Studies suggest that half of business travellers find being away from their family stressful. While it’s probably impossible to ease every element of business travel stress, there are a number of things every travel manager can do to avoid having unhappy travellers among the ranks.
#1 Don’t be a stranger – check travellers have access to good WiFi
When travelling for business, we expect to be able to get online. It explains why 49% of business travellers consider free WiFi a deciding factor when choosing accommodation.
In theory, keeping in touch with family and friends should be easier than ever before. But dodgy WiFi connections can ruin plans for a quick Skype call back home. As well, 47% of employees like to stay informed of what is happening in the office while travelling for business, so bad WiFi isn’t going to help them feel like they’re still in the loop.
For happy business travellers, check reviews and use filters to find accommodation that offers reliable WiFi.
#2 Make expenses simple – save time by removing manual reporting
It’d be fair to assume that very few business travellers enjoy expense reporting. It’s no wonder that a study by the GBTA Foundation and HRS found that automated expense reporting was significantly important for 52% of business travellers.
In addition to an automated expense system, why not consider providing travellers with preloaded currency cards? It’s a great option for those without corporate credit cards and avoids the need for people to claim back expenses at all.
#3 Embrace open booking – empower travellers to make the right choices for them
With 71% of corporate travellers confirming that convenience is vital when making bookings, every business should at least consider implementing an open booking policy.
Far from giving staff free reign to deplete the travel budget with elaborate hotel bookings and first class flights, open booking policies enable employees to book their travel more freely, yet remain within the confines of the travel policy.
Just remember – as a general rule of thumb, you should regularly review your travel policy to ensure it keeps up with modern traveller expectations.
As well, travel managers can spend a significant amount of time arranging accommodation, without taking traveller preference into account. But with 72% of travellers preferring their favoured hotels, providing options will help make for happier travellers.
#4 Provide a personalised experience – we all have different wants and needs
Big data is changing the game for hotels by enabling them to offer far more personalised guest experiences. This might account for why 59% of business travellers say personalisation would make their stay significantly more comfortable. By spending downtime in rooms that meet their needs and within reach of restaurants that cater for their tastes in food, your travellers will feel far more at home.
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