Whether you have ten employees who travel for work, or over one-hundred, having an expert in travel management on your team can save you time and money. And we’re talking in the tens-of-thousands.
So, we asked three of our customers to share how bringing travel management experts onboard improved their travel program, including how much they saved.
If you don't yet know how professional travel management works or what a travel management company can do for you, read on.
Topcon benefits from smarter rates and travel tech
Topcon Positioning Systems is a global specialist in technology and other innovative solutions that support sustainable infrastructure and agriculture. They have more than 1,200 travelling employees based in some 25 businesses across Europe, the United Kingdom, North America, Canada and Australia. So, Topcon needed a travel program that could support their extensive global operations.
When Topcon brought a travel management company onboard in 2014, technology was introduced to support and streamline their whole travel program. The company also benefitted from exclusive rates and value-add offers that helped to reduce overall costs.
- An online booking tool and expense management platform gave Topcon greater control of their travel program by streamlining the booking and approval processes.
- A complimentary mobile app helped simplify expense reconciliation for travellers by giving them a tool to upload travel receipts on the go. The simplicity of the technology and processes has resulted in higher levels of traveller compliance with more in-policy bookings.
- Topcon became a global user of TravelSMART which gave them access to exclusive rates and benefits across flights, accommodation, car hire and insurance, helping them make real savings.
Cassie Kerton manages Topcon's global travel program from Australia and says that partnering with a travel management company has helped them consolidate growing worldwide travel activity and reduce costs over the last five years.
“In 2018, we achieved 6% in actual travel savings by using the best mix of our corporate negotiated rates, and the discounted rates and value adds we can leverage from Corporate Traveller. The TravelSMART programs are a big part of this, and we use them wherever they are suitable for our traveller needs and offer the best value,” said Cassie.
“The added benefit is traveller safety and security, which is our top priority. Our people are now more aware that by booking through Corporate Traveller and using these ‘smarter rates', which are loaded into our mid-office system, we can track and assist them faster in an emergency,” said Cassie.
Topcon now reinvests previously unattainable travel savings into other growth areas across their operations in sectors including construction, geopositioning, mapping, precision agriculture and mining.
Online Booking Tool helped Angus Knight save thousands
Through its many business divisions, Angus Knight develops individuals, communities and organisations by providing employment, education and workplace solutions. With programs based in rural areas, including some of the remotest parts of the country, sourcing suitable transport and accommodation proved logistically challenging and costly, with no firm policies or procedures in place.
This is where dedicated experts came in. A tailored strategy and formal travel policy were developed, providing structure and visibility of travel activities and costs. As part of this travel policy, group rates were negotiated for remote services, including hotels and air charters.
The company’s booking ability was significantly improved with the implementation of a centralised online booking tool and enhanced financial reporting. This technology compliments the expert service of a travel manager who manages the day-to-day travel requests, including quotes and bookings. And a mobile app helps travellers keep tabs and make changes to their bookings while on the road.
“Transitioning to the services offered by Corporate Traveller, including their online booking tool, now allows our managers to approve travel online. The sophistication of the technology has also meant it’s been easily adopted across the board including by the CEO, who now often books his own travel, with a little help from the Corporate Traveller team of course!” said Peter Homan, General Manager of Finance & Corporate Services at Angus Knight.
The results of the transition speak for themselves with $28,000 saved on domestic airfares and $18,000 saved on accommodation costs. Using an online booking tool has saved Angus Knight 47% on their travel booking costs, and a whole lot of time.
“It has also made a huge impact on the business in terms of savings both from a negotiation standpoint and in the area of internal labour. Our new finance processes take 10% of the time they used to, which has helped us save half the yearly workload of a full-time employee on our financial admin team,” said Peter.
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Jamestrong aligned their values of service, quality and flexibility
Operating in the highly technical industry of steel and aluminium packaging, attention to detail is essential to Jamestrong Precision Packaging. But putting people first and protecting what matters are even more critical. So, it's no surprise that they looked for these features in a travel partner.
"Our customers could go elsewhere and find cheaper products, but we provide higher levels of service, quality and flexibility. And that’s one of the reasons why we like working with Corporate Traveller; they share the same values, and they're always looking for ways to get to know us better and to serve us better,” said Cristina Mullins, Executive Assistant at Jamestrong.
Before Jamestrong moved to a travel management company, their booking process was ad-hoc and lacked structure and direction. But international travel is a crucial part of their business operations with global teams regularly flying between Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Europe. So, it was essential to formalise their travel program and streamline the booking process.
“Now that our travel is all managed in one place, we’re spending less time on booking travel. That means we can focus on our core business,” said Christina.
After putting a formal travel policy and booking systems in place, Jamestrong’s travel program is more efficient, saving the company both time and money. Jamestrong now has:
- A clearer picture of their travel program
- Better awareness of where their travellers are at all times for safety
- Clearer and simpler travel expense reporting systems
- Better efficiencies and economies of scale
- Saved a significant amount of money
- High internal user uptake due to effective onboarding and training
“Jamestrong is always evolving, so innovation is essential to us. We’re always testing, researching and looking for new product enhancements that we can take to market. Like us, Corporate Traveller knows what matters, and together we're working hard to build value and deliver value to our customers,” said Christina.
Find out how a TMC can improve your travel program
Every company is unique. You might have similar challenges when it comes to your travel program, but as experts in business travel, will always tailor our solution to you. Find out how Corporate Traveller can improve your travel program by contacting us today.