The corporate travel agents servicing your organization’s employees are a crucial component of your travel program and their contribution can go far beyond simply booking travel, as they have the ability to directly impact cost-savings, traveler efficiency, and peace of mind.
To illustrate this, think about when a corporate agent books an international trip for one of your employees. What is involved in the process? Agents with extensive industry experience and expertise will craft the itinerary while keeping in mind price, trip efficiency, and peace of mind. The agent should know the individual traveler’s preferences, purpose of trip, and be aware of the company’s travel policy. Each of these components influences the others and a great corporate agent will be able to find the right balance.
Some things your corporate agent should be considering – would a consolidator fare be a good option? Should the traveler avoid a less costly connecting city because of a recent incident that took place there or because the employee would be far outside of their comfort level traveling through there? What is the best carrier to serve a specific segment of the trip? Are the layovers the “right” length of time?
Experience and expertise, the ability to connect with your travelers, and empathy are traits you want to look for in the corporate agents that are assigned to your organization’s travelers. When partnering with a travel management company, be sure to ask about the agents’ experience in the travel industry and tenure at the travel management company, as it will make a big difference in how enthusiastically your employees embrace managed travel and the results you can achieve financially and operationally.