The Challenges and Opportunities for Travel Managers In 2022

As a travel manager, you’re at the centre of attention like never before because your remit touches on the three things that are the focus of business at the moment. 

Delivering return on investment because the economic climate means every penny counts. Improving sustainability because the pandemic and recent weather patterns have brought it to the top of the agenda. And boosting the employee experience in order to win the war for talent.

These themes are the focus of our latest ebook, The Rise of the Travel Manager. It also looks at the challenges travel managers face in delivering the difference the business needs. More importantly, it considers how to overcome the challenges and be the strategic leader you want to be.

The Rise of the Travel Manager

How to Take Care of the Details and Leads on the Bigger Picture with SAP Concur Solutions

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Making Budgets Go Further

As corporate travel begins to return to pre-pandemic volumes, budgets are under greater scrutiny. Nearly two thirds of travel managers say demonstrating the ROI of business travel is more important than ever now. It means you need to have the numbers that can help the business review whether a trip was worth it.

You face a number of challenges in this context. 

The first is the age of cheap flights and hotel deals are over. Demand far outstrips supply, so airlines and hotels have no need to discount rates. A typical trip just costs more than it did pre-pandemic.

The second is the reality of pulling together figures for a trip. Employees often book their travel across several different platforms – flight through your online booking tool and hotel through their personal account. And then there are the expenses claimed during the trip to consider. 

When it comes to costs, some travel management companies are now offering ‘best price guarantees’, cancelling and rebooking travel arrangements if cheaper prices become available.

And for pulling trip costs together, technology is your friend. Some booking tools even highlight when prices are likely to be lower so you can secure a better deal. 

Delivering Meaningful Sustainability Actions

Sustainability is at the top of the agenda and 90% of travel managers say reducing emissions is a top priority for their business. Travellers are keen to make more sustainable choices too – 24% business travellers would decline a trip assigned to them if it required using non-sustainable travel options.

But as you’ll know, saying you want to have a sustainable travel programme is easy. In practice, it’s much harder. 

Firstly there are the questions around the travel choices you make. Should an employee fly economy class or business class? (The answer isn’t always as obvious as you’d think, as the ebook explores.) Which hotel chain is more environmentally sustainable?

Then there is the practicality. As with ROI, calculating the sustainability of a single trip is one thing; calculating the sustainability of every trip is another.

Again, technology can be invaluable here. SAP Concur solutions, for example, have the information travel managers need to get to grips with the new sustainability landscape.

A Focus on Traveller Wellbeing and the Employee Experience

Now more than ever, if organisations want to attract and retain the best staff, the employee experience is more important than ever. 

Yet the difficulties with travel are so acute they are making headline news. The travel element of a business trip is now the most stressful part. The reasons are beyond your control, but the employee experience is impacted nevertheless.

Equipping travellers with information is critical here, especially around matters of health and safety. TripIt Pro, for example, gives you access to the Traveller Resource Centre, which has resources including public health, safety advisories, cancellation policies and new travel guidelines. It gives you the support you need in a fast-moving travel situation.

Take Control of Programme Innovation and Deliver Even More Strategic Value

You’ll be using all your expertise and experience at the moment to keep corporate travel moving and facilitate those vital relationship- and business-building moments. 

SAP Concur solutions are here to help you. 

They equip you with the information you need to play a proactive role in your organisation’s wider strategic conversations. They enhance the employee experience so you can support talent retention. And they streamline admin and booking processes so you free up time to spend on the value-adding elements of your role. 

In other words, they allow you to take control of programme innovation and deliver even more strategic value to your business.

If you’d like to find out more about how SAP Concur solutions can help, take a look at The Rise of the Travel Manager today.

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If you’d like to find out more about how the role of the Travel Manager is evolving, watch Seizing the Moment: From Travel Management to Travel Leadership today.