1. Inclusive corporate travel policies 

This one might seem obvious, but it can’t be stressed enough. Your travel policy is an extension of your travel program and company culture. A travel policy is the glue that holds your travel program together – from approvals, expenses, booking processes, and emergency contacts.

Having a travel policy helps you: 

• Control travel costs
• Determine how reimbursement works
• Compile a list of trusted and approved travel vendors
• Manage an employee’s travel experience and safety
• Cut rogue bookings – and simplify approvals
• Budget, report on travel expenses and activity, and reconcile bookings 

As a company, your travel policy helps centralize your travel program, makes data and tracking more accurate and easier to navigate, and saves time and money. Plus, if you take the time to craft your policy in an intentional and inclusive way, you’ll have a policy your travelers are happier to follow.

Want to learn how? Check out our guide to corporate travel policies.

2. The “right” corporate travel booking tool 

Not all online booking tools are created equal. 

Look for a travel platform that helps you develop processes that simplify: 

• Travel policy compliance: You've gone through the trouble of building a policy that meets all your travelers' needs. How can you make sure your travelers follow it? A corporate travel management platform, like Melon, allows you to outline your travel policy in the platform, as well as alert bookers when they’re selecting options that fall outside the travel policy guidelines.
   
• Centralized booking: Booking across different websites and compiling them into one organized itinerary is tricky. Melon brings all the available booking options, including flights, hotels, and transportation, into one platform.
   
• Preferred vendor integration: Have a preferred airline? Enjoy a specific hotel bed the most? Collecting rental car loyalty points? Melon delivers your preferred vendors first, so you always find what you're looking for.  You'll rest easy knowing your travelers are choosing from the negotiated rates and exclusive deals that protect your bottom line.
   
• Approval workflows: Stop wasting time on exhaustive approvals. With Melon, you can set up a custom approval workflow to make sure that travel requests are routed to the appropriate managers for review. Once approved, Melon takes care of booking the rest.
   
• Ready-to-scale: Whether you’re growing slowly or at breakneck speed, Melon has a global customer base and purchasing power. It can support you not only in creating a personalized travel program, but also by providing travelers with 24/7 real human support by phone or live chat - no call centers or chatbots!

3. Consolidated reporting and expense management 

It’s hard to think strategically about your travel program when your travel spend data is split up amongst several places. This is where consolidating your data into a single travel management company is extremely valuable: 

• Centralize your data management: The sheer volume of incoming travel data can be overwhelming. You can spot trends and opportunities to cut travel costs, as well as enhance your travel program, from a single dashboard.
   
• Leverage the right tools: TMCs offer a range of tools for various aspects of travel management. With the right TMC, you can consolidate the tools you need for reporting, so that you can quickly track everything from travel expenses to carbon emissions.
   
• Nothing will get past you: One of the most common basic corporate travel challenges companies face with their travel programs is booking leakage, where employees make bookings outside the approved channels. By consolidating your travel data, you can more effectively identify and target booking, supplier, or channel leakage and plug it.

4. Corporate travel discounts & rates 

Business travel isn’t cheap. And if it is not managed effectively, it can be a black hole for your company’s budget. 

Corporate travel rates are special deals that are offered to companies by travel service providers. These rates are specifically designed to cater to the travel needs of individual businesses, giving them access to more economical options and perks that might not be available to the average solo traveler. 

Why? Essentially, travel services providers want to give businesses like yours a more attractive rate, so that they can gain your loyalty and secure a higher volume of business. This includes air travel, hotels, car rentals, and rideshare accounts.

While DIY booking can seem tempting sometimes, booking directly via airline or hotel sites keeps costs and policy checks separate. A corporate travel team centralizes rates, support, and policy compliance, making it easier to leverage insights and build travel strategies based on your data.

So how can you benefit? That’s easy – invest in a full travel management package. 

When you partner with us, you can expect greater choices without missing out on business travel savings. With a network spanning 90+ countries and counting, Corporate Traveler can hook you up with ALL the rates.

5. Proactive duty of care 

Duty of care is a company’s moral and legal obligation to monitor its employees' safety and security. And when your employees venture beyond the borders of their familiar workspace, their health and safety take center stage. 

Most incidents that occur on business trips are not a matter of life-or-death, but they can still be pretty inconvenient. From a stolen phone to food poisoning, small incidents may add up to lost workdays, wasted business trips, and unhappy employees. 

To keep your travelers safe, they need support and assistance - no matter where they are. This not only ensures that they’re always safe, but also that they feel safe. The safer your team members feel on their travels, the more relaxed and productive they’ll be - improving staff retention and streamlining their travel experiences.

The best way to ensure your traveler’s safety? Preparation when planning for your business trips. Put a plan in place to reassure your travelers and give them a game plan for every potential situation. With the right prep, you’ll know exactly where all your travelers are and how to reach them at any point in their journey.