Our CEO, Christian Gleave, breaks down the key reasons why a TMC can save your business money…
When it comes to using a travel management company (TMC), there’s one thing every business wants to know: how will it save us money? In an unstable political and economic climate, I can understand why businesses may be sceptical about outsourcing a seemingly straight-forward job.
That said, a TMC can make a measurable difference to your company’s bottom line. Here are three reasons why:
Access to the best fares worldwide
Whatever your business’s travel needs, from air and rail travel to boats and private jets, TMCs have access to the most competitive fares worldwide. For example, booking a flight from London to New York for July this year will cost you about £500 less on a business class fare with a TMC. They can also hold your seat and fare on flights for up to 72 hours. A TMC’s close relationship with suppliers means you’ll be first to know about the latest offers, whether this be first class upgrades on Virgin Trains East Coast or triple traveller points for Cathay Pacific.
Reduced admin time
Our clients are often surprised by the quantity of traveller booking data TMCs can store, including preferred seat location, hotel floor and chauffeur service. This means you can make repeat bookings without the hassle, safe in the knowledge that your boss is comfortable in seat 1A with her favourite driver, Pierre, meeting her in Paris. TMCs also use data to identify travel booking traits, educating travellers and travel bookers on money saving hacks.
Streamlined invoice reconciliation
A prospective client recently told me that he spends at least a full day each month sorting out his expense claims. Add this up for the entire company and you’ve got a huge waste of resource on your hands. TMCs take care of this for you, using booking tools to capture bespoke company information for reporting and accounting. This includes department information, client reference codes and purchase order numbers, so your staff can focus on more important tasks.
