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1、Why is Travel Management So Difficult Today?Practical Tips to Easing Travel Program StressCONTENTSIntroduction 3Key Differences 5Top Pain Points 6Cost of Travel/Inflation 7Technology 8Data and Reporting 9Identifying Value 10Supplier Negotiations 11Remote and Hybrid Work 14A Brighter,More Predicable
2、Future 14The FCM Take 16Methodology 17Table of Practical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 3Introduction Lets state the obvious:managing corporate travel is rarely easy,especially if you navigated COVID-19 for the past three years And a recent survey of travel buyers found that since 2019,travel
3、management is getting harderand we cant place all the blame on the pandemic.A confluence of factors,including staffing shortages,rising prices,service issues,and new travel protocols are testing travel managers time,patience,and confidence in their abilities to succeed.Caught in the middle between e
4、mployee demands and corporate policies,travel managers are confronting a constant stream of challenges,searching for solutions and calling for more industry innovation including from their TMC FCM,powered by BTN Group Research data analysis,The bigger the budget,the harder the jobAccording to the FC
5、M/BTN Group survey of travel managers,frustrations run the gamut from internal strategy to supplier relations,lack of innovation to shortage of skills,non-compliance to inaccurate data,and much more For larger companies(travel spend US$10M+),where there are simply more people and budgets to manage,f
6、rustrations run even higher And the job doesnt get any easier over time,as the survey results also reflected The most experienced respondents(those with 10+years experience)are more likely to view travel management as more difficult today than those newer to the industry or role.Only 6%of total resp
7、ondents said their jobs were getting easier Are these results bleak,or just the natural signs of an industry that needs to adapt and evolve over time?fielded a global survey of travel managers in Winter 2023 to uncover travel managers most pressing concerns and identify both short-and long-term solu
8、tions The purpose of the study was to discover:Is travel management more challenging than a few years ago?What are the top pain points for enterprise corporate travel managers?What are the sources of stress?How can the industry at large solve these problems?What solutions can travel managers(and the
9、ir corporations)embrace to simplify issues and reduce pain?How do you view the overall travel management process now vs.2019?Practical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 4Travel managers point to multiple internal and external issues that are making their jobs much harder Nearly nine in 10 blame s
10、upply chain issues and their impact on pricing,availability,and service delivery for making their jobs more difficult.With so much turnover following COVID-19 these last few years,training new peopleif they can even find them has become laborious,reverberating throughout the organization,and stressi
11、ng the workload for those who remain More than half of travel managers cited“fewer people to do the work,”and“lack of experienced staff,”as reasons for their difficulties.Internally,travel managers also complained about the lack of support from management and travelers But travel managers just cant
12、shake their worries about rising prices Seven in 10 are spending more time on issues around the cost of travel and inflation.Efforts have been intensified to mitigate the strain,but unfortunately,many feel they are not getting value for their money:seven in 10 said concern about service issues has i
13、ncreased in intensity,even as prices keep risingConsidering the important role travel managers play in corporate strategy,its alarming to find so many are frustrated with their current situation and the industry hurdles they must overcome Without their support,corporations would lack the expertise t
14、o make informed decisions around travel spend,preferred suppliers,approvals,safety,and more Its clear:something needs to change to make travel management easier and simpler to manage It seems to be a prime time for a resetWhat makes travel management more difficult today?What has increased intensity
15、 vs.2019?Demand for instant results to multiple,extremely complex issues has never been greater.Its a columnization of all the discussed topics in the survey seemingly occurring simultaneously.TRAVEL MANAGERInexperienced travelersMore scrutinyLack of staffShortage of skillsHeavier workloadTechnology
16、 deficitHigher pricesLack of dataPoor serviceInsufficient toolsTighter budgetsNon-complianceIdentified Key IssuesPractical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 5Key DifferencesTravel SpendExperienceRegionalThe higher the budget,the more difficult it is to manage overallMore experienced travel manage
17、rs work for larger companies and are more likely to admit travel management is difficultCompanies with programs operating in Asia Pacific(APAC),Europe and South America are most concerned about costLarger companies are more concerned about sustainabilityMore experienced managers are more likely to f
18、ind tech substandard than those newer to the jobCompanies with programs operating in APAC are most concerned about sustainabilitySmaller companies are more concerned about safety and risk than larger companiesMore experienced managers are more concerned about NDC and GDS content,but feel they have e
19、nough tools and staff to solve these issuesStaffing issues are most prevalent with companies operating in North AmericaLarger companies are more concerned about rising prices,labor shortages and GDS/NDCLess experienced managers are more concerned about data and reportingNorth America is least concer
20、ned about GDS content,but its a bigger issue abroadLarger companies,where travel is more complex,are more concerned about supporting international travelersMost experienced managers are more likely to have 75-100%of their time spent on travel management vs other dutiesInternational travel support is
21、 more of a pain point in APAC and Middle East/AfricaPractical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 6Top Pain PointsTo address travel manager issues head on,FCM and BTN Group asked travel managers to rank three of their most pressing pain points among a provided list of eight options For each pain po
22、int chosen,travel managers suggested which resources or changes were needed to solve it The following responses came out on top,as they were among each respondents top three choices Practical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 7Rising prices stress out managers who need to keep asking finance for
23、more money while renegotiating-over and over with suppliers Half of those who chose this pain point are looking at ways to curtail travel to offset price increases More than one-third already increased their budgets as much as their finance departments can tolerate Nearly half said enhanced,real-tim
24、e reporting of all costs would ease the pain Nearly four in 10 said suppliers should improve their communication around price increasesHow do we find the most cost-effective solutions while also prioritizing health and safety?TRAVEL MANAGERWhat impact does cost/inflation have on your program?What wo
25、uld ease the pain?Cost/InflationPain Point#1:Were looking at ways to curtail travel to offset price increasesWe increased budgets as much as finance can tolerateAll we do is negotiate and renegotiate with suppliers to lower costsPractical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 8Better technology would
26、 solve a myriad of problems,and some managers blame legacy systems and TMCs for this pain point Personalization gets closer to reality:Use of AI to predict travel patterns,preferences and service improvements is only expected to increase as the technology becomes more widely integrated into travel m
27、anagement systems Among those who chose this pain point,nearly six in 10 found their traveler booking tool interface substandard and their TMC functionality NOT up to par One-third said management technology(i.e.,profiles,reporting)is difficult to use and that their travel tech stack is cluttered or
28、 offers too many unused features Half said personalization(eg,matching travel options provided to traveler history,status,etc)would ease their pain More than four in 10 said increased use of artificial intelligence(AI)to make better program decisions would solve their issue Why were technology chose
29、n as a pain point?What would ease the pain?Technology(balancing core platforms and third-party apps)Pain Point#2:Personalization to match travel options provided to travelers with history,status,etcMore use of artificial intelligence to make better program decisionsIntegration into itinerary or cons
30、olidated trip detailsProviding mobile or chat capabilitiesTools to advise travelers when to take a trip,when to use technologyPractical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 9Without reliable data and the proper tools for analysis,travel managers are nearly paralyzed in their ability to negotiate and
31、 prove ROI The larger the company,the larger the dataset,and the more of a pain point this becomes More than half who chose this pain point have inefficient technology to collect and analyze data and four in 10 have an insufficient data structure.More than one-third admit their data is inaccurate an
32、d needs cleaning,but they lack the resources to do so One thing that would solve their pain a new reporting and analytics tool(67%).One-fifth said that training new staff or having the budget to hire outside experts would also helpWhy were data and reporting chosen as a pain point?What would ease th
33、e pain?Data and Reporting Pain Point#3:We all know things have to/need to change,but the real question is how we identify,organize,and then implement those changes.TRAVEL MANAGERPractical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 10Travel managers,still ramping up from COVID-19,are now faced with higher
34、scrutiny of spend as prices rise,adding yet another obstacle to the trip approval process More than six in 10 who chose this pain point said rising costs have led to increased scrutiny and justification of the travel program;this is especially true among higher spend companies Nearly four in 10 said
35、 they need to justify ROI should management attempt to freeze all travel The same percentage said changes in cost and supply have tightened company policy,adding a further hurdle to the trip approval processWhy was identifying the value of our business travel to the organization chosen as a pain poi
36、nt?Identifying the Value of Business Travel Pain Point#4:As business travel costs continue to rise,there is increased scrutiny and need to justify value if travel is to continueDue to recessionary concerns,must be able to justify the ROI of business travel should management attempt to freeze all tra
37、velChanges in cost and supply have tightened company travel policy,adding a further hurdle to trip approval process Half said better data would help ease the pain of proving ROI More than four in 10 also believe better approvals flow,increased sales support,and better methods to calculate ROI would
38、help them prove travels valueWhat about managing business travel is challenging?“Identifying value of a managed travel program to justify resources”“Defining value and savings.”“Optimizing for when travel is necessary”TRAVEL MANAGER(S)What would ease the pain?Better dataBetter approvals flow to help
39、 determine if a meeting/event requires travelSales support to measure travels impact on revenuesMethods to calculatePractical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 11Rising prices and access to content are major concerns As airlines(eg,American)push New Distribution Capability(NDC),managers worry abo
40、ut the impact on costs and fear their TMCs are not ready for NDC,leaving them left out in the cold Seven in 10 are concerned about rising air and hotel prices Half are concerned about labor shortages and service delivery Respondents are fragmented regarding what would ease the pain of suppliers,with
41、 some suggesting hiring more internal specialists or staff while others want to outsource the function to consultants or other third-partiesWhy were supplier negotiations chosen as a pain point?Supplier NegotiationsPain Point#5:Concerned about rising hotel prices due to inflationConcerned about risi
42、ng airline prices due to inflationConcerned about labor shortages,service delivery of suppliersConcerned about the impact of NDC,airline merchandising and direct connectsOur 2023 focus is making sure our global program has access to as much content as possible through our TMC partners-NDC,LCC,etc.TR
43、AVEL MANAGERWhat would ease the pain?12Practical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress A Vicious Cycle Inefficienttechnology Higher prices Poor collection/analysis of data(or inaccurate data)Lack of transparency from suppliers Difficulty proving travel value Taking note of the top five pain points,it
44、s interesting to see how they all correlate,with each one impacting the other To solve one issue,several others must follow The following diagram illustrates this point:Practical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 13More Pain for Travel ManagersTravel managers worries go beyond the top five pain p
45、oints.The following choices still confound many travel managers People and TalentMore than half of ALL respondents said travel management is more difficult today because there are fewer people to do the work So,while only three in 10 chose this among their top three,the labor shortage remains a crit
46、ical issue,not just internally but externally as well Among those who chose this pain point,more than seven in 10 said service delivery is prompting too many complaints from travelers;Travelers in general have more complex needs Six in 10 said TMCs have cut back on service due to their own labor sho
47、rtages Six in 10 said there needs to be more transparency into suppliers labor issues Half said solving the issue requires better pay/benefits/flexibility/career path opportunities and job recognitionSustainabilityThough it wasnt a top pain point,half of all respondents said they are spending more t
48、ime on the initiative in their company More than half who chose sustainability as a pain point complained of lack of industry standards to measure impact on the environment Half also have difficulty influencing travelers to make sustainable choices More education and supplier support are needed,not
49、to mention better data reporting on progressSafety and RiskA top issue during COVID-19,safety and risk remains a serious concern,especially for international travel Four in 10 who chose safety and risk as a pain point said they still struggle with managing international rules and requirements;intern
50、ational travelers also require more real-time support Four in 10 said better integration of safety and risk technology would ease the pain Respondents are also looking for a defined action plan for emergency situations supported by their TMCPractical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 14Remote and
51、 Hybrid WorkA Brighter,More Predictable Future We also asked about the impact that remote and hybrid work is having on travel management and received surprisingly mixed responses.For 38%of survey respondents,remote and hybrid work is having no significant impact on travel management.For the rest,23%
52、said its impacting key origin and destination points as 11%dont know where travelers are physically based and 9%need to negotiate with Despite the challenges,travel managers are generally optimistic about the future Supply chain issues are slowly easing,travel restrictions are almost entirely lifted
53、,air capacity is basically back up to 2019 levels,and travel businesses are hiring talent and implementing technology to better respond to service disruptions But rising prices and service failures arent going away any time soon Nearly three quarters(74%)of travel managers said service levels will h
54、ave a moderate or major effect on their programs in 2023;for larger companies,86%think so.And for companies with newer employees who are less experienced at travel,the need to respond is even greaterEven if prices dont improve,there should at least be fewer surprises this year Travel managers are mo
55、st optimistic about predicable travel patterns and service improvements However,inflation and the economy remain serious concerns and many feel that higher prices are a“new normal”There is little confidence in more stable pricing as well as the return of global travelnew suppliers.About 16%said remo
56、te and hybrid work is resulting in less travel,while 12%said such work is resulting in more travel In other responses,travel managers lamented having to find new suppliers in new key cities or negotiate new contracts based on revised volumes Others noted the new challenges of remote training on poli
57、cy and practicesWeather problems,staffing issues at airlines,airports,and TMCs will be here to stay how do we deal with these particularly if legacy OBTs and airline computer systems are outdated?TRAVEL MANAGERAs you look to your 2023 travel program and volume,what are you most optimistic about?Prac
58、tical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 15No Simple SolutionsWhen travel managers were asked about the ONE additional problem in managed travel that they would like to solve,most responses revolved around an improved online booking tool(OBT)experience,multi-sourcing,and NDC integration Several tr
59、avel managers also cited their concern about compliance as employees look elsewhere to book when the preferred tool is limited;some also complained that management didnt have their backs when enforcing the programIf you could solve one problem within managed travel,what would it be?“Modern tools tha
60、t connect with NDC or allow travelers to book direct or via other channels”“Finding the most cost-effective solutions while also prioritizing health and safety”“Magic wand to have the perfect OBT and all legacy technology brought into this century”“Better data to tell a story”“Transform business tra
61、vel from a reportable expense into a tool which brings measurable value”“More open platform TMCs that allow you to BYO tech”“Eliminate employee need to comparison shop for pricing and availability”“A skilled workforce”TRAVEL MANAGER(S)Practical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 16Parting words Ob
62、viously,there are no simple solutions to“fixing”travel management Clearly more automation and technology solutions are needed to support efforts to personalize,track,analyze,and justify travel The promise of AI to assist with this analysis is becoming reality But technology alone will not ease the n
63、eed for people and talent;if anything,more people are needed with the skillsets to put data findings to work.And thats where FCM believes the solution lies:in strategic account management,powered by expert people Account management is an essential resource for the strategic success of travel program
64、s And what makes account management strategic and not simply a box on a checklist?Its when account management includes a process of building value-driven relationships with customers that can help in long-term development Basically,account managers need to be empowered to do more than just fight fir
65、es,they need to be viewed as an invaluable part of a customers travel program operations So,heading into this new era of corporate travel,our best bet is to focus on true partnerships with our account teams Ask questions,create solutions,and build strategic relationships Then well be able to overcom
66、e any pain point,togetherTravel managers have identified several pain points and offered many solutions,but ultimately,they need the authority and expertise to move their agenda forward As one travel manager said,“I think this is the time for travel managers to be more vocal and have those high-leve
67、l conversations with their leadership Business travel has to be regarded as a tool which brings value and not as a reportable expense”Prioritizing travel managers most critical issues would allow them to show just how valuable a tool business travel really is Its clear that travel managers are anxio
68、us to move past any current pain points to the exciting future they see ahead The FCM TakePractical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 17North AmericaEuropeAsia/PacificSouth/Central AmericaMiddle East/Africa87%40%42%60%49%Less than$10 million$10 million or more$10 million to$24.9 million$25 millio
69、n to$49.9 million$50 million or more52%12%19%48%21%Less than 5 years5 to less than 10 years10 to 20 yearsMore than 20 yearsMean34%14.3%21%25%21%Methodology Weve heard about the struggles of managing travel today and asked corporate travel managers to share their biggest pain points In an online surv
70、ey,fielded from late December 2022 to February 9,2023,we asked corporate travel decision makers to identify their top three pain points of eight listed,why they selected each and what would ease the pain.We encouraged respondents to confide in us other pain points not listed,concerns,or solutions Th
71、e BTN Group invited corporate travel decision-maker subscribers in North America and Europe and FCM asked customers in the Americas,Europe and Asia/Pacific regions to complete the online survey,resulting in 235 total responses Respondents could complete the survey only once Chart totals may not equa
72、l 100%due to rounding.More about the respondents follow Regions Where Respondents Manage TravelAnnual Travel SpendYears of Experience Managing Travel Practical Tips to Easing Travel Program Stress 18The BTN Group(Business Travel News,Business Travel News Europe,Travel Procurement and The Beat)is the
73、 leading global source of business travel and meeting information,news,data,analysis and research serving the$14 trillion business travel industry Our audience of corporate travel managers,procurement/sourcing executives and travel management professionals purchase/manage billions of dollars of busi
74、ness travel and meetings annually and they are responsible for setting travel/meeting policies on behalf of their companies and organizations The BTN Group produces over 40 annual conferences,events and tradeshows,including the Business Travel Show The BTN Group Content Solutions division produces c
75、ustom webinars,research,white papers,newsletters,case studies and more for suppliersThe BTN Group is part of Northstar Travel Group,the leading B-to-B information and marketing solutions company serving all segments of the travel industry including leisure/retail,corporate/business travel,business a
76、nd sports,incentives,hospitality,and travel technology The company produces more than 80 face-to-face events in 13 countriesLearn more at or FCM is one of the largest travel management companies in the world,and the flagship global business travel division of Flight Centre Travel Group Operating in
77、over 97 countries across the world,FCMs team exists on a truly global scale Dedicated to supporting each other and staying connected,so that travelers know theyre in good hands,no matter where they are in the world Globally connected,flexible,and a little unconventional FCM make sure that wherever t
78、ravelers are going,they can do it their way Whether customers have regular international travel needs,take single trips at the last-minute,or want to consolidate their business travel services and costs across multiple countries FCMs global network has the experience,reach and negotiating strength needed in a travel partner Discover the alternative at About BTN About FCM