Business Traveler Experience in the Spotlight
It’s no secret that managing a business travel program today is about much more than just containing costs. Successful programs balance policies to achieve improved traveler productivity and satisfaction in addition to achieving high levels of compliance and cost reduction.
Businesses with travel programs of any size can get helpful insights from the 2015 Business Travel Survey released by Travizon. The results identify specific areas that can improve the travel experience, increase productivity and add to the satisfaction and retention of your business travelers. Survey results were broken out by age group, frequency of travel as well as by status within the company. While some results were predictable, others were interesting.
It’s not surprising that different age groups want and need different things. For example, while a majority of business travelers dislike sprawlers and loud talkers, millennial travelers are most annoyed with kids and leisure travelers on their flights.
Pain in the hotel space, such as an unclean room, had the biggest negative affect on traveler productivity. Pain in air space focused on lost baggage while terrorism was rarely mentioned as an anxiety. In ground transportation, the biggest hassles were picking up and dropping off a vehicle. No wonder Uber is doing so well! Speaking of Uber, a whopping 70% of millennials and 78% of frequent travelers say access to using Uber on business trips would improve their experience.
When it comes to using technology, 47% of those surveyed want to use an online booking tool. A surprising 74% say they WANT their company to use a tracking tool and agreed with the statement “My employer should know where I am and how to reach me at all times.”
No matter how frequent your employees travel, have open communication channels to hear what is important to the different travelers in your organization. Design travel policies that are flexible to meet the needs of your different travelers. After all, although travel may not be your core business, it is a means for your employees to be successful in growing your business.
Originally published in August 2015 Carmel Business Leader.
Categorized in: Blog, Customer Service, Travel
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