Compliance is a minimum requirement; and buy-in is the gold standard when it comes to travel programmes. The reason is simple – the more your travellers support your programme, the more productive, happy and engaged employees are.

Before you start unpeeling the onion, the big question, is whether or not your corporate travellers are even aware of your travel policies and of updates being shared with them. When business travellers don’t have the travel policy information they need to make good purchase decisions, travel programme effectiveness and traveller wellbeing all may be affected.

Understanding this means accepting the need to create awareness amongst employees through a multi-channel communication strategy.

Spread the word

It’s safe to assume that your travellers all have access to digital devices so the easiest and quickest way to achieve engagement is through:

– Emails
– Webinars
– Intranet
– Video content
– Apps

These mediums are cost-effective and provide something that all other communication channels simply cannot do, they are measurable. It’s easy to track who has opened and read emails, who was absent from webinar sessions and who received texts but never read them.

Mobile in particular is one of the fastest and most effective ways to reach travellers. Use it to enable safety notifications, schedule policy messages and provide access to emergency numbers and security guidelines.

Engagement campaigns

Use traveller engagement to influence behaviour and increase satisfaction. Digital retail marketing tactics have proven successful in guiding travellers to smart, economical travel purchases. Merchandising helps program achieve a variety of goals – from shifting share between suppliers to promoting the most efficient travel options.

The more we understand about how travellers think and make decisions, the better we can influence their booking behaviour to support your travel program and organization.

Use recent travel data to tweak your travel programme

The current volatile climate has resulted in wild fluctuations in flight and accommodation costs. Look out for potential cost-saving opportunities with the introduction of new flight routes, cheaper regions, and seasonal price cuts. Aim to minimise last minute travel bookings at higher prices.

Include a range of options in your travel programme

Choice by definition, implies, that the needs and preferences of the individual are being considered. By setting a benchmark for costs around flights and accommodation and “red stamping” a class of airline tickets and star ratings for hotels, you can offer your road warriors choices.

Offer incentives to reward compliance

Regardless of circumstances, thank you always goes a long way. A simple way to encourage travellers to stay within their budgets is to let the money do the talking. Include a cash-back reward system where an agreed percentage of the savings they make is theirs to keep. Rewards can also be in the form of hotel accommodation or car rental for leisure travel, gift cards or shopping vouchers. This encourages accountability and results in massive savings for the business.