Travel Management Services - What is it?

Travel management, or corporate travel management (CTM), is the function of managing a company’s strategic approach to travel (travel policy); the negotiations with all vendors, day-today operation of the corporate travel program, traveller safety and security, credit-card management and travel data management. Corporate travel management should not be confused with the work of a traditional travel agency. While agencies provide the day-to-day travel services to corporate clients, they are the implementing arm of what the corporation has negotiated and put forth in policy. In other words, in consultation with each client, corporate travel managers recommend the class of service that employees are allowed to fly, negotiate corporate fares/rates with airlines and hotels as well as set forth the use of the corporate credit card.

For most companies travel and entertainment (T&E) costs represent the second highest controllable annual expense, exceeded only by salary & benefits, and is commonly higher than IT and/or real estate costs. Travel and entertainment costs are not only limited to travel (airline, rail, hotel, car rental, ferry/boat and more) but include all costs incurred during travel such as staff and client meals, taxi fares, gratuities, client gifts, supplies (office supplies and/or services). Furthermore this area often includes meeting management, traveller safety and security, as well as credit card and overall travel data management.

The management of these costs are usually handled by a dedicated Corporate Travel Manager. While it was common practice to do this in-house, it is now well documented that organising proper travel arrangements require specialised knowledge, and such travel skills are normally beyound the role of the secretary, personal assistant, or finance division.  Travel management services is nowadays a function outsourced to a professional travel management company that can cater to the specific needs of the business.  In fact, it is a common fact that a good travel management company can save a company thousands of dollars in the areas of:

• sourcing the best price for a given itinerary
• saving resources of key employees by minimising travel times and recommending best travel routes
• reducing the stress and headache of the managin changes in-house
• understanding corporate travel policy, recommending and implementing the best possible solution
• providing quality travel management reporting to senior management to make informed decisions

Travel Managers - Why Use Us?

Booking your travel arrangements can be a daunting task, and requires many days of research just to find viable travel alternatives.  What is often overlooked is that it takes many years of experience to understand and work around the travel dilemmas in any given destination.  Thus, what could take your inhouse travel coordinators up to an hour organising a simply domestic flight could be arranged in under five minutes through an experienced travel manager like Concierge Business Travel?  Travel managers have the resources and experience to provide you with all the best options and comparison quotes within minutes.

Find out more about the advantages of using a dedicated travel manager

Concierge Business Travel - At Your Service

Concierge Business Travel specialises in the timely, efficient and flexible management of your business travel requirements. With a 93% 'above average' customer service rating and embracing leading technologies such as our Alert-It, Secure-It and Diarise-It solutions, Concierge Business Travel have built a reputation for our personalised partnerships, flexible approach to corporate travel management, and our ability to tailor programmes to your needs.

Find our more about Concierge Business Travel

Read our travel case studies from our clients