with it the demand for corporate travel services and new corporate travel technology. At the same time, evolving corporate structures mean that the idea of having a single department responsible for booking travel is becoming redundant for most.

Instead, busy executives are left to make their own corporate travel arrangements. This is an often-complex process that involves booking multiple flights, hotels and car hire in different destinations.

It’s more important than ever that travel management companies (TMCs) integrate digital management tools into the core of their business rather than relying on external platforms and apps.  This improves efficiencies and enables companies to keep travel costs to a minimum.

 

Disrupting the corporate travel industry

Changing consumer expectations are a significant driver of change across the travel industry as a whole. These expectations, along with a demand for transparency and greater efficiency within corporations, can be best met with the right technology.

Much as rideshare apps disrupted the taxi industry, a wave of online booking tools (OBTs) such as Serko, AeTM and Concur disrupted the corporate travel industry. Now, newcomer Alienta is further disrupting the OBT sector.

At JC Travel Professionals, we use Alienta to empower corporate travellers to manage their own travel and expenses. OBTs – and Alienta in particular – benefit our clients in a number of ways.

 

  1. Transparency

The more transparent your pricing options are, the easier it is to determine the best value fares and avoid hidden costs. Transparency is crucial in corporate travel. It allows employers to view their staff members’ searches, travel requests, provide approvals and faster processing of expense claims. Alienta combines legacy airlines, low-cost carriers and other options like trains, buses and ferries. This gives you a complete picture of your itinerary and travel expenses over an entire trip.

 

  1. Reduced costs

OBTs can help you reduce your costs by letting you compare multiple options in a single platform. It can even allow you to compare and book each leg inidviually so you can get the best price. Alienta stores and uses airline credits, individuals’ frequent flyer status and membership details. Cost savings on travel can lead to significant improvements on your business bottom line.

 

  1. Greater efficiency

When you have all the information you need in a single platform, you can optimise both time and money. Alienta integrates with multiple GDS’. This means, for example, we can view and book car hire from hundreds of worldwide companies, including preferred negotiated rates. Our clients don’t need to search for that information separately when organising flights and accommodation.

 

  1. Flexibility

Corporate travel can be unpredictable. Itineraries can change without notice and this can lead to unexpected costs, not to mention the stress of changing flights and hotel bookings. OBTs can help you manage those costs and keep them as low as possible. With Alienta, penalty and fare differences can be viewed at a glance and ticketed itineraries can be modified easily online.

 

Technology is a game changer in the corporate travel industry, and at JC Travel Professionals, we look forward to sharing the benefits of Alienta with our clients.

Plugging the Holes: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Travel Leakage

 

While many corporates have travel programs in place, bookings still fall through the cracks. Transactions take place on outside booking channels or with non-preferred airlines, hotels and car hire companies. This is what’s known as travel leakage.

Despite all efforts to create an exceptional corporate travel program, it can happen. And when it does, gaps start to form in your expenditure, your reporting and your data. This can cause administrative headaches and can cost the company significantly.

 

You’re not alone

The important thing to remember here is that you’re not alone. Almost all corporate travel programs, large or small, will experience leakage at some point in time. This is mainly because there are so many booking options out there for business travellers.

Many staff members will actually believe they’re saving you money by going for the cheaper option. Or it’s just easier to go for the booking system they are familiar with, rather than going through the appropriate (and approved) channels.

 

Why is it such an issue?

It generally costs more, even if employees believe they’re choosing the cheaper option. Airlines, hotels and car hire companies have provided discounted rates based on proven travel volume. So, any trip that goes undocumented undermines supply contracts you’ve worked so hard to obtain, and means there’s less ability to negotiate.

Fees can quickly mount up, for example penalties for altering bookings if plans change. There’s no visibility of the trip within the company reporting system either, which means you can’t accurately track travel spend.

Travel leakage can also impact your duty of care for employees. If the employee’s booking data isn’t in your central system, because it’s been booked outside, it can be difficult to locate them in case of emergency.

 

How you can avoid travel leakage

 While it might be difficult to eliminate out-of-policy travel bookings altogether, there are ways to minimise the problem.

 

Educate your employees

If employees don’t know it’s there, why would they commit to using your travel policy?

It’s crucial to educate employees about the policy, including how it affects them, what consequences there are if they don’t adhere to it, and the savings and benefits that the company gains through the policy.

 

Recognise likely offenders

There will always be those employees who have a tendency to think they are savvy enough to get a better deal! Or managers who prefer to go their own way. These are ones to keep an eye on. It’s also a good idea to include your travel policy in induction material for new hires, to make sure they aware of arrangements right from the start.

 

Make sure booking is quick and easy

For many employees, the reason they’re not using approved channels is because it’s simpler to hit the internet and find the cheapest deal. It’s also common to book outside the system due to last-minute travel decisions. Make booking through the approved channels manageable, convenient and quick, and employees will do it.

 

There’s no denying that travel leakage can negatively affect your business. But by understanding what is happening and why, and putting measures in place to mitigate it, you may be able to plug a few holes!

 

If you’d like to optimise your travel program and minimise leakage, talk to us about the right solution for your company.

JC Travel Professionals the official sponsor for the Saudi Students Graduation Ceremony in Sydney held at the University of New South Wales

 

As part of its continuous support to the Saudi Students in Australia, JC Travel Professionals was the official sponsor of the graduation ceremony and witnessed 152 Saudi students graduate with their Bachelor, Masters and PhDs in Sydney last Sunday.

JC Travel Professionals was recognised by the Chargé d’Affaires of the Saudi Arabian Embassy, H.E. Mr Meshal Al Rogi, the Saudi Cultural Attaché for Australia, Dr Hesham Khadwardi, as well as the Saudi Students General Committee in New South Wales for the continuous support of their members studying abroad across Australia and New Zealand.

To commemorate this support, a plaque was presented to Mr Freddy Mikhael, owner and managing director of JC Travel Professionals, by both Mr Al Rogi and Mr Khadwardi.

“We are very proud and humbled as an organisation to be part of this wonderful occasion and witness some successful Saudi men and women, whom JC Travel Professionals’ team has been assisting with their travel for over 12 years now, excel and graduate with high honours” said Mr Mikhael.

“We’re always overwhelmed with emotions at graduation ceremonies as we treat each and every student as part of our JC Travel Family. We feel very special to be able to celebrate with everyone and witness this exceptional occasion as these tremendous young adults prepare to embark on their next journey,” he said.

The occasion marked a great opportunity for JC Travel Professionals to introduce the new version of its online booking system which was created in both English and Arabic so the support can be extended with special discounts beyond graduation for flight and accommodation bookings worldwide.

JC Travel Professionals has been handling the Saudi Arabian students travel management needs since 2005 and have since been involved in many occasions to support the various student clubs and organisations across Australia and New Zealand.

Freddy Mikhael is photographed receiving a THANK YOU PLAQUE in recognition of JC Travel Professionals continuous support of the Saudi Students with H.E. Mr Meshal Al Rogi, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Dr Hesham Khadwardi, the Saudi Cultural Attaché’ in Australia.

Australia decreases paperwork for its outgoing travellers

Have you ever noticed the large crowds lingering around the main entrance of the departure gates at Australia’s international airports?

You’d generally find two kinds of people there; a minority bidding their loved ones farewell and a majority frantically filling out their outgoing passenger card.

As of the 1st of July, 2017, these crowds have thoroughly thinned out with the elimination of the outgoing passenger cards.

The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, The Hon Peter Dutton MP, said the Government is committed to improving the traveller experience. Reducing regulation such as this one aims to get travellers to their destination more quickly by supporting a “move towards a more seamless, secure and simplified clearance process.”

Those entering Australia will still be required to fill out the paper-based incoming passenger card. The information collected on both the outgoing and incoming passenger cards are very similar in nature with additional information data collected from the latter.

Therefore, data will still be collected, measured and provided to users without the burden of having to provide the same information multiple times.

The perks of engaging a corporate travel manager

For all the talk of company travel policies, preferred suppliers, negotiated discounts and expense reports, it’s easy when discussing corporate travel management to get lost in the jargon and forget about the real, simple, human benefit that engaging a corporate travel manager can have for you and your SME business. Don’t get the wrong idea, having access to negotiated discounts on your preferred airlines and hotel chains while staying within the budget constraints of your company’s travel policy is a fantastic outcome, but the real ‘perks’ of establishing a relationship with a corporate travel management firm comes in the area of customer service. It’s these elements that you’ll be thanking your travel agency for in the years to come!

Emergency assistance

From time to time, global events can occur which we just have absolutely no way of predicting or controlling. From volcanos erupting over Iceland, to tsunamis battering coastal destinations or global conflicts descending seemingly overnight, these event wreak havoc on both domestic and global travel in the region. If you are unfortunate enough to be caught up in one of these events while on a business trip (and we hope it never happens), then it is immensely comforting and helpful to have a single point of contact who can work around the clock to assist you in any way they can. Instead of trying to call airlines and hotels in the middle of a chaotic situation (most likely at the same time as every other person in the airport), make one call to your travel consultant and they will calmly work with you to resolve your situation.

Flight changes

Whether you’re travelling for business or leisure, there are literally hundreds of reasons why you may need to end up changing your flight times. You may not have actually missed your flight – although that is one scenario – but when the time comes that you need to change your flight details it’s far easier to call your travel agency and get them to make your flight alterations than it is to ring up the airline yourself. For starters, there’s always a chance that the customer service desk for your airline will already be inundated with calls, so would you like to wait on hold for an hour to speak to a customer service rep, or would you rather your dedicated travel consultant make the call over an established communication channel, skipping the wait time altogether? We know which call we’d prefer to make…

Tailoring requirements

If your travels are only taking you to one city and that city has a major airport then booking a return flight from A to B is, in all honesty, not that difficult. But what if your journey is taking you to 3 or 4 different locations? Maybe your business commitments require you to loop back and visit the same city twice within your journey? Or you might even need to take several different flights in one day? When your travel itinerary starts to get complex and you have a limited amount of time to travel between your different destinations, it pays to have someone in your corner who knows what they’re doing and can help you work through the complexities of a multi-city or multi-country business trip.

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the perks of engaging a corporate travel manager to assist you with your business travel! If you would like to know more about how a corporate travel manager can help your business, contact us today.

4 Easy tricks to help you survive a long-haul flight

So, you’re about to head off on a business trip. You’ve done wonders arranging your flights, accommodation and itinerary. Your flight leaves at a reasonable hour, your transfers to and from the airport are arranged and you’ve even managed a cushy suite in a preferred hotel.

Now the only thing standing between you and a profitable business trip is a 15 hour long flight. If that thought doesn’t fill you with dread, we don’t know what will!

No one enjoys being stuck in a metal tube for 15 hours with hundreds of other people, but here are 4 tricks that can help you survive your next round-the-world plane trip.

1. Don’t assume that you’ll be able to sleep on the journey

In theory, exhausting yourself before boarding a long flight and then sleeping for the whole journey sounds like the perfect plan. Time goes quickly and you wake up a couple of hours before landing refreshed and ready to take on the world. In reality however, this is almost never going to happen. You have no way of knowing which over-excited children, crying babies or chatty humans will be sitting next to you (even if you’re in business class!). It’s always best to be tolerant, patient and most importantly well-rested when you get on that plane so you’re ready for anything once you board.

 2. Pack some offline work to do mid-flight

With such a large block of time to kill, long-haul flights provide a great opportunity to get some offline work, editing or reading done which you may not have time to do once you reach your destination. You’ll want to avoid carrying too many bulky items like large books or folders in your carry-on bag, so keep your reading material to a minimum. If you want to go completely paperless, take your laptop.

 3. Take the Olympian’s approach: keep your fluids up and stretch!

It’s essential when travelling on a long-haul flight to not only minimise your discomfort but to also minimise your recovery time once you disembark. To avoid dehydration and stiffness, be proactive in keeping your fluid intake up while on your journey. And yes we mean water…not the complimentary red wine! Walk up and down the aisles and stretching every couple of hours are also important for reducing the impact that your longer flights have on the rest of your trip.

 4. Invest in some noise-cancelling headphones and an airplane adaptor

There’s no denying it, planes can be very noisy places. Even if there are no crying babies or passengers with loud coughs, the sound of the plane is loud enough to cause distraction. While they do the job, the headphones provided by airlines aren’t exactly top of the line. They don’t do a whole lot to cancel out plane noise and oftentimes can be quite uncomfortable to wear. Investing in a pair of quality noise cancelling headphones and an airplane adaptor allows you to block out that annoying background noise whether you want to use the in-flight entertainment system or listen to podcasts on your own device.

Next time you need to take a long-haul flight for your international business travel, try these easy tricks to ensure you survive your round the world journey! For more tips on how to take the hassle out of your small business travel, contact us today or check out our blog for more great SME business travel content!

4 Essential tips for properly claiming business travel expenses

For SME business travellers, claiming travel expenses once you’ve returned home has a significant impact on the overall cost of corporate travel activities. Correctly claiming travel costs ensures that your expenses are attributed to your business and not your own pocket. It also means you won’t have to waste time with the ATO when tax time rolls around.

Here are 4 tips that will help you claim corporate travel expenses properly the first time.

1. Keep an organised record of all your receipts

This one might seem like a no-brainer for all business expenses, but it’s extremely important to keep receipts from not only your large purchases such as flights and accommodation, but also smaller expenses such as food, ground transport and expenses which are incidental to your individual travel situation.

The ATO states that corporate travellers who are away for less than 6 nights in a row don’t need to keep receipts unless their travel allowance exceeds the Commissioner’s reasonable travel allowance limits. We believe that keeping a detailed record of receipts should be a matter of habit for any business traveller, regardless of the length of your business trip.

2. Keep a diary of your meetings and engagements

The key for SMEs when claiming travel expenses as tax deductions is whether or not the trip was necessary to the business for earning an income. It’s important to be able to prove a link between your travel expenses and earning business income. The easiest way to do this is to keep a detailed diary of your engagements while you’re away. Include information like meeting dates and times, locations, who you met, and the nature of your activities. Click here to get a free business travel diary template that we’ve put together for you.

3. Be clear about your business role and objectives whilst travelling

The role you play within your business can impact what you can and cannot claim as travel expenses. If you are on a roadshow to research new equipment, for example, this would not be assessed as tax deductible as your research is not directly related to business earnings. If, however, you are travelling to a trade or consumer expo as an exhibitor, this would be considered tax deductible[1].

 4. It’s fine to mix business with pleasure, but don’t claim your holiday time as part of your business trip

If you’ve travelled predominantly for business purposes but have chosen to add some leisure time onto the beginning or end of your trip, it would be unwise to try and claim expenses incurred during this time as tax deductible business expenses. You can still claim the business-related period of your travels, but you need to clearly indicate at which point the work stops and the fun starts!

Detailed expense reporting is a vital component of your business travel. As part of its services, a good corporate travel management provider will do the leg-work for you in this area. They’ll generate comprehensive records and reports of your business travel spend, allowing you to easily manage your expenditure and relevant paperwork.

To find out more about how you can improve your travel expense reporting, contact us today.

[1] For more info on tip number 3, check out this video from the Australian Tax Office. (Video link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO7g22XroLk)