Business Travel Takes a “People First” Approach

When people think of “business travel,” it rarely conjures up fond memories.

In fact, our minds might be more likely to drift to the classic scene from the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles, where Steve Martin’s high-strung character loses his mind at the rental car facility. (If you’re not familiar with Planes, Trains and Automobiles, do yourself a favor and watch it ASAP). If you’ve been traveling for business for some time, odds are you’ve wanted to lose your mind on someone as well. From cancelled flights and unavailable hotel rooms to rental car confusion, there are a lot things that can go wrong on a cross-country business trip.

Despite Pain Points, Travel Still Desirable

Despite this, business travelers still want to travel. In a recent survey, more than 90% of traveling employees reported they want to keep traveling. In fact, many viewed business travel as a perk of their job. However, that doesn’t mean trips are always enjoyable. From airport fast food and sleeping in a different bed every night to being away from family, the list of pain points associated with business travel is long. This leaves companies looking for ways to keep their employees productive, happy, and healthy while on the road.

These pain points are often magnified by out-of-date travel programs and tools that are slow and clunky. Seeing as nearly 60% of employees in a recent survey reported being required to book travel through a TMC or agent, it’s easy understand why we hear so many horror stories about business travel.

Convenience Comes First

Even though 60% of travelers reported having a mandated travel policy, many are still forced to book outside of policy. This is mainly because it is not convenient to use the tools and services provided. “When you think about it, business travel is an investment. By traveling, you are investing time, energy, and money in hopes of a larger return,” says Maylena Burchfield, Senior Vice President at ADTRAV. “In order to maximize this return, you want your business travelers to arrive at their destination feeling rested and focused. Unfortunately, many corporate travel programs are outdated, resulting in frustrated employees and diminished returns.”

So where does this leave companies? That’s easy to answer—companies must place more focus on the traveler and their comfort instead of focusing only on policy.

Transforming the Travel Industry with Technology

Luckily, for both companies and their travelers, technology is transforming the business travel landscape for the better. Take ADTRAV’s platform, RezDesk, for example. By serving as the gateway to a company’s entire travel program, employees can request travel and change trips, receive important travel notifications, and view travel documents. And with RezDesk Mobile, employees can do all of this in-transit. This drastically decreases the amount of time and effort needed to book and manage travel resulting in happier, more focused employees.

RezDesk is just one of the many ADTRAV tools specifically designed to streamline business travel. The important thing is for companies to look past policy and initial savings when considering their travel program needs. By also considering employee health and satisfaction, companies can build a travel program that supports a more productive workforce while simultaneously saving money.