What is a Corporate Travel Booking Tool – Benefits & Features

Over the years, technology has given us numerous advanced tools that help us get things done with ease. Even in business travel, technology has made automation possible, allowing travelers to plan trips within minutes using a corporate travel booking tool. 

Before the advent of corporate booking tools, travelers used to book business travel tickets from travel agencies. Even though the agencies simplified the process, they often lacked expertise, leading to challenges such as high trip costs, lack of options, and inconsistent support. 

Moreover, with changing times, the expectations of corporate travelers grew to accommodate personalization, a seamless travel experience, and real-time information requirement.

Hence, the business travel industry witnessed a rise in the usage of technologically advanced employee travel booking tools that facilitate faster and seamless self-booking.

In the current world of business travel, there are multiple advantages to investing in a corporate travel tool. We have enlisted a few of them.

Here is an infographic about corporate travel booking tool.

What is a Corporate Travel Booking Tool?

A corporate booking tool is an online tool that business travelers can use to book cost-efficient flights and hotels for their business trips. Besides that, some corporate travel tools may also help companies honor their duty of care obligations towards travelers. 

The fundamental reason organizations invest in business travel booking tools like ITILITE is to get the most out of their travel process. Such tools help simplify the booking process through automation, ensure maximum policy compliance, enable tremendous travel cost savings, and provide travelers with a seamless experience.

How Does a Corporate Booking Tool Work?

• The travel manager first configures business trave booking tool based on the company’s policies and compliance.  

• After this, the employees can book business travel using the online travel booking tool and choose from various available transportation and accommodation options.

• Once the employees complete the booking, they will receive a confirmation from the corporate travel booking (CBT) via mail.

• When the employee travels, the manager and administrator can track their location and get real-time updates about their travel. 

Benefits of a Corporate Booking Tool

The invention of corporate travel tool has broken the barriers to business travel booking. The process is now much simpler, easier, and more convenient for all travelers. Now employees can book their tickets and make hotel reservations of their choice from many available options. 

Here are a few benefits of using a corporate travel booking platform.

1. Easy to Use

A cloud-based corporate travel tool lets travelers book tickets from their mobile or the web, anywhere, anytime. The real-time display of the list of hotels or flights allows the employees to compare easily and select the best choice for them.

Moreover, the tool allows travelers to track critical trip-related information, such as approval status, flight updates, etc., on the go. This way, a business travel booking tool helps travelers make booking travel arrangements more manageable and less stressful. 

2. Increased Savings

Most corporate travel booking platform providers have tie-ups with airlines and hotels, allowing them to offer negotiated rates to the employees. Therefore, bookings made through a corporate booking tool incur a lower cost than travel agents. 

Moreover, some CBTs like ITILITE also help companies optimize travel spending with the help of an AI-powered virtual travel consultant. Such consultant analyzes the companies’ historical travel data, conducts industry benchmarking, and suggests actions that can help save big bucks on business travel.

3. Better Policy Compliance

With a business travel booking tool, you can simplify the process of pre-trip approval and compliance. As the tool is already configured by the travel manager, it displays real-time policy visibility with all the travel options. 

If any employee attempts to book an out-of-policy trip, the CBT notifies the employee and the employer. 

4. Business Incentives

Some corporate booking tools like ITILITE have the feature of providing business travel incentives for economical bookings. In this feature, the software displays 3 booking options according to the company’s travel policy which include the most expensive ones to the least. 

When employees choose a cost-effective option that results in some savings, they get a part of the saving as an incentive. This helps companies save money while rewarding employees.

5. Interactive UI

One of the significant benefits of a corporate travel online booking tool is it provides employees with a convenient booking experience. The user interface is simple, easy to operate, and interactive.

Also, the CBT offers real-time visibility of travel policy on the booking window so employees can book without fuss. 

6. Centralized Processes

Some business travel tools can provide a one-stop solution for a company’s end-to-end business travel management needs. This includes planning, booking, and support on one central platform.

On such tools, companies can access multiple services, such as flight and hotel booking, itinerary creation, expense management, weather updates, etc., all on a single platform. Such a centralized process makes business trips easier for business travelers. 

7. Duty of Care

When the employees are away on a business trip, the employer has a legally mandated duty of care to safeguard them from any harm. Covid-19 showed us how quickly things around us can change and how important it is to follow travel safety regulations. 

A corporate booking tool can help companies provide a comprehensive duty of care. It offers features like constant risk alerts and traveler tracking to help managers quickly locate the employee, communicate with them, and offer assistance in times of difficulty.

Moreover, with the CBTs centralized system, travel managers can easily access the employee’s details like medical history and emergency contact. This can help managers better handle crisis situations.  

8. Electronic Payments

Business travel involves multiple transactions. For example, business travelers book flights, rental cars, and hotels online. 

Using cash for such transactions is neither affordable nor practical. However, a corporate travel online booking tool lets employees book business travel online with a debit or corporate card. 

9. Reduces Carbon Footprint

Around 2% of business travel contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions. Although we cannot avoid business travel entirely, organizations need to start demonstrating a serious commitment to reducing their carbon footprint on the environment.

Analyzing your company’s carbon footprint is one of the significant steps you can follow to become a carbon-neutral company. Some CBTs have a feature to track the carbon print after every business trip. The feature enables you to identify the hotspots and decrease the impact on the climate. 

How to Choose the Right Corporate Travel Tool? 

Choosing the right corporate booking tool can be confusing with multiple options available in the market. But before investing, it’s essential to understand your company’s current business travel management process. This is essential to align correctly with the employee travel booking tool you select. 

1. Policy Configuration

Choosing a booking tool that allows you to set an advanced travel policy configuration is vital. Otherwise, companies are likely to expose themselves to unnecessary spending.

A competent corporate booking tool allows policy definitions per various criteria such as employee level,  hotel categories, flight durations, the total value of the transaction, departure and destination cities, flight class, etc.  

2. Report Generation

Another critical factor to consider while investing in a CBT is if it can generate customized reports to capture employee spending, such as total expenses incurred, department-wise spending, tracking carbon footprint, etc. 

An in-depth report will help travel managers understand the employees’ travel reservations, the amount spent, and the rate of policy compliance. They can easily download all the details of the services used, prices, the names of the user and the approver, etc.

Invest in a Corporate Travel Booking Tool Now

Investing in a good corporate travel booking platform is not just an option to consider but a necessity. When a company includes a corporate travel tool in its travel program, employees get a great booking experience. This, in turn, increases policy compliance and reduces unnecessary travel spending for the companies.

ITILITE – corporate travel management software offers a seamless booking experience where employees can easily book within 90 seconds. The SaaS-based travel and expense management software provides customized booking options from its extensive travel inventory. To experience seamless, cost-efficient flight and hotel bookings within 90-second, get a free demo now.

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