Business travel programme optimisation: 7 Steps to getting it right

Optimising your business travel programme is about more than just reducing costs.

It's about creating a programme that balances cost control, traveller wellbeing and policy compliance, all while keeping pace with new demands like sustainability and flexibility. But whether you’re looking to fine-tune an existing programme or start fresh, it’s all about the data. Without understanding your programme or diving into the detail of your data, making informed choices is impossible. Here are seven steps to get it right. 

1. Leverage data and technology

Data and technology are key to making informed decisions and improving efficiency. By partnering with a travel management company (TMC) like Clarity, you gain access to real-time data on spending patterns, traveller preferences and compliance rates.

Tools like ClarityGo, our corporate travel software, offer a clever solution here. As well as being your travellers’ booking tool, it’s also the holy grail of business travel insight and reporting tools, giving you around-the-clock access to data on spend, compliance, emissions and more, so you get a birds-eye view of your travellers' decisions and programme success. From the data, we can help you identify trends, take action and make improvements to help hit your business objectives.

Whether you're a large multinational with high travel volumes or a growing SME looking for greater visibility of travel spend, we deliver the data you need to optimise your programme and enhance the traveller experience. 

2. Set clear objectives

Once you’ve analysed your current programme, it’s time to set your goals. Do you need to improve booking compliance, reduce costs, or enhance duty of care? Setting clear, measurable objectives will guide your decisions. For example, if sustainability is a priority, consider adjusting policies to encourage rail travel over domestic flights or road travel. But you need to understand the impact of each trip, mode of travel, location and supplier on your overall programme or you’ll have a hard time influencing travel choices. Plus, there’s no point setting objectives to reduce your CO2 by x if you can’t influence the travel choices. Again, this is where data can help shape your objectives. Without the figures, you might set unachievable targets. You can also use this data to shape campaigns that target particular travellers and educate them about booking choices, alongside selecting booking technology that supports your travel policy. 

Another common asset being used by organisations right now is to make the most of carbon offsetting options. While carbon offsetting can play a role, we recommend using it as part of a broader sustainability strategy, rather than being treated as the primary solution for hitting your emissions targets.

3. Prioritise traveller wellbeing

Traveller wellbeing is more important than ever. There are times when travel can be stressful. A business travel programme that promotes comfort, convenience and health will lead to happier, more productive travellers. For example, allowing flexibility in how and when employees travel, as well as choosing a TMC that can support around the clock, can go a long way in improving traveller satisfaction. 

A key part of supporting traveller wellbeing is ensuring policies around things like meal allowances are aligned with current market rates and company policy. Our ‘bite-sized insights’ blog explores this in more detail, offering tips to ensure that your allowances meet traveller needs and align with the market.

4. Understand your current programme

Before making changes, take a detailed look at your current programme. Are there areas where you’re overspending? What are your travellers’ experiences and satisfaction levels? Look at booking habits, policy compliance and total spend. Get feedback from travellers to uncover any pain points or areas of frustration. A clear understanding of where you stand will help you set achievable goals for optimisation.

Understanding the nuances of travel is important: You can have high compliance to rate caps, but only because your rate caps are out of line with your travel profile. Your generic booking lead times may not be realistic, with international travel often being planned further in advance, while domestic trips often having shorter lead times. Consider whether your travellers initiate their trips or respond to business needs; this affects how much control they have over how and when they travel. With the right TMC partner, you can dive into all of this data to find the opportunities that really matter and the solutions that really help.

5. Strengthen and update your travel policy

Travel managers often juggle various goals and objectives, considering wellbeing, sustainability, diverse traveller profiles and duty of care when creating or updating travel policies. This means balancing cost control, traveller preferences and safety. Some companies are shifting to more flexible policies, empowering travellers to make their own decisions while encouraging them to “do the right thing.” However, vague statements can confuse infrequent travellers, so clarity is key. Providing education and guidance helps them make informed decisions.

For example, some programmes offer travellers the flexibility to make choices that work for them, like allowing direct flights to reduce health risks or limiting travel time to improve work/life balance. Others have expanded their premium cabin options to support traveller wellbeing. Flexibility is important, but too much can lead to non-compliance. A balanced policy should provide flexibility where needed, but also clear guidelines to prevent costly mistakes.

6. Focus on duty of care

Today, travel managers must consider everything from geopolitical issues to extreme weather events when planning trips. A strong duty of care policy is crucial for keeping employees safe on the road. This includes using technology-driven solutions like our Track features within ClarityGo, which monitor real-time safety data, enabling travel managers to make informed decisions quickly. With the right tools in place, you can act swiftly in times of crisis, ensuring your employees are supported no matter where they are. 

7. Regularly review and refine

Optimisation is an ongoing process. Your business and travellers’ needs will evolve overtime, so your travel programme and policy must adapt too. Regular reviews of your data, policy and traveller feedback are essential. Now could be a great time to assess your travel policy. How does it handle rail travel, particularly for non-essential journeys? Does it encourage travellers to avoid costly ticket types like Anytime Returns? Reviewing your data should always be the starting point for identifying areas of improvement.

What next?

A well-optimised travel programme is one that saves money without sacrificing traveller wellbeing or policy compliance. By leveraging technology, strengthening your travel policy and keeping your duty of care in mind, you’ll create a programme that supports your business goals and keeps your travellers happy. If you need help navigating the complexities of business travel, get in touch with our team today, we’re here to help your travellers make smarter travel decisions.