Travelers' safety becomes the top priority for travel managers
After several years focused on cost control, travel managers say that traveler safety is at the top of their priorities this year, according to the "European Business Travel Barometer", a study conducted by American Express Global Business Travel, in which 580 companies from the top ten countries in Western Europe participated.
The report, which is now in its 25th year, was presented in Spain as part of the third edition of Supplier Day, an event organized by American Express Global Business Travel España in which agencies, suppliers and customers meet to promote collaboration channels.Luis Dupuy de Lôme, general manager of the company, was in charge of unpacking the main conclusions drawn from the bar.
The most striking of all has to do with the priorities of corporate travel managers for this year. While in last year's edition cost control and security ranked first and traveler satisfaction appeared in sixth place, the survey conducted at the end of 2015 places security as the number one concern and satisfaction rises to third:
1.-SECURITY
96% of the companies surveyed have implemented traveler tracking procedures, 86% have the ability to contact travelers at any time and 76% have the ability to repatriate them. However, only 24% have provided specific security training to their travelers.
2.-COST CONTROL
A classic chapter that drops to second place in the list of priorities. The levers to optimize expenses expressed by the respondents are, in this order:
1.- Prior assessment of the relevance of the trip. 2.- Advance booking of the purchase. 3.- Online reservation. 4.- Substitution of the trips by other means of communication. 5.- Search for more economical rates. 6.- Recourse to preferential suppliers. 7.- Management of means of payment.
The focus of control is mainly on accommodation (59% of respondents), followed by air (57%), catering (24%), cab and parking (23%), car rental (22%), gasoline and tolls (21%), train (21%), MICE (16%) and others (16%).
Low cost airlines are only used by 24% of companies, a percentage that drops to 6% in the case of the collaborative economy.
3.- TRAVELER SATISFACTION
Companies are increasingly concerned about this issue. 49% measure it compared to 45% who did so in 2014. However, only 22% of them are willing to alter travel policy based on traveler feedback. According to the study's authors, 54% will take these aspects into account in the near future. Travel managers are increasingly aware of the need to adopt tools and processes that enhance the travel experience, such as the incorporation of mobile technology.
According to Luis Dupuy, agencies specializing in corporate will continue to play a leading role in this process, both in terms of management and optimization;The company will continue to play a leading role in this process, both in management and in optimization, compliance, new technologies, security, data analysis and flexibility to accommodate new market players.The big challenge will be to maintain the balance between security, cost and satisfaction, three terms that to some extent may seem contradictory," he says.
INCREASED BUDGETING
In addition to priorities, the American Express GBT bar surveys travel managers' spending intentions. The trend is positive, with an expected increase of 2% on average across companies in participating countries compared to 2015, driven by companies' development and internationalization plans. The forecast for Spain, at 3.8%, is the most optimistic, ahead of countries such as Germany (3.6%), Italy (1%), France (0.8%) and the United Kingdom (0%).
Despite this encouraging figure, 76% of respondents perceive travel as a necessary cost, compared with 24%, who consider it an investment. However, the number of companies that are beginning to consider the management of their corporate travel as an investment has increased by 7% compared to last year. In addition, 21% of participants say they would be interested in implementing methodologies to measure return on investment (ROI).