How Trip Approvals Benefit Businesses

Jul 01, 2018

How Trip Approvals Benefit Businesses

Jeff Borgerding - Travel Policy Guardian

In 20 years of overseeing Human Resources and acting as VP of Account Management, I’ve encountered the gamut of employee travel behavior from those who always abide by policy to those who take license with travel spend. For companies of any size, business travel management is a necessary and expensive administrative obstacle. When TripApproval came along, I knew it would benefit everyone while minimizing time and paperwork. Below, I’ve shared four reasons why implementing TripApproval is essential for modern companies of any size:

1. TripApproval manages employee expectations

While managing company travel, I experienced employees who play by the rules and those who try to turn business trips into vacations. By using approvals, not only am I aware of travel costs, but I know which employees tend to opt for options outside of policy or pad their trips. This allows me to adjust policy accordingly and educate employees to be better stewards of company expenses.

2. Saving with approvals frees up budget for incidentals

With business travel, costs beyond flights and hotels are inevitable. Some charges that can be included in the room rate of moderate-priced hotels are parking, Wi-Fi and complimentary breakfast. When higher-end hotels are selected, often those options come at an additional cost, and the accommodations do not justify a higher rate. When I see an employee book a high-priced hotel, I realize a higher room rate is not the only factor that will drive up the price. Your company, like ours, can save money on incidentals by selecting a moderate-priced hotel with complimentary options, allowing employees to still enjoy the company hotel experience while reducing company cost.

3. TripApproval is easy to use

TripApproval emails me notifications that allow me to approve, deny or request details on a trip whether I’m on my laptop or smart phone. I spent years approving travel before TripApproval came along, and it was an organizational challenge. I had emails filling my inbox from all sorts of suppliers, and I often didn’t receive all the pertinent details to determine why my employees were traveling. Now I can rely on TripApproval to consolidate everything I need into one place and can easily view prices and approve or deny on the spot. My company is reducing costs while still allowing employees a great travel experience.

4. Duty-of-care is a must

Another important reason to use TripApproval is security for my employees. By receiving approval notifications, I know where my employees are when they travel. I can share travel advisories including potential risks ahead of time. Knowing where my employees are at all times allows me to stay on top of security and be in-the-know when travelers are all over the world. This peace-of-mind is invaluable and provides us comfort knowing we are providing the best duty-of-care.