For companies wishing to make business travel an integral part of their strategy, using a specialized travel agency is now the preferred solution. Because planning, booking and ensuring the smooth running of a trip often involves a great deal of administrative and logistical work!
By opting for a travel agency specialized in business travel, you can confidently delegate these responsibilities to experienced professionals. This not only saves you time and optimizes processes, but also ensures more efficient management of business travel costs.
Find out more about the benefits of using a corporate travel agency and valuable tips for choosing the right one ✅
What is a corporate travel agency?
A corporate travel agency, also known as a business travel agency, offers planning and booking services for business travel in France and worldwide. Its role is to organize corporate travel down to the smallest detail, in full compliance with the company's travel policy. These travel services include booking flights or train tickets, hotel rooms, transfers, car rentals and on-site activities.
Before booking the services, the travel agent takes care to advise the company on the choice of the ideal destination, and informs it of the country's entry and exit requirements. Corporate travel agencies, whether physical or online, offer turnkey holidays designed by expert travel agents, as well as tailor-made tours that meet the budget and duty of care requirements of business travelers.
The corporate travel management tool: for whom?
More and more corporate travel agencies are offering management tools to simplify the organization of business travel. These tools are designed to automate and facilitate the process of booking, tracking expenses and managing business travel.
For example, they enable companies to book flights, hotels and other services directly via the travel management platform. This also ensures that bookings comply with corporate travel policy, particularly in terms of budget, and automates the tracking of travel-related expenses, including expense reports.
Leaders
Opting for a secure travel management tool not only saves executives time, it also increases productivity and saves money. With this business travel management solution, executives can efficiently supervise operations, optimize resources, track financial performance, manage bookings and ensure EVP compliance. This centralized overview facilitates the entire business travel process.
Administrative and financial managers
Administrative and financial managers benefit from simplified travel expense management, thanks to the elimination of expense claims and advances. What's more, centralized invoicing enables more in-depth analysis of business travel expenses, providing excellent cost visibility. By eliminating manual processes and automating travel expense management, administrative and financial managers can devote their energies to other, more strategic tasks.
Travel managers
A digital travel management solution simplifies all the steps that travel managers need to manage, from planning itineraries to booking accommodation and transportation. By using a secure travel management tool, travel managers benefit from real-time visibility of employee movements, facilitating coordination and rapid resolution of potential problems.
Business travelers
Thanks to the business travel management tool, employees benefit from a simple, seamless business travel experience. This digital solution gives business travelers access to essential information such as itineraries, accommodation and transport reservations, as well as company travel policies.
The advantages of a corporate travel agency
There are many advantages to using a corporate travel agency. Here's why it can be beneficial for you to choose a corporate travel agency to manage your business travel.
Simplified online booking
A modern corporate travel agency offers online services, giving you access to the best systems for booking your stays. It eliminates the hassle of searching for flights and rooms. The corporate travel agency gives you a reliable and consistent booking platform, with the best rates. It provides you with all the tools you need for your business travel plans. The agency can also give you access to a platform available via a mobile application.
Better resource management
A business travel agency offers better resource management. It allows you to optimize your time and budget. Advanced features, such as centralized expense management, real-time business travel tracking and detailed reporting, enable you to make strategic decisions to improve the efficiency of your employees' travel.
Discount travel
One of the most important advantages of a corporate travel agency is the ability to offer your employees the best value for money! Thanks to exclusive partnerships with airlines, hotels and other service providers, a corporate travel agency is able to negotiate preferential rates and special offers to optimize your expenses. So not only do you benefit from efficient resource management, but you also make considerable savings.
Time saving
Searching for the best deals on plane tickets, train tickets or hotel rooms from different providers can quickly take up several hours of your time. With a corporate travel agency, you don't have to worry about this. You'll be in complete charge of your trip! Business travel booking platforms let you browse through different offers, negotiated at the best price and perfectly in line with your corporate travel policy. The time you save on organizing business trips can be reinjected into other useful corporate missions.
Expert advice
Travel agents are experts in their field and can provide you with insider information that you won't find so easily by searching the web. This saves you time, and your knowledge enables you to make the best decisions for your business trips.
Travel that respects your EVP
Small and large companies alike are required to have a corporate travel policy in place when employees need to travel on business. This document provides a framework for travel expenses, and includes the airline and hotel classes to be favored for the comfort and well-being of employees. In addition to simplifying the booking process, the corporate travel agency ensures that every business trip complies with the guidelines set out in the corporate travel policy.
24-hour assistance
Generally speaking, a professional travel agency is available 24/7 before, during and even after your trip, in case of need or emergency. In the event of a problem on site, if you don't speak the local language, the travel agency can be of great help. What's more, they'll be able to handle the whole problem, which is much easier than having to contact all the different service providers yourself. Your business travel agent will save the day and night, wherever you are, so you can continue to enjoy your business trip. If flight prices or itineraries change, you can also avoid change fees or benefit from discounts.
How to choose a corporate travel agency?
In most companies, numerous stakeholders (HR, legal, purchasing, accounting, etc.) are directly involved in the business travel approval process, creating a complex web of responsibilities and communications.
For better management of your business travel, using a corporate travel agency is an interesting solution. Here are our tips for selecting the best corporate travel agency for you.
Identify your needs and those of your travelers
The first step is to identify your needs in terms of business travel, and to find out who precisely will be traveling within the company (on an occasional or regular basis). Also consider who will be using the booking tool. Take into account preferred destinations, travel volume and traveler preferences. Don't forget to set up your corporate travel policy to govern business travel. EVP templates are available for inspiration. On the other hand, if you're short of time or would like assistance with this part, a business travel agency can also help you!
Check the agency's reputation and experience
Even if using a multi-purpose agency is not out of the question, we still recommend choosing a travel agency that specializes in organizing business trips. Indeed, a travel agency that supplements its core business of tourist and leisure travel with corporate travel may not be as competent as a corporate travel agency devoted solely to business travel. Then, to gauge its reputation and credibility, don't hesitate to consult company reviews.
Choose an agency with 24-hour assistance
A corporate travel agency needs to be available at all times to deal with last-minute unforeseen events that could jeopardize your business trip. Choose an agency with a reputation for excellent customer service and 24-hour assistance. Find out how customers can report problems, and what resources the agency has to resolve them remotely and without risk. The agency must also be able to modify tickets right up to the last minute, or handle cancellations. Here too, don't hesitate to consult company reviews to ensure that travel agents are flexible, available and attentive in all situations. A good agency will know how to adapt and react quickly to guarantee the success of your business trips!
Choose formulas to suit your budget
The business travel budget represents a significant proportion of a company's professional expenses over the year. The choice of a B2B travel agency is therefore also based on rates, which must be in line with your budget. It is therefore essential to pay particular attention to the rates offered by the corporate travel agency, and not hesitate to discuss the prices. For example, if you're planning to organize a large volume of trips, this can be a lever for negotiation!
Choose a modern, innovative agency
The business travel industry is constantly evolving. We therefore advise you to choose a modern, innovative travel agency, capable of understanding the dynamic challenges of the business world and anticipating emerging trends. The booking platform's interface must also be modern, comprehensive and intuitive.
Last but not least,corporate travel agencies can also offer you additional services. Ask about the different offers, because when it comes to business travel, the extra touches make all the difference!
At Fairjungle, for example, we offer you the option of activating the green mode for low-carbon travel. This option makes it easier for you to achieve your CSR objectives by offering your employees sustainable business travel.
Don't waste any more time searching for the best deals, choose an intelligent platform for your business travel bookings anywhere in the world!
