7 reasons why your business should use an Online Booking Tool
Contributed by CTM’s Client Value & Sales Manager SME, Marc Gold.
In today’s digital world, exacerbated by the recent lockdowns and worldwide pandemic, ‘offline’ booking methods seem even more obsolete and impractical. With a centralised, online travel booking process, businesses can increase their productivity and reduce costs significantly. Investing in travel technology such as Online Booking Tools (OBTs) will be vital for companies looking to support the evolving needs of the business and travel workforce. Read on to find out how your company can benefit from investing in an OBT.
1. Save time and money
It’s no surprise that online bookings incur much lower booking fees compared to bookings made over the phone. When time equals money, utilising automated services is the best way to save dollars and improve productivity for your employees – why wait in the phone queue if you don’t have to!
Booking domestic travel and simple itineraries online frees up your dedicated travel consultant to assist with the more complex travel itineraries, that’s when their expert knowledge really comes in handy.
2. Increase employee efficiency
By eliminating the need for an in-house travel booker, OBTs allow your employees’ travel requests to be processed faster and reduce the workload pressure on PA’s and EA’s. Training is provided to ensure employees understand how to use the OBT’s features with ease, so that companies and their employees alike can experience the full benefit of their travel management solution.
Pre-trip approval features ensure time and money are not spent on unapproved travel, and can be configured to allow different levels of authority for different types of users (bookers, approvers, travellers). All user information can be securely stored in the OBT through its intuitive technology, reducing the risk of error when it comes to entering frequent flyer information or spelling a traveller’s name correctly
3. Ensure duty of care
Knowing where your travellers are and how to contact them in times of an emergency has never been more front of mind. Traveller tracking and risk alerts allow companies to easily locate and contact travellers in a timely manner should any travel safety risks arise. Pre-trip approval features prevent any risky or unconventional travel plans from being booked. Companies can assign different levels of approval and functionality to users, meaning responsibility is delegated appropriately and decision-makers are held accountable for their travellers.
4. Travel policy compliance
Complete configuration of your company’s travel policy prevents users from booking travel that is not compliant. This can involve only displaying content from preferred suppliers or removing booking options that exceed price limits. If your company has negotiated rates with a supplier, you can upload those rates to the OBT and limit bookings to this provider only.
5. Improve data capture and reporting
Access to benchmarking data and travel reports provides regular guidance and pro-active advice on how you can optimise your travel program. Advanced tools, such as Power BI, offer strategic account analysis to identify new savings opportunities and benchmark your contracts against similar companies – ensuring you get the best deal possible.
6. Book on-the-go
As OBTs allow you to book last-minute flights or accommodation on the go, unexpected changes to your travel arrangements are no longer an issue. The ability to complete end-to-end bookings on your mobile device means that if you know you won’t be able to catch your connecting flight due to a late departure, you can book an alternative flight immediately, wherever you are. You can even book your connecting flight before you land with your carrier’s in-flight Wi-Fi service.
7. Sustainability
Sustainability has become one of the primary concerns for businesses, causing many to set firm carbon-reduction targets across their operations. By providing visibility over the carbon emissions for flights, hotels and car hire, OBTs allow you to evaluate the CO² emissions of each trip and better understand the environmental impact of your travel program. Through programs such as CTM’s Climate+, you can also offset the carbon footprint of your travel by supporting environmental sustainability initiatives.
Investing in an Online Booking Tool will not only ensure your company is able to cater to the needs of the travelling workforce, it will also allow you to streamline processes, reduce risk and achieve your operational goals.
This informative blog on 7 reasons to use an online booking tool was written by CTM’s Client Value & Sales Manager SME, Marc Gold.