Travel Managers should ditch the one-size-fits-all approach and offer personalised services when it comes to meeting traveller and policy expectations.

Spurred by new norms of hyper-connectivity, on-demand services, greater personalisation and always-on support, business people expect a simpler and more flexible experience when travelling on behalf of their employers.

The latest research from the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), underwritten by American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) suggests travel managers are taking a more traveller-considerate approach to developing travel policies and programmes.

The expectations of the modern business traveller is changing, and this is having an impact on booking policies.

The  Managing the Modern Business Traveller study revealed that travel managers are adapting these changes to current travel policies.

“Business travellers have come to expect a personalised experience when they’re on the road, but many organisations continue to take a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to travel policy, driving travellers to work outside the normal channels,” executive director, ACTE, Greeley Koch said.

An important aspect of this is influencing traveller behaviour. 87 per cent said they use or are considering using visual guilt which prompts users to reconsider travel purchases if a more cost-effective option is available.

While 85 per cent pointed to peer pressure and corporate culture to guide travellers.

“While travel polices absolutely need to change to take individual needs into account, travel managers can—and should—tap into the travellers’ point of view to encourage them to do the right thing.”

“After all, managers are on the hook for not only the safety of their travellers, but also the cost of doing business, ” Koch added.

However, more traditional methods of ensuring policy compliance remain prominent.

The majority (93 per cent) of travel managers say they use education, and 77 per cent mandate compliance.

Other approaches include rewards and incentives, both non-monetary (20 per cent) and monetary (17 per cent).

“Advances in technology and the managed travel toolset make matching individual needs with the business policy more efficient, and there is great opportunity to better personalise traveller experiences, ease anxieties about safety and simultaneously encourage policy compliance,” said Philip Haxne, Regional Director EMEA, Global Business Consulting for American Express Global Business Travel.

Managers are seeing quality-of-life enquiries from travellers increase, particularly about work-life balance and adding a leisure element to business trips.

More business travellers are exploring non-traditional—and potentially out-of-policy—travel and accommodation methods.

Last year there was huge growth in usage of services like Uber and Lyft, and accommodation options like Airbnb.

Policies and restocking the corporate travel toolbox are adapting to keep pace, such as incorporating non-traditional accommodations with this year seeing 22 per cent of managers use sharing economy lodging options in policy.

Apps are on the rise, with 93 per cent of managers providing or planning to provide trip information apps, 89 per cent providing apps for booking and 81 per cent offering T&E apps.

Gaining modern business traveller perspectives, ninety per cent of managers  use TMC travel and spend data, 76 per cent turn to card payments providers, 66 per cent each leverage internal systems and TMC analysis, and 60 per cent assess internal policy compliance data.

“Data can make a world of difference for the travel manager seeking to wrap their brain around a growing constellation of traveller needs and expectations,” said Koch.

“But it’s not enough to gather the data; managers must actually analyse it and translate it into action. A successful, data-driven travel programme can achieve any corporate travel executive’s core objectives: positioning their travellers for success, while also demonstrating the travel manager’s value as a business leader.”

“It’s also important to remember that a successful travel programme can serve as an effective tool when it comes to attracting and retaining talent – a major consideration for today’s competitive business landscape,” added Haxne.

“Strong programmes that contribute to employee happiness and productivity underscore the travel manager’s valuable role to the business as a whole.”