Travel business expenses were once seen as the luxury of a privileged. Getting out of the office, flying first class, or staying in first-class hotels socializing with the clients, and having a seemingly inexhaustible entertainment account. In short, this was an inexpensive exercise.
Managing your travel expenses is a key way of cutting down costs. But for business travelers managing those expenses is also important ensuring that you would get reimbursed fully and promptly. Given below are the 9 major tips on how business organizations could manage travel expenses.
Tips For Cutting Down Travel Expenses
1. Staff Locally:
One of the best and most obvious ways of cutting down travel expenses is by reducing the need for travel in the first place. One of the major approaches to maximizing the requirement is selecting the members who live in closer proximity and showing the host venue when possible.
For employees who fly in from the nearby offices and stay overnight in the show city, shorter and cheaper flights could equal to fewer hotels nights help in reducing peri-Diem expenses. And in case, your company does not have offices in the close by locations you could then look out for distributors or partners who live in the nearby city in order to staff your booth.
2. Working with a dedicated travel manager or the team:
As a corporate traveler, we generally believe that the business travel needs to be personal. Businesses would here require the expertise from individuals who understand their company’s unique travel patterns, needs, requirements, and last but not least cost parameters.
Having a single point of contact like your travel manager would help you streamlining each and everything within your business saving your time and money.
3. Deciding which airfares are better and would suit your business:
If you ever realize that your travel plans are never going to change, then try and consider booking a travel specialist in order to optimize the savings on a cheaper, restrictive ticket.
And in case you have any plans of changing your booking down the track, opt for a flexible fare avoiding the additional costs associated with the booking changes.
Having the right fare chosen to suit your travel needs and requirements would not just save you cost but even time and money. Your travel manager would here provide you with each and everything that you need.
4. Automating your expense management report:
Most of us generally have great experience working with Microsoft Excel in order to submit expense management reports. But choosing the right expense management software for your organization would not just help you in reducing the manual work but also the direct spending cost saving.
5. Make sure that you have the right insurance coverage:
Do not get caught with the wrong travel insurance. Having poor travel insurance could lead you to unnecessary physical, mental and fitness hardship.
Insurance companies like RBC developed a superior suite of travel insurance policies that range from full cooperate coverage to individual coverage for business and leisure options.
6. Thinking of a long-term plan:
Signing up for a travel reward program even if you travel frequently is one of the best ways of reducing expenses. Just one or two major trips a year could add up to earning a free airfare ticket or a hotel stay on the next vacation.
7. Mobilizing your workforce:
Do make it easy for each and every employee of your organization to book business travel, and submit all the expenses by arming them with an automated travel booking and expense management system that could be easily accessed through a mobile app.
Business travelers here are dependent on their smartphones making sure that they could use their mobile phones to book and amend travel arrangements, be alerted to out-of-policy spending, submit expenses or photographs and mail receipts, and many more.
8. Having a look at your loyalty program emails:
Some business organizations generally offer bonus rewards like double or triple points in order to manage their expenses, when using their services at a specific travel destination or during a specific period of time. So do have a look at your loyalty program email in order to know what it has to offer for you and your organization.
9. Make sure that you know your reward program rules:
Some generally would have points or rewards that expire. So do make sure that you use yours before they actually disappear.
So has your company realized success with an improved business travel and expense management software program? Do leave your thoughts and comments below.