Companies opt for management control technology
Reporting systems and means of payment. This is what emerges from the third edition of the "Observatory of technology and innovation applied to corporate travel" by Amadeus Spain.
The report highlights the progress made by technology in organizations when it comes to managing business travel, although travel managers warn that there is ample room for improvement, especially when it comes to promoting the so-called "end to end" approach.
According to the conclusions of the third edition of the “Observatory of technology and innovation applied to business travel”, prepared by Amadeus España y Descyfra, 90% of Spanish companies have a defined travel policy.
The study also reveals that nearly 60% of organizations already have self-booking tools. Since 2013, the number of firms with such technologies has doubled. Firms that have implemented self-booking tools have realized an average savings of 15.5%.
AUTOMATION AND PARAMETRIZATION
Another relevant data from this study is the increase of almost 10 points in the number of companies that have automated the process of advance travel requests. Six out of 10 have it already incorporated. For the companies that participated in the observatory, parameterization and maintenance are key when it comes to implementing travel-related technology
As for the travel expenses, the report notes that more than half of the organizations automate this procedure through specific software. With respect to the previous barómetro, elaborated in 2015, the number of organizations that have a ticket digitization system has doubled.
On the other hand, with respect to past editions of this bar, there is a notable increase in the number of companies with systems for statistics production, and there are especially high numbers of companies that already have tools capable of generating scorecards.
The main payment methods used are corporate credit cards, with a decrease in the use of cards by travelers. Transfers from companies to agencies remain stable.
The study also highlights the role of travel managers, whose figure continues to gain prominence in companies, especially when it comes to participating in the definition and enforcement of travel policy or in the optimization of travel-related expenses.
VISION OF TRAVEL MANAGERS
The vision of corporate travel, according to travel managers, is summarized in the following points:
• Half of the TMs surveyed warn that there is room for improvement in the management of corporate travel in terms of technology, especially when it comes to advancing the so-called end to end.
• In this specific section they cite, for example, the possibility of developing solutions that allow the inclusion of all the services of the comprehensive travel cycle, the integration of the information in the reporting and management systems of these and the personalization of the reports
• Other technological aspects that will be discussed are the possibility of developing solutions that allow the inclusion of all the services of the comprehensive travel cycle, the integration of the information in the reporting and management systems of these and the personalization of the reports
• Other technological aspects that will be discussed are the possibility of developing solutions that allow the inclusion of all the services of the comprehensive travel cycle, the integration of the information in the reporting and management systems of these and the personalization of the reports;Other technological aspects that could be strengthened are the convenience of automating and simplifying processes, the parameterization of self-booking tools, the use of new technologies, and the use of new technologies in the management of these and the customization of reports;The implementation of self-booking tools and the application of seamless mobility solutions for the entire travel cycle, from booking to settlement of expenses;With regard to their training, travel managers demand technical content on new products or trends and topics related to the management of cultural change in organizations;They also value positively the sharing of best practices
• Among the future challenges that corporate travel has to face, TMs consider together a score of aspects, among which stand out the increase in the offer of low-cost products, the rise of the collaborative economy, the control and analysis of expenses in real time or the improvement of employee safety during the trip.Issues such as the development of omnicanality, the promotion of self-booking tools or the creation of a unique technological solution to book all the necessary suppliers or to fully manage the entire trip by mobile phone are also mentioned by the participants in the study.Other challenges that will have to be addressed in the coming years, in the opinion of the TMs, will be those related to improving the quality of the travel experience;traveler experience throughout the travel cycle, through personalization, or those aimed at standardizing processes between different countries.The
• The environment and the ecological footprint of corporate travel are also issues of growing concern to travel managers. Forty percent of them, in fact, measure pollutants originate as a consequence of managing their work, i.e., seven points above the úlst bar, dated 2015.