Is It Time For The Travel Manager’s Role To Change?

A recent report shows that the specialist travel management role is likely to return because the business travel market is increasing in strength and travelers are becoming more optimistic.

AirPlus managing director Caroline Haywood explained in The Wire UK that companies have recognized they need help to deliver a refined service to their traveling staff now that travel is treated as one of many procurement categories.

“Marketing skills are an increasingly important part of the armory. Getting maximum savings from a travel policy means coaxing maximum compliance from staff,” Haywood said, as reported by Supply Management. “And that needs internal communication skills to sell the benefits to executives and employees alike.”

According to the AirPlus report, despite cost pressures, the employer’s duty of care and travelers’ needs should be the main focus of procurement strategies surrounding business travel.

AirPlus head of strategic projects Roger Eccleston also commented on the report, adding that there are numerous factors working in real-time that can make or break the traveler’s experience. Procurement tries to commoditize everything, but the new travel manager must understand travel is too perishable for full commoditization. Furthermore, the travel manager must understand that it’s in the nature of travel – and the traveler – to resist, Eccleston said.

“What’s Hot” is aggregated content. PYMNTS.com claims no responsibility for the accuracy of the content published by the original source.