For today’s business, travel has become an essential part of getting the job done. Even with the rise of high-speed communication such as Skype, cloud services, and e-mail, some work is best done in person, and businessmen and women are hopping on board planes, trains, and more to meet new clients, business partners, carry out inspections, give presentations, and more. Plenty of airlines, trains, and taxis already exist, as do the hotels to house travelers. But a businessman or woman has a lot to juggle, and relegating business travel logistics to a travel management company can make things go more smoothly and for only a small cost (exact costs will vary). Corporate travel management gets someone from point A to point B in a snap.
Getting Around
There are plenty of business professionals getting around, of all ages. In 2017 alone, for example, American travelers took a total of 462 million domestic business trips, and experts predict that this figure may rise to 499.4 million by the year 2022. Worldwide, there are similarly huge numbers; in 2016, commercial airlines carried a total of 3.8 billion passengers and generated global revenue to the tune of $501 billion (USD), and this figure may also rise in coming years, especially as developing nations and areas catch up to the first world. Businesswomen have also come a long way in recent decades. Such work used to be male-dominated, but now, women make up 47% of all business travelers, and the younger generations are also stepping up. Millenials, those young adults born from about 1982-1995, are showing interest in business travel; 45% of them expressed a desire to travel more for business, while Baby Boomers (1945-1962) expressed interest at about 26% instead. So, with all these passengers, how can they get better travel done for their company? A travel management company can help.
Boost Your Travel
In short, a travel management company can be hired by another company whose employees are traveling for business. Travel management falls to the agents of the travel management company, who work out the details with airlines, trains, hotels, and more to take this pressure off the traveling business professional. The agent also makes sure that travel policy is appropriate for the company’s needs, and assist with the security and safety of the traveler, according to Christopherson Business Travel, as well as provide communication in the case of emergency.
Business can also be enhanced with incentive travel. In this case, a company sets up potential rewards and recognition for the traveling employee, boosting their confidence and skills along the way. Working with a travel management company can make this process even smoother. The employer will have to accomplish a few key tasks, such as clearly connect the reward to the business objectives, set up networking opportunities, and set up desirable destinations, leisure time, and interactive sessions for the traveler, as stated on Trip Savvy. If handled well, incentive programs and business travel companies can make any flight or train ride profitable, successful, even skill-building for the company and traveling business professional alike.