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1、Table of ContentsPart One:Introduction to Modern Travel&Expense ManagementChapter 1:The Navan Difference:Modern Travel,Corporate Card,and Expense ManagementChapter 2:Exploring the Components and Value of a Modern T&E ProgramChapter 3:A Framework for Modern Corporate Expense ManagementChapter 4:Manag
2、ing Corporate Travel and Expenses for Travel and Finance LeaderChapter 5:Achieving Modern T&E Programs Success Through AdoptionChapter 6:A Modern T&E Experience that Exceeds Employee ExpectationsPart Two:Components of Modern T&EChapter 7:InventoryChapter 8:Closed User Groups and Corporate Negotiated
3、 RatesChapter 9:Loyalty ProgramsChapter 10:Personal Travel BookingsChapter 11:Meetings and EventsChapter 12:Incident Response and Duty of CareChapter 13:Train InventoryChapter 14:Unused Tickets and WaiversPart Three:Fintech Invaluable in Modern T&EChapter 15:The Impact of Fintech Innovations on Mode
4、rn T&E ProgramsChapter 16:Empowering Employees Using Seamless Payment ToolsChapter 17:Benefitting from Real-Time Spend Visibility in the Modern Finance StackChapter 18:Ending Expense Error and Fraud in Modern T&E ProgramsChapter 19:The Value of Virtual Cards in Modern Corporate Travel and Spend Mana
5、gementChapter 20:Unique Applications for Virtual and Purchase CardsChapter 21:The Changing Role of a Modern Finance LeaderPart Four:How to Leverage Tech for Smarter T&E StrategiesChapter 22:Creating Efficiencies Through Well-Designed T&E ProgramsChapter 23:Digitally Weaving Proactive Policy into Mod
6、ern T&E ProgramsChapter 24:Driving Cost Savings in Modern T&E ProgramsChapter 25:Shaping Modern T&E Programs Through Decentralized SpendingChapter 26:Navigating Guest&Employee Travel as Designated BookerChapter 27:Managing an RFP in Modern T&E LandscapeChapter 28:Supporting Employee Wellness in Corp
7、orate TravelChapter 1:The Navan Difference:Modern Travel,Corporate Card,and Expense ManagementIntroductionWelcome.This book explores the basics of modern corporate travel,card,and expensemanagement technology,deeply diving into how each industry works and the current status quoin each realm.It is de
8、signed to be a friendly,interactive,and easy-to-approach vehicle forlearning about the corporate travel,card,and expense industries and how each technology hasevolved over the last several years.Throughout these chapters,readers will learn the following:The basics around corporate travel and spendHo
9、w Travel Management Companies(TMCs),Online Booking Tools(OBTs),andExpense programs integrate,and where the industry is headedCommon tools for managing corporate travel and expenseBest practices for managing programs with the modern tools availableAs a result of completing the strategies discussed wi
10、thin the book,heres what you can expectfor your travel program:Happier admins and travelers who want to use their corporate travel managementprogramIncreased user adoption,leading to better program visibility and cost savingsAdvanced knowledge of optimization tools like dynamic policy,rewards progra
11、ms,andadvanced policy settingsMore than anything,this book is designed to be a casual but helpful vehicle for helping youimprove your approach to corporate travel,card,and expense management.Fundamentals of the Corporate Travel IndustryThe corporate travel and expense industry is the marketplace of
12、ideas,technology,and peoplethat power in-person connections.Its responsible for making the long lunches,internationalexchanges,and face-to-face conversations that build relationships,close deals,and drivegrowth possible.Here are some key statistics from the U.S.Travel Association as prepared by Oxfo
13、rd EconomicsUSA:Executives and business travelers estimate that 28%of current business would be lostwithout in-person meetings.More than half of business travelers stated that 520%of their companys newcustomers resulted from trade show participation.Executives and business travelers estimate that ro
14、ughly 40%of prospective customersare converted to new customers with an in-person meeting,compared to 16%withoutsuch a meeting.Lets face it,thoughmanaging billions of trips,expenses,and receipts for businesses aroundthe globe is not a simple task.To help you understand the complexity,we will dive fi
15、rst into thefundamentals of the corporate travel industry.Well start with some big ideas,and as youprogress in the Academy,youll learn about some of the finer details of corporate travel,likeinventory sources,negotiated rates,and policy settingsWhat is a TMC?The term TMC stands for Travel Management
16、 Company and refers to organizations that assistcorporate clients with managing their travel bookings.TMCs provide the inventorybe thatflights,hotels,cars,or railand to book travel and the tactical know-how to support the processfrom booking to changes to any other aspect needed on a trip.Put anothe
17、r way,TMCs arecorporate travel agents.They get the inventory,and they support it.TMCs can also help negotiate special rates for an organization,build out meetings and eventservices,manage VIPs,and fulfill a variety of special needs for a client,depending on theTMCs technical aptitude and reach.What
18、is an OBT?The term OBT stands for Online Booking Tool.It refers to the technical systems that enableusers to book flights,rail,hotels,and more.A standalone OBT does not offer support,has noinventory,and needs to be paired with another company that provides travel inventory and somesupport services-O
19、BTs as an artifact of analog travel inventory and support to a certain degree.Before the internet age,travel bookings were all made over the phone through corporate travelagents.However,as the industry moved towards digital technologies and inventory went online,tools could automate the booking that
20、 trips mandated.As a result,Online Booking Tools werecreated to augment the already-existing analog processes in place of calling or emailing acorporate travel agent.Today,the term OBT is starting to blur.Modern corporate travel platforms natively accessinventory in the cloud and can integrate the i
21、nventory,booking,and support components.As aresult,many companies no longer need a separate,traditional OBT and TMC.Like booking anUber or ordering food through Grubhub,the entire travel and expense experience can live in asingle,native,online environment.Navan combines OBT and TMC technologies(amon
22、g other components)into a single platformin an all-in-one approach.By contrast,legacy platforms still use a best-in-breed model thatallows program managers to select an OBT and a TMC independently based on the companysneeds.Expense and Corporate TravelTravel and expense management are tightly intert
23、wined in the corporate world.For manyorganizations,travel is the second-biggest overhead cost(if not the biggest)regarding overallcompany spend.All that travel comes with many hotel stays,coffees,and seat-selection fees(plus the receipts that track all those transactions).The complex ecosystem that
24、traditionally defined this landscape is made up of multiple movingparts,suppliers,invoices,and subject matter experts.Traditionally,corporate travel managershave cobbled together an OBT,TMC,and some expense solution to form a patchwork oftechnologies that support travelers and admins on each trip.Em
25、ployees had to collect,catalog,and document all expenses during a trip before submitting them for review.Reconciliation forexpenses not made on corporate card ends was manual.However,that calculus is now starting to change thanks to the interconnectivity of data that canlive in the cloud.If travel p
26、olicy and expense data cohabitate in the cloud,why cant they worktogether to create smarter systems?That vision of travel,cards,and expense all working together is powering a new generation ofall-in-one solutions that weave all three technologies into the same platform.Designing smartcorporate cards
27、 around active spend limits,for example,allows for real-time approval(orrejection)of expenses and automatic reconciliation.Properly deployed,the system canrecognize,reimburse,and reconcile expenses as a function of the trip and cut drastic time awayfrom the legacy manual receipt and expense processi
28、ng system.This technology stack is also the crux of what Navan Expense delivers.While the travelcomponents of Navan help manage travel inventory,booking,and support into a simple andstreamlined experience,Navan Expense elevates that experience to include smart physical andvirtual cards that know a c
29、ompanys policy,recognize expenses,and automatically reconcile thebooks.Later in this book,youll discover how Navan Expense,the corporate card and expensetechnology,is married to Navan,the travel management technology.For now,its helpful to keep one thing in mind:Travel and expense are deeply intertw
30、ined.Modern Travel,Corporate Cards,and Expense ManagementSolutionsWith a basic understanding of a travel and expense programs core components nowestablished,its worth looking at how the industry has evolved over the last several years andwhere many offerings currently reside.Early in this century,co
31、nsumer travel shifted away from legacy travel agents to online portalslike Priceline,Orbitz,and Expedia.Now,those online travel agents or OTAs make up themajority of booking volume for consumer travel;its no longer necessary to go to the mall or calla travel agent to pick up flight or hotel reservat
32、ions.Other industries made similar moves:ride-sharing and hailing went online(see:Uber or Lyft),and ordering food did the same(see:Grubhub).Corporate travel,however,never made this shift.Until now.Why?Because its a highly complexand entrenched industry.Managing corporate travel fully in the cloud re
33、quires carefulorchestration of supplier and inventory management,user experience design,and traditionalsupport structures that work together to create a meaningful experience for both programadministrators and travelers.Add agent support tools,expense management,and a cascade ofongoing innovation to
34、 the equation,and the problems grow exponentially.Only a few companies have been able to keep up with the zeitgeist of current travel,card,andexpense technologies and weave everything into a coherent,cloud-based solution.But for thosewho have pulled it off,a clean,unified experience for travel,corpo
35、rate card,and expensemanagement can be an integrated tool for companies that want a simple,efficient alternative tothe once disparate,best-in-breed approach.Adoption and Leakage in Modern Travel and ExpenseThe biggest challenge that modern T&E tools solve is employee adoption.On top of the challenge
36、s of delivering an all-in-one,cloud-based solution for managing thistechnology stack,modern platforms constantly need to compete with consumer travel andexpense solutions that often provide a better experience.For example,the booking experience at an OTA or Metacrawler like Google Flights is far mor
37、eintuitive than many companies legacy corporate tools.Rather than upgrade corporate devices,many program managers enable for off-platform bookings.But,permitting off-platform bookingscreates the problem of adoption or leakage.Without employees booking in the platform,program administrators cant prop
38、erly enforcepolicy,track travelers,or maintain a duty of care.Program forecasting becomes blurry,andcosts can spiral,but program administrators offering outdated platforms have little leverage.Employee expectations have changed,and they prefer booking with consumer-gradeexperiences.Modern tools prov
39、ide a user experience similar to those on consumer bookingplatforms to solve this challenge.On the expense side of that solution,modern tools also need to deliver an experience thatapproves the status quo of manually saving receipts and submitting them to the accountingteam for reimbursement.Invento
40、ry in Modern Travel and ExpenseAnother challenge that modern tools address is around booking inventory.Traditionally,travelmanagement companies or TMCs have leaned heavily on global distribution systems(GDSs)like Sabre and Amadeus to source inventory.With new options like direct connections andconsu
41、mer inventory now available in the cloud,however,theres an opportunity to bring inmultiple inventory sources and actively compare rates and fares so that users always get thebest prices.The key to success in managing this inventory is handling multiple data feeds and displayingthem correctly to end
42、users.A significant influence on this process is user preference.Moderntravel and expense programs offer travelers preferred or nuanced inventory to improve theexperience and reduce booking time.For example,if a user prefers a particular air carrier or hotel chain,those results can surfacefirst with
43、in search results.Similarly,a companys secured negotiated rates can float to the top.The Big Picture of All-in-One ToolsAll told a tool that manages corporate travel,cards,and expense should work harmoniously toprovide a super user experience for administrators and end users.From the perspective of
44、an employee traveling from Wichita to New York City for a business trip,the efficiency should look like this:A simple,user-friendly tool that displays multiple inventory sources based on a userspreferences for booking and paying for travel on a physical or virtual company cardEasy-to-access,robust s
45、upport is accessible through the web or mobile over chat,phone,or emailIntegrated expense management that recognizes a persons policy and automaticallyreimburses corporate card spend on-the-fly.Simple receipt capture and expense reimbursement for in-policy spend from a personalcard.Program administr
46、ators and finance leaders should also see the benefits through:High program adoption thanks to an easy-to-handle consumer-grade interface foremployees(and program administrators)Cost savings and increased duty of care produced from high adoptionFewer expenses to review and approve thanks to automati
47、c spend controls andreconciliation woven into corporate cardsHow Navan Differentiates from Traditional Corporate Travel&ExpenseWith the legacy and future states of corporate travel,card,and expense management defined,its now possible to revisit the approach that Navan has taken to the market:Navan i
48、s an OBT and TMC:Unlike many traditional corporate travel solutions,Navanacts as an online booking tool and a travel management company,which significantlysimplifies the process of searching,booking,and managing travel.Integrated Spend Management:Besides solving the booking and travel managementproc
49、ess,Navan has expenses and payments covered through Navan,which creates aclosed loop from trip booking and execution to payment and reconciliation.Outside oftravel,Navan Expense also allows for payments and expenses for day-to-day corporatepurchases.User-and Technology-First:By putting users front a
50、nd center in its product,Navancreates a better traveler experience,ultimately driving program adoption.And with highadoption rates,admins can better apply policy and take advantage of cost savings.Broad,Transparent Inventory:Airfare,ground,and hotel content pulled into the Navanplatform come from mu
51、ltiple sources,including industry and consumer channels.Thisholistic approach to inventory ensures that the fares and rates in the system are amongthe best on the market.In addition to better sourcing,Navan transparently loads thecontent into its search results without any markups.This user-first st
52、rategy givestravelers and admins peace of mind about pricing.From here,the book will explore the nuance of setting up modern corporate travel and expenseprograms and how users can succeed in various scenarios.Youve laid the foundation for amodern corporate travel,card,and expense management approach
53、.Chapter 2:Exploring the Components and Value of aModern T&E ProgramThe goal of any travel and expense manager is to make the most of their companys program bykeeping costs in check and increasing employee satisfaction.Success is a direct function of thetools and technologies at the behest of each m
54、anager.An intelligent corporate travel policy provides the ability to identify trends that cut costs,increasevisibility,better protect travelers,and scale as a business grows.Ultimately,a well-crafted travelpolicy also creates a better experience for travelers,driving higher adoption and satisfactio
55、n.Itis the ultimate win-win.Geared correctly,here are seven benefits to look forward to with a proper program in place.1.Better visibility into travel spend:When embraced company-wide,corporate travelpolicies enabled through Navan give travel managers higher visibility into and bettercontrol over ho
56、w budgets are spent.They enable finance and procurement leaders tomonitor everything about the performance of their travel program so they can identifytrends and easily optimize for savings.Greater spend visibility provides the clarityneeded to work with suppliers on preferred corporate rates.2.Empo
57、wer employees to thrive:A well-crafted travel policy enhances employeehappiness and productivity.Travels positive effect on employees grows whencompanies give road warriors more choice and control.Happy employees achieve theirbusiness goals,are more loyal,and reap more significant profits.3.Increase
58、 employee productivity:An overlooked benefit of a well-designed travel policyis increased employee productivity.A recent Navan survey found that 83%of businesstravelers spend more than an hour booking any given business trip.The six-minutebooking average with Navan is better for productivity,and a p
59、roactive,global,24/7 travelagent support team means employees dont have to spend valuable time changingflights or handling unexpected travel changes.4.Keep employees safe:When nearing 100%adoption,travelers managers have morevisibility into where employees are at any given point in their travels.By
60、leveraging toolssuch as the Navan Live Traveler Map,Navan travel managers always know wheretravelers are and how to get them home.5.Reward travelers for frugal policy decisions:With the incentive program at Navan,employees can earn personal rewards and save the company money.Employees spendmore cons
61、ciously when companies share the savings.6.Improving expensing:With Navan Expense,travel managers have access to real-time,unified travel spend reporting and control over travel payments with the ability to setpolicy controls.Employees gain a better travel experience,including automatedreconciliatio
62、n and reporting of their travel payments.7.Leverage powerful technology:AI and machine learning technology bolster Navanscapabilities,which means the platform uses past search history,loyalty programs,andother information to learn travelers preferences and surface the results theyre mostlikely to bo
63、ok.They can also calculate and surface the median price per search toensure travelers make the most responsible business decisions without sacrificing theirneeds.By leveraging machine learning,Navan can better match travelers personalpreferences with inventory that adheres to company policy.Consider
64、ations:Integrations,Mobile,and MoreWhile many corporate travel,card,and expense solutions like Navan act as all-in-one tools forhandling the needs of a business,there will always be components that plug into the software tocreate a clean connection between employee data and the company.HRIS or Human
65、 Resources Information Software,for example,can link company personnelrecords with traveler profiles,while Single Sign On or SSO software helps employees maintain asingle login across an entire software ecosystem.When travel and finance leaders look for a new solution for managing travel or corporat
66、e cardsor expense systems(or all of the above),its important to think through the current technology ata company and ensure that each component works with the incoming software.Travelmanagers can work closely with the procurement and IT teams to choose solutions compatiblewith current systems and ma
67、intain a degree of relevance with industry developments.Fortunately,the corporate travel,card,and expense industries are moving toward eliminatingthe need to make many extra software decisions.In the past,for example,those who wanted tocut travel programs costs through an incentive or reward needed
68、to buy a third-party plugin.Today,thoughtful,modern solutions have rewards programs and dynamic policies built directlyinto the user experience.No integration or all-in-one solution will be able to perfectly predict the future of HRIS software,the T&E zeitgeist,or a worldwide pandemic coming down th
69、e pipeline.So,because thesoftware world is constantly changing,ensure any selected platforms can adapt and evolve.Mobile technology now plays a central role in any modern travel and expense program.Theinterest is driven by the rise in consumer-grade booking and expensing experiences;today,employees
70、entering the workforce expect their travel and expense programs to work likeInstagram,Google Flights,and Tiktok.Program administrators also have higher standards for managing programs from mobiledevices.Administrators have better flexibility to create programs that employees will use ifpolicies can
71、be adjusted or expenses approved from a phone.This elevated need for mobile experiences from travelers and administrators is critical whenprocuring or considering new corporate travel,card,and expense programs.Mobile capabilitiescant just be a secondary component glued onto the side of a technology
72、stack;instead,mobileconsiderations should be woven into the experience,from booking to itinerary management tocard swipe to reconciliation.Like a Tesla Model 3 is as much of a computer as a vehicle,aprogram for managing corporate travel and expense should be a mobile app as much as atravel agent or
73、accounting manager.At risk in the mobile technology calculus is program adoption.Without smooth,integratedmobile experiences for booking travel,managing itineraries,contacting support,capturingexpenses,managing corporate cards,and setting up reconciliation,employees will be temptedto wander away fro
74、m the program and manage their travel and expenses elsewhere.Instead ofa clean booking and reconciliation experience,companies can expect out-of-policy bookings onthird-party platforms and the paper trail associated with reconciling and managing the spend.Mobile Technology Paired with Corporate Card
75、s and Expense ManagementKey to the integrated experience that an employee should find in a travel,corporate card,andexpense program is the process of swiping a corporate card,receiving approval for the spend,and capturing the expense for the finance team.A modern program should consider anemployees
76、policy and automatically recognize and approve expenses as they appear on theledger.By extension,corporate cards should be integrated into the expense system.When the cardcan check the system at the time of the swipe to see if a transaction is approved or denied,finance managers can dial in policy a
77、nd set up automatically approved expenses.This level of connectivity is only made possible by a mobile-forward solution and deepconnectivity between systems.This is the standard to seek out when selecting a modern travel,corporate card,and expense management solution.Chapter 3:A Framework for Modern
78、 CorporateExpense ManagementTo be strategic,CFOs need real-time visibility into their businesss financial activities.Creatingfinancial plans that accurately and realistically reflect the most up-to-date data is necessary.Byharnessing this real-time data,finance leaders can make faster,smarter decisi
79、ons aboutbudgets,forecasts,investments,and cost savings.The corporate travel and spend management space is evolving to make that happen.Fortunately,modern finance teams can leverage fintech tools to build smarter and strongerbusinesses from scratchstarting with payments and spend management.Challeng
80、es Presented by Outdated T&E ManagementMany of the commonly used corporate travel and expense(T&E)management systems cantkeep up with the needs of modern businesses.Pain points include a lack of control,complexapproval flows,manual processes,and outdated user interfaces.Many of these pains come from
81、 the fact that the systems in this technology stack are notdigitally connected.Budgets and policies reside in systems separate from approvals,andapprovals arent connected with accounting software.The result is multiple,disparateoperations.While each step may work well in a silo,it cant be integrated
82、 into a comprehensive,full-picture decision-making tree.Outdated T&E management systems also burden employees,who are often asked to pay out ofpocket for company expenses and then have to wait for repayment while those purchases gothrough a lengthy review process.Additionally,employees want to be ab
83、le to make quick,intelligent decisions for the business and can feel stymied when a rigid approval process stopsthem.Traditional tools also result in payments made without context into a travelers behavior.Despitebeing hyper-connected in our personal lives,our expenses dont have that same context.Bu
84、t bybringing in travel details,calendar sync,transaction details,travel policy,and other context,expenses and filing expense reports can be much cleaner.ERP connections can also be cumbersome.Employees may use corporate cards without theknowledge of policy,and non-compliant spend is reviewed after t
85、he fact.Potential downsides ofthese burdensome connections include duplicative purchases and only periodic visibility.Theres no way to identify potentially harmful payment issues in real-time.Outdated T&E management systems also lead to delayed visibility.Employees are asked to gothrough large appro
86、val chains,including finance,procurement,security,and sometimes legalteams.This process can take anywhere from days to weeks,leading to wasted time on the partof the employee and the approvers.By extension,payment data is not available in real-time.Legacy tools arent intelligent enough to adapt arou
87、nd so much rigidity.A Framework for Modern Spend ManagementModern technologies for managing all-in-one travel and expense management work differently.The right tools automate complex approval flows and grant independence to employees;thisallows admins to create a host of parameters that automate the
88、 approval process.Admins can control pre-approved budgets,expiration dates,subscription renewal frequencies,and more.This allows employees to make fast,flexible purchase decisions on behalf of thecompany while also ensuring control and visibility for the finance and accounting teams.Furthermore,this
89、 approval process automation means an immediate payment to vendors,withdata that instantly flows to the ERP.Real-time visibility into business spend is critical to a healthy business.Accounting and financeteams,though,often scramble at the end of the month to review non-compliant spending.Whenemploy
90、ees use modern spend management tools,instant granular purchase data is available,and after-the-fact payments disappear.Additionally,finance teams have complete visibility intoall business spending thanks to one centralized dashboard.Here are the four main components of a modern spend management sys
91、tem:Digital connective:Policy is digitally integrated into expense management rather than aseparate static document.Therefore,approvals are objective and applied against apolicy or budget.The policy applies to expenses,which automates approvals,adds GLcodes,and sends to accounting software.Eased bur
92、dens:All employees receive company cards,so they arent pre-paying onbehalf of the company.Policy controls are applied in real-time,dramatically reducingrogue spending and increasing clarity.This also decreases the burden on finance teams,as only out-of-policy spend needs to be reviewed.Spend context
93、:Modern spend management tools automatically recognize if anemployee is on a trip or at home.It enables them to split charges when mixing work withpersonal and to pay for out-of-pocket,in-policy expenses with immediate reimbursement.Improved visibility:Expenses are realized when they occur,allowing
94、out-of-policyexpenses to be flagged immediately for resection.Individual transaction visibilityreplaces aggregated delayed views.Positive Business OutcomesModern payment solutions solve the policy and payment technology equations.Policy-andbudget-controlled corporate cards empower employees by enabl
95、ing them to pay and receivereimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses seamlessly.On the back end,finance teams arefreed from the tedious work of expense reports while gaining real-time access to data andinsights.The entire process of spend management is connected,resolved,and upgraded.Lets look at a r
96、eal-world example of spending management:If an employee has a$100 daily limit for a business trip to Los Angeles,and that person swipesto pay for a$300 steak,in-app policy controls of modern spend management tools can catchthe transaction and decline or flag it at the point of sale.If the traveler d
97、ecides to put anegregious$400 room service bill on a corporate card,thats picked up,too,and the transactionwill be declined.A full-stack corporate spend management solution not only automates all areas of spendmanagement but provides real-time visibility and granular policy controls that finance tea
98、msneed to create robust T&E programs.Chapter 4:Managing Corporate Travel andExpenses for Travel and Finance LeaderOfficially speaking,a travel manager directs,operates,and administers travel programs for abusiness.But travel management in todays corporate ecosystem is a nuanced andever-evolving role
99、.Enterprise corporations often hire a dedicated travel manager to overseebusiness travel policies and operations,while smaller companies may designate someone withmany other responsibilities as a travel manager(e.g.,an executive assistant,office manager,orsomeone in the finance department).Increasin
100、gly,travel managers also now work with or aspart of procurement to manage expense programs and software throughout the ecosystem.As organizations become larger,the need to manage complex travel programs grows.Travelmanagers work closely with all other areas of corporate leadership,including HR,finan
101、ce,accounting,procurement,and the C-suite.They can wield enormous power in decision-makingthat impacts technology,software,partners,and policies.Travel and expense managers play a hugely influential role in the evaluation,selection,operation,and,ultimately,the success of a travel program.In short,th
102、eyre the boots on theground regarding their current travel management setup.Roles and ResponsibilitiesThe following responsibilities usually fall under a travel manager(or someone who takes on thatrole in a smaller organization):Develop and centralize the travel functions of the organization by impl
103、ementing a globaltravel program(covering air and ground transport and hotels),maintaining thecompanys travel policy and systems,and establishing a process for travel-relatedescalations.Analyze,recommend,and implement organizational changes relating to corporate travel,balancing business needs and co
104、mpany controls.Develop and maintain relationships with suppliers and ensure they deliver agreed-toservices by measuring performance and identifying improvement opportunities.Partner with procurement to negotiate preferred corporate air,hotel,and transportationrates.Ensure operational effectiveness a
105、nd compliance in the organizations global travelprogram.Manage point redemptions and travel vouchers earned through each airline,hotel,orother travel-related membership.Create,manage,and analyze spend reports to make recommendations for costefficiencies or avoidance of unnecessary fees.Understand in
106、dustry trends for developing future programs and cost-saving strategies.Keep current with the latest travel industry trends vital to the travel-planning process toidentify the safest and most economical travel options,which may includecommunicating to employees any temporary travel advisories.Train
107、employees on travel policies,booking tools,or other technologies implementedwith the global travel program.Those in the role managing expense programs often have a broader purview,includingoverseeing an expense system and the data funneling into it.The travel managers role has evolved rapidly in the
108、 last decadeespecially in organizationsadopting more innovative technology providers.Lets look at the traditional role of a travelmanager versus that of a modern travel manager,whose operations include the benefit of anintelligent,cloud-based technology partner.A Glimpse into the PastIn the past,tra
109、vel managers were often pegged into the role of policy police as they trackeddown which employees were booking where and how much they spent.These travel managersspent as much time managing their travel management solution,or TMC,as they didemployees.After all,the TMC ultimately booked travel(it als
110、o was the final chance for the policyto be respected or rejected).Traditionally,this balance between the TMC and the companycreated a complicated relationship in which employees pushed booking and supportresponsibility to the TMC,and program adoption rates could have been much higher.As aresult,many
111、 traditional travel managers spent extra time chasing employees who insisted onbooking on consumer platforms or reconciling off-platform expenses.The human error ratealone turned to book a trip into a minefield of mistakes.Where We Are TodayFast forward to today,and technology has completely changed
112、 how travel managers operate.The travel managers role has been elevated from policing agent and task enforcer.Today,thisperson is a strategic,big-picture thinker who connects the dots between multiple departments.Atravel manager also helps inject a culture with the understanding that making smart ch
113、oiceswhen preparing for a business trip does benefit everyone.When travel managers have access to a powerful T&E solution,their focus can shift back to thetraveler experience.With real-time data and insights,for example,travel managers can talk totravelers and understand how to achieve the ultimate
114、win-win:the best traveler experience pluscompany cost savings.Emmett Bamba manages corporate travel for over 1,000 employees at Twitch,the multiplayerentertainment system.With collaboration baked into the companys culture,Emmettunderstands the complexities of managing corporate travel with internal
115、leadership whileproviding employees with the best travel experience.He had 12 years of experience as a travelagent before joining an organization to streamline their business travel.Emmetts Path Toward Corporate TravelAfter starting his career in leisure travelthink cruises and vacation packagesEmme
116、tt pivotedtoward corporate trip planning with the appropriately named Corporate Traveler,a division ofFlight Centre.He led a team that specialized in small-to-medium-sized enterprises with$3M intravel budget under management.On the agency side of the business,Emmett kept a portfolioof corporations w
117、hose travel he managed.And as a team leader,he led other travel agents inmanaging their corporations travel policies.When Twitch contacted him,he wasnt actively looking to shift to a travel operations role.“The great thing about working for seven years as a corporate travel agent was that Iunderstoo
118、d each side of the job.I could bring my knowledge from working in a travel agencyinto being a travel manager.I understood and could anticipate the issues that arise universallyand forge deep relationships with CSMs.Having that experience makes it easier for me tonavigate and solve problems,”Emmett e
119、xplained.A Day in the Life of a Modern Travel ManagerEmmett is now leading travel operations at Twitch.Twitch prides itself on the quality of itstechnology,and Emmett knew that any supplier or vendor onboarded should be aligned withthat perspective.“As a travel manager,you must be aware of whats hap
120、pening,whether its weather,airlinestrikes,hotel strikes,or political unrest.I can expect if my travelers will rebook or cancel flights,and it helps me figure out what my priorities are,based on whats happening in the world thatday,”Emmett explained.Once Emmett gets into the office,he responds to ema
121、il and Slack messages.Messages comein from all over the world,and he receives each as the teams only global travel manager.Typical questions might concern policy,upgrades,prices,or travelers Navan accounts.Next,hell review the daily reports available in Navan.Hell glance at the Booking Report to see
122、if employees travel to the same destination and which hotels they book.He might consider agroup booking if the same hotel is being booked.Then hell look at the Out of Policy Report.Hes looking for repeat offenders,but his question is always,“Why?”It might be that a citysinventory was sold out or ove
123、rpriced because of a conference,or maybe a$300 hotel room capdoesnt work in a specific town and needs to be adjusted.The Out of Policy Report helpsEmmett identify gaps in the travel policy.The most important daily review is of Traveler Reports,which highlights where travelers arenow.Its critical for
124、 Emmetts duty of care and risk management responsibilities to know wherehis travelers are in the moment.In addition to reviewing the reports,Emmett says its important to take notes and gather data todetermine whats working and what improvements can be made to the travel policy.From there,Emmett will
125、 dive into one of the dozens of projects that hes working on.There arealways 1015 projects in his pipeline.These might include reviewing the Unused TicketsReport,checking where refunds are available,working with IT to provide travelers with laptopsin high-risk countries,orthe latestadding gamificati
126、on to the travel program.All travelmanagers have their own set of projects constantly in motion.Throughout the day,Emmett is also connecting with his colleagues.Hes following up with themto understand what worked and what didnt.“Engaging with your travelers is important so theyknow that I care.Not e
127、veryone loves to travel,but its my job to let them know that weappreciate them and see what we can do to make their trip smoother,”explains Emmett.Emmett will also review contract performance with his airline and hotel suppliers.He meets withhis Navan CSM weekly.Elevating Employee ExperienceEmmetts
128、role falls under Global Workplace,which is all about employee experience.Althoughcost savings and streamlining operations are essential,Emmetts top priority is the employeestravel experience,from when they book until they get home.And because the travel managerrole is cross-functional,Emmett works w
129、ith departments across the organization,including HR,finance,and partnerships.With more than a decade of experience,Emmett has had a front-row seat to the changes in theindustry.He believes its non-negotiable for companies to have a travel manager when theirbusiness relies on the ability to travel.I
130、ts essential for minimizing financial loss,ensuringtraveler safety,and providing the best possible employee experience by giving those who travelthe guidance they need.Emmett is part of a community of travel managers who work with large tech companies,and hesays these relationships add a lot of valu
131、e to his work.Emmett is the role model for amodern-day travel manager who approaches travel operations with a human touch backed bythe best technology possible.In addition to supporting employee satisfaction and making the business travel experience assmooth as possible,corporate travel managers are
132、 also in a position to save their companiesmoney through thoughtful and well-executed travel policies.Adoption is integral to gaining travelmanagers visibility and insights for the high-level,strategic moves that boost companies bottomlines.High adoption rates mean saving money on travel operations
133、while making businesstravel more effective.Here are five ways to realize savings:1.Drive AdoptionAdoption is critical to the success of any travel program.Only once most traveling employeesbook and manage their travel through a single platform can meaningful insights be foundthrough rich data.The wo
134、rd“adoption itself wont mean much to your average employee,andsetting a goal of 100%adoption wont be enough to inspire them to use the corporate travelmanagement platform.The modern traveler manager finds creative and purpose-led strategies for getting allemployees on board,from incentivizing and re
135、warding travelers to selecting a platform thatprovides a user experience and 24/7/365 travel agents that surpasses anything theyd find ontheir own.The ultimate goal is to create a situation where business travelers want to use thedesignated channels because theyre the best possible option.2.Educate
136、EmployeesBusiness travelers are often the most accomplished and hardest working in their organizations,so we wouldnt dare recommend a classroom sit-down to get these high achievers on your side.The education process is a quiet and smooth component of a company-wide culture that valuesbusiness travel
137、s role in company success.Forget forcing draconian,one-size-fits-all travelpolicies onto travelers,and instead adopt more user-friendly,flexible policy rules that account foremployees as individuals.3.Champion a Smart Technology PartnerInnovation is now a part of the corporate travel space,allowing
138、forward-looking travel managersto optimize their programswith both travelers and savings in mindin a way that wasntpreviously possible.It used to be that corporate travel program managers had to choosebetween providing a delightful,end-to-end travel experience or managing costs at the expenseof that
139、 experience.Todays solutions offer ease of use and personalization of a consumer-grade booking toolcombined with fantastic support.On the back end,they provide a rich data bank to cull insightsthat inform strategic decisions.With improved visibility,travel managers arm themselves withthe data they n
140、eed to drive cost savings.4.Find Opportunities to Save Through Data InsightsWhat do columns of numbers mean to an organization if the data isnt sliced,diced,and put intothe context of operation and spend?Compiling all relevant data into a single platform is difficultenough without an intelligent tec
141、hnology partner,but getting meaningful insights that turn datainto decisions is crucial.Travel managers are in a position to drive decisions around cost savings,especially when theircontributions are based on real-time data that accurately reflects the current state of affairs.Thisability becomes ev
142、en more critical in the rapidly changing situations that all organizations willface in their lifetimes.5.Streamline Your Organizations Travel ExpensesBusiness travel expenses make up an average 10%of a companys overall spend.Theimportance of having all travelers book on a singular platform becomes a
143、bundantly clear whenwe recognize the critical portion that expenses account for in the overall budget.Travelmanagers today are tasked with understanding the role of expenses in their larger corporatetravel strategy,so its essential to have tools that enable them to track spend and adjust policycontr
144、ol in real time.The modern travel manager understands that progress is paramount to success.Their rolerequires adapting,adjusting,and realigning consistently for your organization,especially as itscales.Well dive into these strategic aspects as we go through the book.Community is one of the most cri
145、tical factors in any group of people pursuing knowledge thatmakes them stronger,more resilient,and better prepared for the future.As travel managers areoften the only person with that role in an organization,establishing a community is important tobuilding a thriving and rich career.Based on our con
146、versations with hundreds of travel agents,weve compiled the following list of resources for you too to explore.Global Business Travel Association(GBTA):Members of GBTA gain access to abreadth of information and local GBTA chapters where local communities come together.Business Travel News(BTN):As a
147、source of information serving the managedbusiness travel and meetings market,BTN has several handbooks,reference guides,and calculators unique to the industry.Skift:When it launched in 2012,Skift quickly became a source for travel managers whowondered about the big picture behind travel brands and m
148、arketing.Skifts research andsummits are a treat for anyone who loves travel.Navan Community:Many corporate travel and expense providers have opencommunities and knowledge bases that provide user support.In the case of Navan,aknowledge base and this academy are hosted at community.N.Chapter 5:Achievi
149、ng Modern T&E ProgramsSuccessThrough AdoptionIf travel and finance teams want to ensure visibility,compliance,and program optimization,theymust select and implement a solution road warriors will use.Competing with more intuitive,user-friendly consumer travel booking sites and apps is no simple feat.
150、Adoption refers to how many travelers(or what percentage of travelers)in a companyactively use a platform to book and manage business travel.Its the most crucial factorfor driving success,both for the company and the employee.Leakage is a corporate travel term for any time that employees book busine
151、ss traveloutside of their companys preferred booking channelin other words,the booking hasleaked through the system.Employees have different reasons for booking outside of the companys selected channel.Theymight prefer a consumer channel,find the corporate platform challenging to use,prioritize thei
152、rloyalty points and savings over company money,or simply be a creature of habit unwilling tochange.Organizations can only truly see these benefits when most employees use the companyspreferred booking channeland that only happens when they love the corporate travel platform(and use it for every trip
153、).The Importance of Preventing LeakageLeakage can cause significant problems for a company and decrease the effectiveness of itsselected travel management company.It decreases visibility into spend and the companysability to keep employees safe.If traveling employees are booking on consumer websites
154、 and later submitting expenses forbusiness travel,it becomes much more difficult for finance teams to adequately measure,assess,and approve spending on corporate travel.If employees arent booking their travel through the mandated tool,the company doesnt knowwhen and where they travel.Likewise,it bec
155、omes nearly impossible to fulfill duty of careresponsibilities if managers cant locate their employees or even view their intended itineraries.Traditionally,many companies that have used legacy corporate travel tools have seen traveleradoption in the 40-60%range.This is mainly because road warriors
156、can find better inventoryand service outside the platform or prefer more modern consumer travel sites.Companies onthe Navan platform typically see adoption rates of greater than 90%.The Navan ApproachNavan is purpose-built to drive and reinforce traveler adoption.The intuitive,user-first interfaceen
157、courages travelers to book within the tool thanks to the following,which drive adoption andprevent leakage.an unparalleled selection of inventoryworld-class supportAI-driven personalizationrewards incentivesAt Navan,a dedication to the user experience and strong adoption drives everything behind the
158、product and supply initiatives.From a platform perspective,that means providing:an intuitive user experiencerates in parity with third-party channelsloyalty considerations baked into search resultstimely and intelligent notificationsseamless travel paymentsaccess to live agent support when neededOnl
159、y then will travelers trust the systemand only then will adoption remain high.Set a Dynamic Policy for SavingsFor a companys travel administrators and finance teams,its understandable that mandatingemployees to book in policy can be a significant pain point.However,weve found that whenthe right trav
160、el policies and tools are put in placeparticularly in the context of how and towhere the employee is travelingthe whole experience can be delightful for the traveler and theorganization.The policy controls at Navan are built with the understanding that individuals havetheir wants,inclinations,and pe
161、rspectives.For example,a fare cap made for most domestic travel wouldnt make sense to a salespersonwho makes frequent long-haul trips.The Navan platform allows for a more dynamic policy thatgives travelers more flexibility when booking based on fares that would otherwise not fit within arigid policy
162、.Once administrators set the companys travel policy,travelers have completevisibility into flight,lodging,and ground transportation policies throughout the bookingexperience.Best Practices to Drive AdoptionWhen it comes to flexible policies,its vital that policies reflect the current state of affair
163、s and canbe quickly adjusted and communicated to traveling employees.1.Involve Internal StakeholdersTravel managers should constantly communicate with leaders and employees throughout theirorganization to ensure that travel policies are modified and adapted according to internalstandards and governm
164、ental guidance and mandates.For example,having key stakeholderswho know the difference between tiered policies can help the workforce understand why oneemployee is allowed to book premium economy while another can only book economy.2.Communicate ConsistentlyClear communication channels must be estab
165、lishedand all employees made aware ofthemfor changes to company travel policy to be communicated in real-time.Its best ifcommunication can happen in a targeted way,so employees arent overwhelmed by messagesthat may not be relevant to them.This communication goes hand in hand with ensuring that trave
166、l policies are continually updatedand available in a central location for employees to access and consider when making plans.When travel policies are native to the booking tool,the organization doesnt have to rely oncommunication alone to ensure these changes are seen and understood.Communication wi
167、th the Navan platform begins before the technology is even deployed.Working with the customer success and account teams,platform admins receive clearcommunications around timelines,integration expectations,and rollout plans.From there,travelers are trained on a rolling basis to ensure everyone is cl
168、early onboarded and adopted.3.Leverage Technology and the Admin DashboardsWhile communication is key for setting expectations and driving policy,that effort may fall flat ifthe program administrator doesnt have the technology and means to track and communicatewith travelers.Fortunately,Navan has sev
169、eral vehicles through which admins can communicatewith travelers.Within the Admin Dashboard,its possible to track and contact travelers with a button on thetraveler map,while the traveler report gives insight into which employee is where.Its evenpossible to see if a traveler is in flight,giving admi
170、ns a reason to email instead of call.4.Understand Changing Circumstances and Stay AgileTravel must be dedicated to understanding current events to effectively assess the state oftravelers within the organization and make all of the above decisions.Part of being agile,though,is also about your partne
171、rship with the travel platform.At Navan,theproduct and operations teams keenly track the state of the global economy to ensure that theplatform is perfectly tailored to the environment around the corporate travel ecosystem.Whenthe platform needs to be tuned to a particular event(say,a global pandemi
172、c),the team reacts tolaunch the appropriate traveler messaging and build the appropriate dashboards to monitortraveler movements as a function of the global event.Balancing Policy&Traveler SentimentIts been proven that organizations and individuals are more effective and see greater resultswhen they
173、 focus on what they want instead of what they dont want.One way to do that is to align messaging around whats good for the organization andemployees instead of whats not allowed or desired.Instead of:“You cant book a five-star hotel”Try:“You can book up to a four-star hotel”The goal of any corporate
174、 travel management solution goes far beyond control and visibility.Itsabout supporting employees to do their best work on the road,feel supported and safe,and acteffectively.Traveler sentiment,or how your employees feel about booking and managing theircorporate travel,is integral to ensuring success
175、.By providing choice,ease of use,support,flexibility,and trust,you can address the mostcommon pain points in the booking and travel experience.Increasing traveler sentiment leads togreater adoption.Providing a consumer-like experience that keeps employees engaged intodays digital world is also impor
176、tant.These consumer-grade apps are more visually appealing,naturally intuitive,responsive,and accessible partly because users are becoming thedecision-makers.This lets travel managers provide business travelers with a tool they want to use,and thatincreases their visibility into spend and strategy.S
177、even Ways to Balance Policy&SentimentDavid Wieseneck,former VP of Finance at letgo,has worked hard to understand therelationship between adoption and traveler sentiment.At Navans former travel and tech festivalTRAVERSE,David provided a fresh perspective on how to drive adoption and how that relatest
178、o a good booking experience and traveler sentiment.He believes employees want to do theright thing and follow their companys policies and processesbut travel managers must pavethe way.David outlined seven factors to consider when crafting a corporate travel policy based on thisshift toward user expe
179、rience:1.Keep Policy as Short as Possible:David recommends distilling the main facts of apolicy into a PowerPoint presentation or one-pager.Few employees will take the time toread through a 10-page document or complete a thorough training.2.Build the Policy into the System:Using intelligent technolo
180、gy providers like Navan,travel managers can bake the policy into the system,which will drive adoption,automateexpensing,and guide users to make good choices.3.The Right Way=Fastest Route:Employees want to do the right thing.They also wantthe right thing to be the easiest to execute.When policymakers
181、 design the right way alsoto be the fastest way,business travelers will recognize that its the best path to follow.4.Illuminate the Path from A to B:Travel policymakers should design a system thatmakes the end goal known and achievable for business travelers.Every journey startswith a single step,an
182、d David recommends de-risking the first step.5.Meet People Where They Are:Make sure the process is accessible.Mobile is anabsolute necessity today.6.Remove Gatekeepers&Roadblocks:These only lead to bureaucracy and mistrust.Remember that people want to do right by the company and were hired because t
183、heyare trusted with their role.With this in mind,travel policymakers can empower theircolleagues by minimizing the number of approval steps.7.Search for the Workarounds:If someone in your organization is working around yourpolicy,find out why.Talk to your users,do surveys,and listen in on the conver
184、sationsthat arent brought to you specifically.How to Measure Sentiment and SatisfactionNavan is dedicated to partnering with your organization to drive 100%adoption,so we baked inreal-time data that travel managers can use to reflect and reassess whats working well.TheAdmin Dashboard provides clear
185、and easily accessible insights with real-time reporting for alltravelers globally,giving travel managers a holistic view of program performance that adminscan optimize.Travel managers and admins can find the data specific to their organization through theirindividual Trust&Transparency dashboard.Her
186、e are more details on what youll find and whateach stat means.Traveler Sentiment NPSThe Navan NPS score represents the overall aggregate sentiment of your team toward usingNavan.Navan tracks this number closely alongside you and proactively uncovers areas forimprovement.We start by understanding wha
187、ts going well from the positive scores and wheretheres room for improvement from the neutral and negative scores.If it happens that you notice a downward trend over a significant period of time and arent surewhy,check in with your Customer Success Manager or email launchesN to see iffurther diagnosi
188、s/resolution can be made to improve traveler sentiment.Lower NPS scores can lead to lower adoption rates,so its important to keep this number high.Navan Customer Satisfaction CSAT ScoreThe Navan Customer Satisfaction CSAT Score is a helpful measurement to understand theaggregate satisfaction rating(
189、on a scale of 0-5)your team has provided for their interactionswith Navan support agents.Lower CSAT scores can lead to lower adoption,so its important tokeep this number high,too!Other Factors to ConsiderThere are many other metrics to track,including average booking time and support responsetime,th
190、at help you communicate the number of times employees are saving when managingtheir business travel through Navan.Leveraging Incentives to Drive AdoptionIncentives can be an excellent tool for driving adoption.To get people to change their behavior,an incentive to do the right thing will always win
191、out overpunishing them for not following the rules.We like positive reinforcement;its human nature.Many organizations see the greatest success in their corporate travel programs when theyreward travelers for following policy rather than punishing them or pushing harder on rigid rulesthat travelers m
192、anage to work around or ignore.Here are a few things to keep in mind when incentivizing your business travelers:1.Motivate Employees to Spend LessBy introducing the right booking incentives into your travel program,employees can earnpersonal rewards and save the company money at the same time.One of
193、 the best ways toencourage good behavior for hotels is through“price-to-beat”incentives driven by your dynamicpolicy.Combine dynamic policy for hotels with incentives for travelers to beat your corporate rates soyour travelers have a reason to book on your designated corporate travel platform.2.Comb
194、at LeakageLeakage happens when travelers can find better inventory that matches their preferences onanother site.To protect against this,its important to ensure that the proper inventory is loadedinto your platform and then communicate those constraints to your employees.Many programs,for example,bl
195、ock basic economy inventory from their searches to providetheir travelers the best duty of care.Travelers may not know that and,in turn,may complain toadministrators or simply wander off the platform when they see these cheaper fares in anothermedium.3.Loyalty as an IncentiveRoad warriors often deve
196、lop loyalty to certain hotels or airlines,partly because theyre anexcellent match to that travelers travel preferences.When hotel and airline loyalty programs areintegrated into your platform,as in Navan,employees are more likely to trust the process andbook through Navan.Empower road warriors to ea
197、rn points from their preferred loyalty programsand enable themto take advantage of the travel benefits by permitting them to use points for upgrades.How to Create Internal AlignmentNavan is crafted to drive 100%adoption.But program administrators can also help build aculture of excellence by encoura
198、ging employees to adopt certain processes and aligningleadership teams and influencers at a collective level.Weve seen the incredible changes whenadoption increases.Why Alignment MattersBusiness travel impacts every aspect of the organization,including finance,culture,sales,andretention.Its essentia
199、l for internal leaders and key stakeholders to be aligned in creating aculture and policy designed to make the most of business travel.The travel manager is uniquely positioned to become an advocate and program manager whocreates a cross-functional,comprehensive approach to business travel.It will h
200、elp drive themessage behind why business travel mattersand increase adoption by getting everyone onboard with one plan.How to Create AlignmentIts important to craft a policy that serves each teams greatest good and needs.Once this iscompleted,its essential to develop relationships and channels of co
201、mmunication with theteams leaders.For example,once the policy is created to align with the companys financial growth,everyoneshould keep in contact to ensure that policies reflect the reality of the organization.Its alsoimportant to empower finance leaders to talk about why specific policies are wri
202、tten.Talk with your HR and People teams to align around the messaging of business travel and howto communicate business travel practices with employees.Ask the HR team to help you createa compliance culture by highlighting the benefits of your chosen policy and booking tools.Its also important to wo
203、rk with the leaders of individual teams so that they understand thepolicys design and benefits.That way,they can share the information with their team members.Chapter 6:A Modern T&E Experience that ExceedsEmployee ExpectationsIntroducing the Next Generation StorefrontThe Next Generation Storefront(N
204、GS)is a set of data standards that enable distributionchannels like Navan to better present,sort,and find the airline products and servicesconsumers seek.Over the past several decades,online shopping has made air travel a commodity.Its created aprice-led market where all you see about a flight,typic
205、ally,is the price,duration,airline,andairport.Compare that to the travelers experience when searching for a hotel,and its completelydifferent.Using a hotel shopping engine,travelers can see rich and robust content that allowsthem to make more informed decisions about which hotel is best for them.In
206、the last several years,airlines have started to release branded fares,multiple fare types,various ancillaries,and fare attributes included in an individual airfare,making it challenging toaccurately compare capabilities directly into search engines.Meanwhile,customers andtravelers want more choices
207、and information to help them pick the best fit for their needs.Withan NGS-powered search experience,travelers have the information they need to choose theflight that makes sense for them.Piloted by the Airline Tariff Publishing Company(ATPCO),these NGS standards weredeveloped so that consumers can c
208、learly understand their diverse options in all saleschannelsmaking them happier travelers and transforming them into loyal customers.TMCs,OBTs,and GDSs worked with ATPCO and leading airlines to develop this major step forward forthe industry.Benefits of the Next Generation StorefrontFor businesses,N
209、GS represents an enhanced,consumer-like booking experience that leads tohigh user adoption when paired with rich options and a wide selection of inventory.Employeespresented with the best available options when booking corporate travel have no reason to gooff-platform and search elsewhere.Lets take
210、a closer look at some of these benefits.A Transparent Booking ExperienceNGS is designed to help solve one of the airline industrys biggest challenges:Transparency.Flight shopping can be confusing,stressful,and overwhelming.Passengers have variousbooking sites at their disposal,and in the past,many u
211、nmanaged travelers have felt the need toperuse dozens of consumer sites just to book a single trip.When ATPCO conducted a flight shopper survey in April 2019,44%of respondents said itwasnt easy to find whats included in a ticket,whether seat selection,priority boarding,orchecked bags.Another 40%said
212、 they paid an unexpected fee for a service they thought wasincluded with their ticket.By booking through a tool that offers an NGS experience,travelers can quickly and easily seethe components of a given fare,including ancillary services,additional fees,and more.Compare Fares with EaseImagine a trav
213、eler looking for a transcontinental flight from San Francisco to New York City.They can choose between a first-or business-class fare.Travelers are trained to believe first isbetter than business,so the traveler chooses the first-class fare.But business class is a muchbetter deal on this particular
214、route than the first-class fare.Its really hard for a traveler tounderstand that without visuals.NGS helps travelers compare products against each other in a way they werent able to before.Consistency is a cornerstone of NGS,so fare classes are benchmarked accurately acrossairlines,and travelers kno
215、w what to expect from each fare they choose.NGS allows channels todisplay complete offers,presenting all the relevant data for an offer so that consumers knowexactly what they are and arent purchasing.A More Consumer-Like Shopping ExperienceAntiquated tools can be frustrating and massive points of f
216、riction,especially for travelers whoare used to booking travel as consumers.When booking directly with an airline,travelers tend tobook at first glance,by price,and later discover limitations,including lack of changeability in theevent of delays or limited baggage allowances.That wipes out the savin
217、gs travelers thoughtthey were obtaining for their companies once the traveler reaches the airport and starts payingfor seat selection,upgrades,or other ancillary services.NGS allows travelers to search for offers by product quality,content,and capabilitynot justpricethrough data and processes that a
218、llow systems to group results by product attributes.Next Generation Storefronts in the WildIts important to note that NGS is not set in stone;the standard was built across several industrykey stakeholders and is expected to iterate just as the industry evolves.For instance,afterreleasing the first v
219、ersions of NGS in early 2019,ATPCO made changes later the same year,replacing the star rating system with icons to illustrate classes of service.NGS technology is not limited to TMCs or OBTs,either.Global distribution systems like Sabreand Amadeus also leverage NGS to deliver the best possible exper
220、iences.Lets take a look at some examples of how industry players are using this flight-bookingstandard:Heres how Sabre describes its NGS capabilities:“Next-generation availability enables the Sabre system to house a real-time representation of anairlines true inventory,which reduces response time an
221、d provides more accurate last-seatavailability,ultimately providing more accurate available fare information when agents searchacross many itinerary options.This creates a better shopping experience for agents andtravelers that can result in increased sales for airlines using the new solution.”Trave
222、lport describes its NGS implementation similarly:“Powered by Travelports latest API,Trip Services,NGS will present airlines offerings by farefamilies and their ancillaries for easy comparison shopping.This will enable all Travelportspartner travel agencies to display more flight options and informat
223、ion for travelers,so they canchoose the best offering for their customers.As the ATPCO standards evolve,Travelport will facilitate exact comparisons across airlines fullrange of products,whether for online agencies,corporate booking tools,or Travelports travelagency desktop solution,Smartpoint.The n
224、ew displays will show different branded categoriessuch as Basic Economy,Standard Economy,and Economy Plus in a single display alongsideone another,enabling users to select their preferred branded offer for each leg of their journey.”How Navan Leverages the Next-Generation StorefrontAirlines have sig
225、nificantly invested in providing richer content and branding data on their directlycontrolled points of sale to help consumers choose the products that make the most sense.Navan has also stepped up to innovate,building a radically innovative flight-shoppingexperience unrestrained by industry norms o
226、r legacy infrastructure.Navan set out to build thebest third-party flight-booking experience on the planet.Key features of the Navan Next Generation Storefront experience include:Easy access to flight performance stats,such as on-time percentageAn in-depth presentation of carrier products,including
227、branded fare info,seat maps,andseat photos with descriptionsDetailed amenities and ancillaries included with a specific fareFare description based on a shelving systemNavan surfaces all shelf levels for all flights,regardless of whether the airline offers seats inevery category.In doing so,it aims t
228、o maintain airline brand equity and seat status by surfacingmore information so that travelers can make more informed booking decisions.In highlightingshelves with numbers,the Navan platform pushes visibility into what each ticket offers.Additionally,seat icons give travelers a quick preview of what
229、 they can expect on the flight.The Navan NGS flight booking experience was developed closely with the industry associationATPCO and leading airlines.With this innovative presentation of airfare at the booking level,organizations can rest assured that their travelers have the information they need to
230、 makewell-informed decisions when booking business trips.Part Two:Components of Modern T&EChapter 7:Modern T&E Components:InventoryThere are multiple inventory sources on a corporate travel platform;the goal is to bring the mostdiverse and comprehensive selection of choices to businesses and busines
231、s travelers.Theprimary types of inventory included in corporate travel programs are as follows:AirDue to government regulations,industry agencies like IATA,and deep collaboration betweencarriers,the airline industry is more standardized than the lodging market(though the currentenvironment may be ca
232、using other suppliers to go through a similar standardization process).Low-Cost Carriers(LCCs)One distinct differentiation within the air supply space is the Low-Cost Carriers.Low-CostCarriers are airlines that are hyper-focused on reducing operational costs by limiting orremoving standard amenities
233、 and services.Connecting to LCCs is essential to global travel programs.Although these budget airlinesgenerally have more restrictive fares,they provide additional options to all travelers at low costand are necessary in different regions worldwide.LodgingThe market offers various lodging inventorie
234、s based on traveler needs and preferences.Business travelers may prefer a low-cost option,lodging closest to the work site,hotels withloyalty rewards,and even more localized accommodations.To meet this need for variety,Navan offers:Chain hotelsRegional hotelsBoutique and independent hotelsExtended-s
235、tay brandsCorporate housingApartment-style roomsSharing economy optionsPlus other non-conventional types of lodgingLocation and personal preferences play a significant role in traveler decision-making.Having aproperty close to the worksite is one of the most significant asks from business travelers,
236、sooffering many options is essential.RailA travel program is incomplete without a strong rail option,especially in Europe,where thatindustry alone supported 643 billion passenger Kilometers on railways in 2019.Navan partnerswith individual rail providers and major distributors such as Trainline,an a
237、ggregator thatprovides access to hundreds of train carriers,to ensure that travelers globally can book andmanage train tickets.CarsNavan offers all the major car rental brands,including Enterprise,National,and Avis.Car rentalcosts typically account for about 5-13%of an organizations travel budget an
238、d are becomingincreasingly critical as companies return to travel.Just like with air,lodging,and rail,Navan canpull in corporate negotiated rates that organizations have with car rental companies,but Navanalso has unique relationships with Enterprise Holdings(Enterprise,Alamo,National)and Sixt(Europ
239、ean-focused car rental)to help provide additional special rates to travelers.How Navan Sources InventoryNavan has four primary ways of sourcing its inventory.Inventory Sources Used by Navan1.Global Distribution Systems(GDS)provides business-friendly inventory from an“onlinenetwork”of suppliers to di
240、stributors such as Navan.2.Online Travel Agencies(OTA)are full-service public websites supporting travel bookingsand services,typically attracting leisure travel and unmanaged business.3.Travel content aggregator/consumer sites are the websites and metasearch engines thatscrape the internet or other
241、 inventory sources to collect as many publicly available ratesas possible but cannot complete or service bookings.4.Direct connections,such as NDCs,are a direct sync between a travel supplier(such asan airline)and a travel agency.Lets explore the specific value of each inventory source:GDSThe GDS re
242、mains the leading source of fares and rates for business travelers.Since the GDS isa somewhat gated source and often costs less for suppliers to distribute rates,suppliers areusually more willing to put negotiated ratesand rates that offer loyalty rewardsinto the GDS.OTAOTAs offer a variety of inven
243、tory,including low-cost carriers and alternative lodging.The twomajor OTAs,Priceline and Expedia,own many other agencies and metasearch engines,encompassing a significant part of the online travel landscape.As members of the PricelinePartner Network and Expedia Partner Solutions groups,Navan can acc
244、ess discounted ratesand special deals.While travelers commonly do not accrue loyalty rewards on these specialrates,they can help save company money.Aggregators and Consumer SitesAs shared in this learning,Priceline and Expedias networks own many aggregators andwebsites that consumers are more famili
245、ar with.GDSs and OTAs get most of their rates directlyfrom suppliers,while aggregators and consumer sites combine content from OTAs,wholesalers,and other leisure-focused entities.This provides a great breadth of choice and a single accesspoint for rates and fares published in many places.Direct Conn
246、ections and NDCsDirect connections can also be made between a TMC and the travel supplier.Directconnections enable TMCs to provide travelers with a richer shopping experience.A specific kindof direct connection that can be made with airlines is called a New Distribution Capability(NDC).With NDCs,air
247、lines can publish packaged travel bundles with ancillary offerings,such as clubaccess,premium seating,wi-fi,and more.Airlines offer exclusive content and pricing that is onlyavailable via the NDC channel,furthering the differentiated content that Navan surfaces on itsplatform.Two Examples of Navan D
248、irect ConnectionsNavan and Lufthansa NDC:This allows travelers the same inventory available on AustrianAirlines,Lufthansa,SWISS,and Brussels Airlines and the ability to compare,book,and changebundles and ancillary services.Navan and American Airlines NDC:Navans direct connect with American Airlines
249、has beenoptimized to provide the same self-service capabilities users expect from GDS content:shop,book,exchange,cancel,and more all online in real-time.Again,while aggregators and OTAs are accessible to leisure travelers,inventory shared viaGDSs and direct connections are generally only made availa
250、ble by an agency like Navan.Combining inventory sources allows Navan travelers to enjoy the choice they want and expectfrom a travel management partner.Navan will be onboarding more direct connections in thefuture.How Inventory Moves from Suppliers to TravelersDelivering inventory to the traveler be
251、gins with suppliers evaluating the best channels to moverates and availability.This decision is based on many factors,including revenue and how tosupport travelers best to get where they need to go.Due to the variety of suppliers,technologies,market segments,and agreements,the distributionof invento
252、ry and differing rates is immensely complicated,especially when discussing thelodging market.How Inventory TravelsLarge hotel chains,airlines,car rental agencies,and rail carriers can publish rates directly to theGDS through various methods.For example,smaller hotels,such as boutique and independent
253、hotels,may rely on channel managers to help them get rates published in a GDS or otherplaces.The rate is published in one or more GDS,and depending on the suppliers strategy,they mayalso push the rate to OTAs and aggregators.Then metasearch engines will scrape the internetto find rates and combine t
254、hem onto their page.After understanding this landscape,its easy to see why travelers can struggle to find the bestoption.Without diversifying inventory sources and continually innovating on new technologysolutions,many travel management solutions and online booking tools lack the robust inventorynee
255、ded to satisfy travelers.Navan partners with OTA networks,more than one GDS,and suppliers to build direct-connectsolutions.The goal is to be the best travel management partner for organizations looking tocontrol costs and keep employees happy.Importance of Relationships in Supplier SourcingConnectin
256、g companies and their travelers to these additional inventory sources is only one waythat Navan works to provide its customers with an unparalleled inventory.Navan has and continues to build unique relationships with suppliers,which translates intoadditional benefits for your company and travelers.T
257、hrough these relationships,Navan canensure travelers have a wide selection of fares and rates theyll love while your companyoptimizes cost savings.In addition,Navan can negotiate exclusive deals for customers based on the volume of travelbooked via our platform.These deals are available to your trav
258、elers at no additional cost,drivingsavings while fulfilling traveler needs(more on this later).A Win for TravelersNavan has relationships with many suppliers to ensure travelers access the proper inventory atthe right prices while still earning toward their favorite loyalty programs.A Win for Busine
259、ssesProviding choice is pivotal to driving adoption and continued usage of travel tools since lack ofchoice is a leading cause of travelers“leaking”from your corporate booking tools.Plus,exclusive deals negotiated on your behalf by Navan provides more cost-saving opportunities.A Win for Travel Manag
260、ersAs a result of our relationships and negotiations with suppliers,Navans choices keep travelershappily booking in the right place;this helps drive cost savings and improves your ability tomanage travel.The Power of ChoiceBy working with a variety of distributors and building special relationships
261、with the suppliersthemselves,Navan can provide travelers with unparalleled choices.As a TMC that provides theonline booking platform AND the full service of a travel agency,our customers only need to workwith one provider for all their supplier inventory and corporate travel needs.Additional Benefit
262、sCompanies see other benefits beyond a wide array of choices.Supporting cancellations anditinerary changes on a large scale is very difficult.Plus,unused ticket credit is a huge missedsavings many companies never capitalize on.Navan is empowered through our connection withsuppliers to help with all
263、these support needs,and our technology ensures you wont leavemoney on the table.Navan can also help you improve your travelers experience.By leveragingloyalty programs,even travelers without status can enjoy loyalty perks.Combining these relationships with our technology allows Navan travelers to do
264、 things no otherbusiness travelers can,like cancel and change itineraries on our online booking tool or our app.Rates and FaresThe connections and relationships that Navan has built give corporate travelers access to a vastselection of airlines,hotels,trains,and car rentals at highly competitive rat
265、es.Each airplane seat,hotel room,or car rental can have many associated rates,confusingtravelers trying to find the best option and price.Since Navan works with many distributionchannels,Navan can ensure that all these rates still reach your travelers.Hotel Rate TypesHere is a high-level overview of
266、 the types of rates Navan travelers can access:Public Rates:These are publicly available via the GDS or other channels.*Hotels and airlinesmake different public rates available by country and market.Closed User Group Rates:Exclusive rates are offered to specific groups and not advertisedpublicly.Typ
267、ically these rates are only available to members of the group.Corporate Rates:These are set up specifically for companies and negotiated between thecompany and the supplier.These rates are only available to the specific company negotiatingfor them.Navan Rates:Navan can leverage the volume of all its
268、 travelers,plus its special relationshipwith suppliers,to negotiate for very competitive rates.Navan then makes these exclusive deals,like the Navan Lodging Collection,available to all our clients.Note:Public rates may have restrictions not true for all TMCs.For example,hotel ratesdistributed by OTA
269、s do NOT contribute to loyalty status requirements.Navan Lodging CollectionThe Navan Lodging Collection offers exclusive deals on hotel stays that Navan provides to allcustomers.By leveraging the total volume of our travelers and our close relationship withsuppliers,Navan offers discounts of up to 2
270、0%off and includes amenities such as free wi-fi,parking,breakfast,last-room availability,flexible cancellation,resort fees,and loyalty,whichsaves the company money and improves the experience for your travelers.Navan has already negotiated with hundreds of hotels and chains to secure these rates in
271、majormarkets,so you wont have to spend time and money negotiating with them.Instead,you canfocus any negotiations on specific properties in high-volume markets.FaresAirlines offer different fares depending on the channel in which the fare is listed,the date/timethe fare is listed,and the market the
272、fare is offered in.These are the types of airfares that exist:Published Fares:Fares that are publicly available via the GDS.Different airlines makeavailable other published fares by country/market.Web Fares:Publicly available fares to be sold in an online space only.Corporate Fares:Fares are set up
273、specifically for companies/clients and negotiatedbetween the company and the airlines.Net Fares:Fares discounted by the airline,filed with the intent of a TMC marking up thefare.This requires the TMC to become the merchant of record so that the customersdont know the net fare value without the marku
274、p.Navan Fares:Negotiated fares that are made available to all Navan users.Meeting Fares:Fare filed for a specific(a)length of time and(b)destination.Group Fares:Fares procured for 10+people traveling on the same outbound and returnflights.Government Fares:Fares procured by the federal government for
275、 all federal agencies.Discounted fares are set annually or bi-annually and are mandated.Consolidator Fares:Fares purchased in bulk by an agency at a discounted price toresell at a higher price.Tickets are highly restrictive.Essentially,these are Net Faressold in bulk,with additional restrictions.Not
276、 only that but fares are further categorized into fare classes:F&P-firstJC-businessY-non-discounted economyB,H,L,D-discounted and restricted faresThis landscape gets even more complicated because different carriers may have slightlydifferent fare classifications.Thats why working with a TMC is pivot
277、al when adding discountedfares to your travel program.Navan already has or can support these fares on our platform,so clients never have to worryabout this confusing back end for airline bookings.How Inventory Is SortedWhen you consider the many different suppliers,inventory sources,and rates and fa
278、res,youcan see Navan offers an unrivaled supply of inventory.Sifting through this inventory with allthese options would be difficult for any traveler.Navan leverages AI to evaluate company policy settings,personal preferences,loyaltymembership,and even coworker preferences to personalize each travel
279、ers experience,savingtime and money.Then the machine-learning algorithm at the heart of Navan booking platformwill continue improving its search results as more people travel,resulting in 7 out of 10 travelersbooking one of the top 5 search results.Chapter 8:Modern T&E Components:Closed UserGroups+C
280、orporate Negotiated RatesClosed-user groups are discounted rates from hotels to sell in a fenced or closed user groupenvironment,such as on mobile,and to qualified users who belong to a fenced membership likeAAA,AARP,Military,or within an OTA membership.Sometimes regular rates in a desktop web envir
281、onment are higher from these same sourcesthan on their apps as closed user groups.Navan sources inventory as a group of closed users;members must sign up for corporate travel through the platform.In return,hotels can carve outspecial rates for this block of consumers behind our access fence.The indu
282、stry has a common misconception that most CUGs are non-refundable;however,mostchannels,including GDSs,have a similar percentage of non-refundable rates.If the inventory issold through a TMC,the seller is responsible for a refund upon request.On the contrary,CNRs(Client Negotiated Rates)are always re
283、fundable with a negotiated policy with a specificcancellation timeframe.History of CUGsThe hotel industry invented CUGs to release specialized inventory to private or“closed”groupsof users.The traditional architecture of corporate travel leaned heavily on platform managers tolocate and identify CUG
284、rates as a supplier function.This painstaking process added complexityand time to save on travel.Digital platforms and technology have helped change that formula.Todays modern travelmanagement platform draws inventory from various sources,including consumer(i.e.,Expediaand Priceline Partner Networks
285、),direct,and industry(GDS)channels.Many of those sourcesmay have respective CUG rates within their networks.A modern corporate travel management platform thus aggregates rates from a broad spectrumof sources,then layers in and compares CUGs rates from those respective channels on top ofthe results.T
286、he result is a superior tranche of inventory and cost savings for all platform users.Inventory Overview and How CUGs Are IncorporatedNavan differentiates the booking experience by empowering the traveler to make their owndecisions on which type of rate to book.Because the company sources various rat
287、es,includingCUGs,its users can decide what rate plan is best for them and the ensuing trade-offs,such aslowest rate,best cancellation policy,payment schedule,most value adds,and loyalty points.Market dynamics and the type of negotiated rates prove that no one type of inventory sourcehas the lowest r
288、ate available at any given time;therefore,its crucial to have multiple offerings.In addition to CUG rates,clients look to many TMC programs to benefit hotels due to closerelationships directly.Uniquely in the industry,Navan does this through the Navan LodgingCollection,all direct deals with top pref
289、erred partners globally.Contrary to other TMCs,NavanHotel Consulting is rethinking how CNRs fit into clients overall programs and promoting CNRsonly when necessary to promote savings and preferential treatment.By leveraging our sourced rates from the Navan Lodging Collection,clients can reduce the c
290、ostand labor involved with sourcing their rates while still seeing all the benefits they get from CNRs.Upside and Downside of CUGsThe immediate benefit of a traveler selecting a CUG rate in the booking process on a TMCplatform is the savings likely associated with that transaction.CUG rates are typi
291、cally among thelowest rates available.As mentioned before,on a platform with multiple inventory options in thebooking process,there are times when these low,potentially restrictive rates make a lot ofsense for a traveler to book.The downsides of booking a CUG rate(depending on the type of traveler a
292、nd hotel)includeloyalty points not being able to be used or accrued in the booking process.According to the leadtime associated with the travel date,it makes sense for the traveler to pay attention to thecancellation policies,as this is a third-party selection.If a different source of inventory were
293、selected,such as a Corporate Market Rate,Client Negotiated Rate,or Navan LodgingCollection Rate,in the scenario of cancellation or changes,the entire process would becontrolled by our team and not by the external channel.At Navan,many clients prefer“Pay Now”over“Pay Later”rates.CUG rates and all oth
294、erthird-party inventory(ex:Expedia,Priceline)offer Pay Now.CNRs and Navan LodgingCollection rates are usually Pay Later.Depending on the preference,CUGs can work for oragainst a clients needs.How the Economy Affects Inventory SelectionIn an economy and environment where types of client rates are no
295、longer competitive(as aresult of hotels reducing rates to encourage business),CUG rates are the best option forbookers if deemed safe to travel.Hotels are“racing to the bottom”to compete on rates shownvia the CUG rate versus previously negotiated fixed terms such as client-negotiated rates(CNRs).Unl
296、ike Navan,many TMCs instinctively rush back to hotels to renegotiate their CNRs andconsortia programs.The Navan Lodging Collection,an exclusive collection of discountedlodging rates and amenities negotiated on behalf of the demand of all Navan clients,is basedon dynamic discounts.These dynamic deals
297、 fluctuate up and down with unpredictable markets,delivering savings on all room categories and rates available accordingly.Similarly,instead of renegotiating all fixed CNRs,Cost Avoidance Planning is being done tore-evaluate all preferred hotels to focus on necessary properties.This process is base
298、d ondemand and focuses on more budget-suitable,safe options that will not negatively affect thetraveler experience in the future.The Navan Lodging Collection and the CUG rates available on our platform can provide a lot ofassurance and preserve savings for your hotel program,even when CNRs arent alw
299、ays gettingthe job done.Chapter 9:Modern T&E Components:LoyaltyPreferences and ProgramsPut two road warriors from different companies in an elevator,and by the time the journeyfinishes,loyalty and elite status will likely have come up.Its one of the few things most frequentbusiness travelers have in
300、 common.And regardless of their roles,each likely has had theexperience of getting upgraded on a favorite carrier.For many road warriors,loyalty is what makes business travel bearable.Traveling for work pullsemployees away from their families.It disrupts the workflow of everyday lifeand in manycases
301、,the destination and the accommodation dont stack up against the usual creaturecomforts of home.However,the small incentive of loyalty changes the calculus for many travelers.Enough nightsin a Marriott Courtyard convert to a weekend stay at St.Regis in Mexico City.Enough flightsbetween Detroit and C
302、hicago convert to an upgrade from Chicago to Paris for summer vacation.And enough upgrades and weekends away with family help justify the next business trip whenuprooting everything again.And then theres elite status.Once a frequent traveler spends enough miles in the air or nightsin a hotel,operato
303、rs ratchet up the volume of returned perks.Frequent-flyer miles becomedouble bonus miles.Hotel perks expand to include upgrades,treats,and otheraccommodations.Soon,the frequent traveler gets used to these perks and returns formorehoping to reach the same elite status every year to maintain quality.B
304、ecause of this attachment,consumer and business travel platforms(as well as the EAs anddelegates who build itineraries)are constantly under pressure to consider loyalty when bookingtravel.Whether that means ensuring that the displayed hotel and air inventory will properly earnloyalty points or makin
305、g sure a travelers AAdvantage or Bonvoy account is under considerationwhen booking.Platforms must address road warriors,and their loyalty needs from top to bottom.Without thatconsideration,trust and adoption in the platform can quickly erode.How Loyalty Is ChangingLoyalty programs like a vintage car
306、 or an investment account must be regularly maintained.Most loyalty programs involve earning miles or points regularly and keeping elite status.Eachyear,road warriors must fly a minimum amount(typically 25,000 on one carrier)or stay aminimum number of nights(typically 10)to earn the basic tier of ad
307、ded perks.And if an accountgoes dark,many programs force miles to expire after one or two years of inactivity.But those are just table stakes.Every year,airlines,hotels,and car companies change slightlyto adapt to the economy and shape loyalty programs around target customers.During thecoronavirus p
308、andemic,for example,most carriers extended the terms of their loyalty programsfor another year after realizing that many travelers couldnt meet elite thresholds for 2020.In themid-2000s,many loyalty programs offered double miles or deep incentives to encouragetravelers to hit the road.In the last fe
309、w years,the travel loyalty industry has seen a marked shift from the strict number ofmiles flown or hotel nights spent toward a more revenue-based model.This system incorporateshow much a traveler spends into earning elite benefits.At large,this shift has happened in the airline industry.In the mid-
310、2010s,Delta Air Lineschanged its SkyMiles program to require a passenger to fly a fixed number of miles and spend afixed amount of cash on the carrier before earning low-level elite status.In doing so,the carrierfocused its benefits on travelers who were the most loyal to the airline and those who m
311、ade themost financial impact.In other words,outlying travelers who booked the cheapest fare to get therequisite number of elite miles could no longer earn status quickly.American Airlines and United shortly followed Delta in adding a spend component to loyalty.Adding a spend component to the elite s
312、tatus can immediately affect how corporate travelprograms manage travelers and spend.In some scenarios,travelers seeking a certain thresholdcould be incentivized to pay extra and get a specific milestone.Other travelers could earn elitebonus miles by booking a higher class of service.These behaviors
313、 can be balanced by a firm policy and proper enforcement by the programadministrator.But recent changes around how loyalty programs calculate elite status onlyillustrate the need for powerful admin tools and the ability to carefully and actively managetravelers.Because future elite programs will add
314、 another hoop to earning elite status,travelerbehavior will quickly fall in line.And to handle that shift,the corporate travel program must beready to adapt.How Loyalty Plays a Role in Corporate Travel PlatformsCorporate travel platforms must consider miles and points from both a search and an inven
315、toryperspective to help ease the journey for road warriors with a loyalty mindset.From the search perspective,its helpful to put yourself in the shoes of a frequent flyer to thinkabout the how-to of booking travel.Some,under no circumstances,will ever book outside of apreferred airline or hotel.For
316、those travelers,its important to keep policy constraints in mind and then display thepreferred inventory at the top of the search resultsafter all,theres no use in sharing a$100fare from one airline when the traveler is only going to book the$100 fare from the preferredcarrier.Search results must al
317、so be returned within the constraints of a corporate travel programspolicy;theres a delicate balance between traveler-preferred results and those that save money.An excellent corporate travel program,however,can do that.And once a traveler realizes thebalance of results that consider loyalty,program
318、 adoption goes up,and admin visibility stayshigh.Once the right search results are in play,its next on the corporate travel platform to ensure thatthe flight or hotel booking will yield loyalty points for the road warrior.Thats right:Not all hotel or airline bookings will automatically yield loyalty
319、 points for a roadwarrior.Because of the nature of the industry,fares and hotel rates tier into stacks that givetravelers a(loyalty)return on booked travel.That return can also vary based on thechannelsay,through a GDS or an online travel agent.Because corporate travel inventory can come from a broa
320、d spectrum of sourcesincludingsome that may not necessarily yield loyalty pointsits essential for each platform to correctlyhighlight which rates and fares earn rewards and which dont.Without this indication,roadwarriors can book the wrong rate,show up at a preferred hotel,and leave without any valu
321、ableloyalty pointsa negative experience for both the traveler and the program.Each corporate travel program is different,but Navan takes special care to provide searchresults highlighting a travelers loyalty and rates that specifically call out loyalty benefits.Bringing these considerations to the s
322、urface helps ease the booking experience and drivessatisfaction,which pushes adoption and provides better program visibility.Ultimately,travelers,admin,and the platform win by making loyalty part of the equation.Chapter 10:Modern T&E Components:PersonalTravel BookingsWhen many think of booking perso
323、nal travel,they think of a trusted consumer website or onlinetravel agency(OTA).However,the rise of well-built and user-first corporate travel platforms likeNavan is changing that thinking.Todays corporate travel program takes advantage of many of the same user experiencefeatures for which tradition
324、al OTAs became popular.Clean design,logical search results,abroad spectrum of inventory,and uncomplicated booking flows now help corporate travelersmake straightforward bookings.And while the logical consequence of that process is betteradoption of travel programs by corporate travelers and better v
325、isibility for company admins,asecondary result is that travelers get the same fuzzy feelings when using the technology forpersonal use.Usually,that wouldnt be enough incentive for travelers to turn away from their favorite,public-facing online travel tools,but Navan has a few unique advantages.Princ
326、ipally,using Navan for personal travel allows users to take advantage of the negotiatedrates and broad inventory that the platform hosts.As a travel management company,Navan cannegotiate unique hotel and air inventory rates that only its users can access.When usingNavan,those rates also apply for pe
327、rsonal travel.Individuals can book bleisure trips,addingpersonal explorations to business trips,and even invite family and friends to book directly onNavan.Personal bookings are private to the user,meaning they are not visible to employers,and they are clearly marked as Personal in a travelers trips
328、 list.Its worth remembering that all of the inventory advantages and negotiated rates that Navanharnesses for corporate travelers can seamlessly extend to personal travelers who have accessto the platform.Another advantage that Navan offers is the ability to leverage stored user profiles and loyalty
329、data.Navan collects user preferences and loyalty information as part of the corporate programssignup process to tailor search results to each user.The effect on the corporate side is thatbooking times fall from hours to minutes.By extension,personal travel can receive similaroptimization.This advant
330、age is particularly salient for travelers participating heavily in industry loyaltyprograms.Many road warriors religiously drive business to one air carrier and hotel operator tosave miles and points for a future personal trip.By surfacing loyalty preferences in search results for personal travel,Na
331、van ensures thattravelers can easily earn their points and status at their preferred properties while on personaltravel.Its important to note that personal journeys will not be cataloged and tracked by the corporatetravel administrator;the trip is entirely private to the traveler.Navan Rewards and P
332、ersonal TravelNavan also provides another unique feature for business travelers using the platform forpersonal use:the ability to apply Navan rewards earned from saving money on business travel.Navan Rewards incentivizes business travelers to make cost-conscious decisions around hotelspend.On averag
333、e,users have saved 25%towards their personal hotel booking by earningrewards.Employees can see which booking options can earn rewards in their hotel search results,andthey can then redeem those rewards after their travel is completed.Upon checkout,they canapply the full balance or a portion to an eligible personal hotel stay.In a world where every penny counts,Navan Rewards offers a smart solution