A company’s relationship with its own travelers often is the most important determinant of travel savings, as well as traveler productivity and safety. We call this relationship traveler management, and it needs to be measured accurately and frequently to understand whether your program is meeting the needs of the company and travelers.
While every business has different goals and metrics, the key performance indicators below are a good starting point for any travel manager. To be most meaningful, KPIs should be measured not only against internal goals, but also against industry norms. Networking with travel managers from peer companies can yield valuable insights.
Seven essential KPIs for traveler management
1) Travel intensity — How much are your top travelers are on the road? Look at miles traveled, nights away or the total number of trips.
2) Virtual/in-person meetings ratio — How many internal meetings use virtual meeting technology, compared to meetings that require travel?
3) Advance bookings — How early are most trips booked? What is your average savings on 14- and/or 21-day bookings?
4) Online adoption — What percentage of employees book using online tools? How has that changed over time? What is the average savings of an online booking versus an agent-assisted booking?
5) Travel class — How do your business-class bookings compare to your bookings in coach? Which hotel classes dominate among your travelers?
6) Hotel attachment — How many hotel bookings are being missed at time of airline booking?
7) Authorized channels — What percentage of travelers are using the booking channels you’ve selected?
BCD Travel’s latest white paper provides strategies for boosting traveler productivity, keeping travelers safe and saving money. Check out Traveler Management: How to influence your employees to plan, book and travel smarter.