The Business Travel Manager (TM) is an important element in a successful business travel programme. Indeed, in addition to their booking role, TMs have broader responsibilities.
What is a Business Travel Manager? And let’s discover together the guide of a good corporate travel manager.
Definition: Business Travel Manager
Very simply, a travel manager is responsible for all matters relating to business travel in a company.
Indeed, the person in charge of corporate travel is the one who creates the company’s travel policy. Similarly, the travel manager helps to organise a business trip while managing the costs of business trips. Then, after a trip, the TM is the one who analyses the data to improve future business trips. Thus, the TM must have not only excellent interpersonal and therefore communication skills but also organisational skills.
In other words, an Office Manager or someone from your HR department often plays the role of Travel Manager. Therefore, in addition to all their main responsibilities, they are also asked to organise business trips.
Corporate Travel Manager's Guide
1. Dealing with the corporate travel policy
First of all, one of the first roles of the Travel Manager is obviously to draw up the company’s travel policy. What is a travel policy? It is a set of standards that employees must follow when travelling on business.
Take a look at our example travel policy and find out how to set it up.
2. Managing the business travel budget and expenses
In order to facilitate the accounting and financial department of his company, the business travel manager decides on the limits of expenses during a business trip. Indeed, by setting a ceiling, the company will have more control over its expenses. However, it is important to remember to give travellers enough freedom to ensure their well-being. In addition, the cost of living differs depending on the destination. Thus, spending limits are constantly adjusted depending on the trip.
Perhaps you are looking to reduce your business travel expenses? If so, read our article “How to reduce your business travel expenses?”
3. Analyse business travel data
Because it is important to constantly improve the well-being of employees, it is essential to analyse the data related to business travel. In this way, the travel manager can clearly update the travel policy according to recurring problems. For example, a problem with exceeding the budget.
On the other hand, with the financial data, it is very useful for the Travel Manager to analyse the profitability of business travel and therefore the KPIs.
4. Implementing new business travel solutions
There are many improvements in the business travel sector. Indeed, new entrants such as smartphone applications are making business travel bookings faster. Now, with a successful travel policy from the travel manager, employees can be autonomous in booking their business trips. For example, the Ayruu application meets all the needs of a corporate trip (plane, hotel, rental car, etc.). The advantage of centralisation, as with Ayruu for the TM, is that its offer is commission-free.
In any case, new technologies help Travel Managers enormously. Especially when it comes to data analysis. The Ayruu platform brings together all data related to business travel in a single platform. This allows travel managers to facilitate their analyses but also to reduce the exchange of e-mails. It is therefore a very advantageous solution for travel managers who wish to reduce their business travel costs.
