The best travel programs think like consumer brands
Employees don’t stop being consumers when they walk through the office door or log in from home.
Every day, they deal with consumer brands whose digital experiences are fast, intuitive and personalized.
And what happens when they need to arrange a business trip? For a lot of people, it’s nowhere near that easy.
Many employees encounter outdated travel-management systems, limited choices and policies that aren’t clear. That disconnect has consequences. When the company’s travel program creates too much friction, travelers look elsewhere. The result is “leakage”: travel arranged outside a company’s program and policies.
Leakage makes it harder to control costs, enforce policies and track spending. But here’s the twist: leakage is a symptom. The real problem is the experience.
Why employees avoid outdated systems
People are loyal to brands that provide a satisfying experience. If the experience is frustrating, they’ll look for alternatives.
Business travel is no different. Give employees a travel experience that works well and they’ll stay with the company’s program. Make it painful and even the best-written policy won’t deter leakage.
Employees don’t set out to undermine company policy. They use alternative channels because the approved process is frustrating: wasted time, limited options, inconvenient itineraries. In short, a travel experience that compares poorly with the consumer apps they use every day. When the path of least resistance leads outside, that’s where people go.
The goal, then, isn’t to force compliance. It’s to create an experience employees want to repeat.
To see what a customer-first travel experience looks like, book a demo with KAYAK for Business.
The three C’s of a great travel experience
What does an outstanding business travel experience look like? Start with three expectations of consumers these days: choice, convenience and customization.
Choice. Travelers want options. Employees are frustrated when company policies impose inferior itineraries, inconvenient flights or second-rate accommodations. Companies need financially responsible policies, of course. But those policies should balance cost control with the realities of business travel.
The best approach is to develop guidelines that are both financially sound and reasonable for travelers, then communicate those policies clearly and apply them consistently. Employees can then choose from acceptable options without feeling that the company is dictating every detail.
Convenience. Slogging through a complex process is time employees don’t devote to their primary job. A traveler shouldn’t have to spend an hour navigating sites and comparing options just to arrange a routine trip.
Consumer brands have conditioned people to expect speed and simplicity. Corporate travel should meet the same standard. The best booking experience removes the complexity and unnecessary steps that waste everyone’s time.
Customization. Two travelers can have very different preferences but still follow the same policy. One wants a hotel with a gym; another needs to be near a client’s favorite restaurant. (They’re big on dinner meetings).
Acknowledging individual preferences builds trust and satisfaction. And travelers who are treated like loyal customers will continue to use the approved system.
Plus, employees who are comfortable on the road are better able to focus on the goals of the trip.
Keep them coming back
The lesson from successful consumer brands is simple: if you want people to use a product or service repeatedly, give them a reason to return.
The same principle should apply to business travel.
Instead of designing a program around policy and compliance, start with the traveler. What does the person taking a trip need? What would make this a positive experience?
When programs take a traveler-first approach, compliance follows. Not because employees are forced to, but because the approved process is the best option.
This doesn’t mean abandoning policy or letting costs run wild. The most effective programs give travelers a great experience while providing managers with the tools they need to track spending and enforce guidelines. They treat the traveler as a customer, not a compliance problem.
The top consumer brands didn’t become popular by building a minimally acceptable product. They got there by obsessing over the experience until using their product became easier than any alternative.
Corporate travel programs are overdue for the same shift. The technology exists to deliver an experience equal to those of the leading consumer brands. The question is whether organizations are willing to make the traveler’s experience as high a priority as policy compliance and cost control.
When they do, the problem with leakage disappears. When the approved channel is the best channel, there’s no reason to go anywhere else.
That experience is available today with KAYAK for Business.
Bringing the consumer experience to business travel
KAYAK for Business was built around the 3 C’s.
Choice. KAYAK pioneered travel metasearch, bringing together options across flights, hotels, rental cars, rail and ground transportation. But the objective isn’t an endless list of possibilities. KAYAK for Business applies configurable criteria that help companies surface options that satisfy policy, control costs and provide the best experience for travelers.
Convenience. KAYAK for Business combines the simplicity of consumer booking with the policy controls that businesses need. That’s a huge plus for corporate travel teams that have spent years working with complex legacy travel-management systems.
Customization. Traveler profiles ensure that personal preferences are always part of the selection criteria. At the same time, travel managers and finance teams have configurable policy settings in the Admin Hub to ensure that travelers stay within policy.
The result is an approach that doesn’t force businesses to choose between traveler satisfaction and corporate control.
Learn more by booking a demo with KAYAK for Business.
About KAYAK for Business
KAYAK for Business combines the power of the world’s leading travel search engine with tools designed specifically for business travelers. It serves companies of every size, from fast-growing startups to global enterprises, helping them book, manage, and track business travel in one place.
For more information, visit https://www.kayak.com/business/
