It’s Time to Rethink Business Travel.
We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the rebound of business travel. Now we’re ready to talk about the other side of that rebound – the post-rebound need to rethink business travel and how its being booked and managed in this new post-rebound landscape.
But business travel is a broad term. And it means a lot of different things to a lot of different companies. Which means the great travel rebound of 2022 looked different for different companies too.
- Some companies never slowed. Not even in 2020.
- Some took to the skies just as soon as the severest of restrictions were lifted.
- Others (especially larger companies with large traveling teams) are just now finalizing the necessary changes to policies and systems that will allow them to handle a full-scale rebound that’s yet to come.
For small-to-midsize businesses, which is where most fall…
It’s been a little bit of “all of the above” and a whole lot of “all at once” these past months.
So then… what exactly does business travel look like on the other side of last year’s rebound?
Delta Airlines recently shared that their corporate travel demand is “at the strongest recovery rates since the start of the pandemic.”
Almost three years out from the start of the pandemic and businesses are realigning their budgets to include more travel expenses again. Regardless of their size.
According to new interviews with small-to-midsize business leaders, rising prices and economic concerns aren’t deterring their efforts to get back on the road in full force.
Customers, partners, and prospects simply can’t wait any longer.
Excavation contractor Brian Dietz says his family-run heavy machinery business requires in-person communication and product testing with their clients. “You want to touch it, you want to sit in it, you want to operate it,” explained Dietz. “You can’t do that on Zoom.”
And it’s not just heavy machinery that works that way.
Considering businesses are emphatic in their need to get back to traveling, it makes sense that experts are taking notice and reevaluating what demand will look like throughout 2023.
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) surveyed travel managers and buyers about what they expect for their travel programs. Over 75% responded that business travel at their organization will increase this year compared to last year’s volume.
We all need to Rethink Business Travel…
Before you get too excited and scream “CANNONBALL!” while blindly leaping back into the still-choppy waters, it’s essential to recognize that the same old approach to handling business travel just isn’t going to work anymore. Too much has changed.
There’s no such thing as status quo. Just pre-pandemic, pandemic, rebound, and now.
Even though COVID-19 halted travel plans for pretty much everyone, it didn’t stop industry leaders and technology developers from creating new processes and systems that completely altered the routines that so many were accustomed to following.
With so much changed, the way we book and manage business travel will need to adapt too.
It’s time to rethink business travel moving forward.
The question is… How?
The first step – and probably the most important – is to recognize that everything we just discussed about the recent changes and improvements to process and technology in the travel industry…well, isn’t a one-time thing. It isn’t done and over with. It’s the new industry normal.
Business travel is constantly evolving now. The days of legacy systems and 20-years-to-make-a-change are long past.
At Gant, we embrace the changes in the industry. Our solutions and program management offer travel champions a better way to adapt. By combining technology-centric travel support and wide-ranging industry expertise, we can assist you in the ongoing strategic management of your travel program and help you maximize your ROI.
Rethink meetings…
For many, getting back to business travel means getting back to team meetings, company events, conferences, office openings, store launches, off-sites, hackathons, and whatever else your team might have up their sleeves.
That said, hitting the road for these meetings and events is still going to have its challenges. Travel is more complex than ever – and those complexities grow (exponentially? We’re sure it’s exponentially…) based on the number of travelers you are trying to get from point A to point B and how many different timetables, departure airports, and hotel rooms you’re looking at once you’re there.
Add in tight budgets, traveler preferences, and any Duty of Care initiatives, and it quickly becomes clear why you’re going to need a solid gameplan (and tech to match) to take on meetings in 2023.
Our meetings and events tool, Gant Together, has a long list of capabilities and is a super simple platform to navigate. Industry-leading technology and award-winning customer service with the assistance of AI and a robust two-way sync with our travel systems provide a simple, flexible experience for organizers and travelers alike.
Rethink policy, spend and data…
Over the last few years, we’ve all found ourselves DEEP in the data. We’ve been tracking mandates, outbreaks, passport and visa requirements, mass delays and cancellations, system outages, price fluctuations (big ones), unused tickets, actual booking transactions, and everything in between.
Most of these aren’t entirely new problems for those managing their team’s travel program.
But they are bigger tasks than they’ve ever been before.
If your company didn’t care about travel data in the past – they do now. If they cared before, they care even more now.
The amount of data needed to do business is growing across departments and industries – and the amount of data needed to successfully manage business travel is no exception.
Especially since that data is needed to support travel policies (or help you change them).
It’s going to be nearly impossible to manage an entire team of travelers in this “new landscape” without the help of policy constraints, approval processes, and visibility into booking behaviors.
Granted, managing an entire team of travelers is never a cake walk. But actionable, accessible data will make it more manageable.
Gant offers access to a robust data and analytics program to help travel champions better understand their organization’s travel spend, manage their travel program, and leverage spend to achieve a measurable ROI. Our easy-to-use platform brings an organization’s travel transactions into one streamlined location to allow our champions to create, schedule, or run custom reports, graphs, and charts.
Rethink program control…
- Pulling invoices.
- Analyzing spend and behavior.
- Transferring unused airline credits.
- Revising travel policy, adding/editing rule groups, and managing vendor contracts for all travel types.
- Updating traveler profiles.
- Booking a trip for your boss.
- Creating a meeting.
- Asking your TMC a question.
Whether you’re fully remote, hybrid, or on the road a lot – most of us are working from anywhere and everywhere these days.
That means successfully championing a managed travel program in 2023 will take actionable access to that program from just about everywhere too.
We get it – no one wants one more system to work in. Unless of course it replaces at least two existing ones, right? Ours does. Our portal-turned-command-center offers single-system, holistic program management– and we’re adding more, better, and improved capabilities all the time. The Gant Gateway allows travel champions to add, edit, delete, and manage integral parts of a Gant-managed travel program. Whenever (and wherever) they need to do so. Plus, a team of in-house developers stays busy ensuring the Gateway continues to support current needs even as the industry changes…
and changes…
and changes…
Rethink integrations…
Last year was a quick-sprint start to an industry-wide rebuilding marathon.
The pandemic spurred new innovations (and problems to solve). It also fast-tracked some of the industry’s slower-moving changes that were already in the works. Like the NDC. And it pushed travel data availability for Risk Management/Duty of Care/Personalization initiatives.
And it slowed the industry down *just enough* to allow it all to happen at once.
While these changes are complex, it doesn’t mean that managing a travel program must be more complicated too.
By rethinking your strategies, software, and travel services, you could find ways to use these new technologies and processes to streamline your program. It might even leave you with less manual work than before.
Gant’s customizable solutions and connections to internal and third-party services sync easily via shared traveler profile. This allows full integration of our systems, which provides a seamless experience and an improved ROI. With a long list of innovative products and services that come standard with every account, and the ability to easily add enhanced and upgraded solutions when necessary, we’re ready to help you and your team rethink business travel.
Rethink discounts and rewards…
Given that prices are up across the board, you’re likely wondering how else you (and your travelers) can get the most bang for your company’s buck. Company-paid upgrades aren’t in a lot of budgets this year. Most per trip budgets won’t go as far either. The answer (or part of it anyway) might be in your discounts, rewards, and perks.
A long-held belief in the industry was that organizations and travelers who focused their spend to one or two specific airlines, hotel chains, and/or car rental companies would higher discounts and better perks.
During the pandemic and rebound, this thinking shifted as it was a bit of a free-for-all with travel companies driving business any way they could – including easy to achieve upgrades and bonuses.
Those days are over, and travel brands have already begun to rethink business travel on their end.
Brands want your loyalty (and dollars) back in return for those extras and special treatments. For hotels, it’s things like free wi-fi, breakfast, and choosing your floor that are now considered hotel rewards. Airlines are including free wi-fi, seat upgrades, lounge access, seat selection, boarding priority, and more. For cars, it is perks like skipping the line altogether or getting a better car.
Receiving the best discounts while providing your travelers with the best on-the-road experience might just require both your company and your travelers join a loyalty program in the coming days. To get started, you can check out our post on hotel business and traveler loyalty programs to see which ones might serve your team best. Interestingly, many brands are starting to merge loyalty programs (e.g., air and hotel program points working together toward rewards at either ) so it’s worth checking for that as well.
Our advice in a nutshell?
Pick a few core brands to focus your travel spend on. Join their business program; then have your traveling team sign-up for those same traveler loyalty programs.
Though it may seem obvious, finding a rewards membership to supplement your travel program could end up transforming your travelers’ experiences away from home for the better.
And your ROI.
We provide clients day-one access to great fares and rates. Thanks to our partnership with FROSCH, a strong relationship with ABC Global Services, and our own growing list of discounts. Many of our available discounts even include upgraded amenities and/or other perks in addition to the reduced pricing. We’ll work with you and your team to analyze travel data and identify opportunities for your company’s own negotiated rates.
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Looking to rethink the way your company is booking and managing travel? Reach out to your Gant account manager – they’re always ready to support you with the management of your program.
Not a client and ready rethink business travel? Get in touch at [email protected].
Not quite ready to reach out yet? Read other recent posts linked here and here to see what else we can do for your experience and ROI.
You can also see what the Champion, Finance, and Traveler experience looks like here at Gant Travel.
