Now that 2017 is behind us, it’s a great time to reflect on how we might have done things more effectively as business travel organisers. With industry insiders predicting that 2018 will largely be a continuation of last year’s business travel trends, here’s our chance for a do-over! Why not take advantage of 2018’s stable environment to streamline your company’s business travel planning and management? To get things off to a good start, Booking.com for Business has released a new e-book full of tips and hacks for making 2018 your most effective year yet.
Budget Blues? Think Again!
If you spent 2017 verging on a nervous breakdown over your travellers’ spending habits, you’ve definitely earned your glass or two of champagne on New Year’s Eve. You’re not alone either: budget planning is one of the greatest concerns a business travel organiser faces. The new e-book from Booking.com for Business help you plot a realistic course for spending – and saving – in the year ahead.
Compliance Chaos? Not This Time!
It’s a tough job making sure everyone follows the rules, but somebody’s got to do it. There’s no better time than now to finally tackle those policy compliance issues that have given you so much hassle in the past. Try turning the tables this year by creating a more open culture. Start a dialogue with your employees to figure out a new compliance regime you can all live with. The e-book contains tips and links to handy resources to get you moving in the right direction.
Communications Breakdown? A Thing of the Past!
Reboot your communications in 2018 with new technologies and good, old-fashioned face-to-face team discussions. If you felt left in the dark in 2017, shine a light in 2018 with free apps that enable you to keep in touch with your travellers wherever they are: where there’s WiFi, there’s a way. And don’t forget to call a daily ‘stand-up’ meeting to check the pulse in your team.
Safety Awareness
You might have heard many stories about pickpockets in cities like Milan or road accidents in places like Chennai, but those incidents are just a part of the big picture. Travelling imposes three types of danger on business travellers:
- Security risks
- Health risks
- Safety risks at the destination
While being on the road, travellers face various security threats by doing seemingly harmless activities that they do every day at home: getting on the internet, using a computer, withdrawing cash from an ATM or walking around with mobile devices and debit cards in the pocket. For example, when you connect to an open Wi-Fi network at an airport (instead of the highly secured one at your company), someone might try to get hold of your data to do illegal things without your consent.
Health risks range from extreme outbreaks to common illnesses, or merely the slipping away from healthy routines. The stress of travelling for work and the unfamiliarity with the destination could heighten the problems that business travellers have to endure.
Road accidents and petty crimes are the most common risks for business travellers at a destination. There are also threats as uncommon as natural disasters and political unrest and ones as common as cultural misunderstanding.
Form the habit of taking precaution measurements
Awareness is the first step, but travellers often need guidance to arrive safely and leave successfully. The habit of taking precaution measurements can be built by turning each must-do into a list of small steps. By going through the list before travelling, you can make it a habit of being safe on the road.