1) Start With Strategy: Setting Clear Objectives for Every Trip
Long before anyone sets foot in an airport, before packing their bags or checking flights, the first step in corporate travel planning is to determine the business case. What is the trip’s purpose? What do you hope to achieve? Does the potential reward offset expected costs?
According to a 2024 TravelPerk survey of business travel decision-makers, trips related directly to sales, such as meeting with a prospect, networking at a conference or nurturing a client relationship, top the list for where companies plan to allocate the largest portion of their annual travel budgets.
And it’s no surprise: traveling to generate leads, drive sales or retain a valuable client is the easiest to justify with a more obvious ROI. A trip that results in a new client contract, for instance, has a clear and direct impact on the company’s bottom line. In fact, in the same survey, 34% of c-suite leaders credited their teams’ travels for in-person meetings with generating a third of their companies’ sales growth.
But other common drivers for business travel, such as internal meetings and company social events, also have value, with both company leaders and traveling employees reporting positive effects on productivity, employee engagement and retention.
Another strategy is “objective stacking,” or grouping multiple travel activities together to pack the most value into each trip. This could mean adding a few days after a conference to check in on a client nearby or visiting multiple clients in the same city over the course of a single trip.
While vital for determining ROI (more on that in a moment), clearly defining each trip’s purpose and objectives also helps ensure everyone involved is clear on the trip’s desired outcome. Once the travel is complete, you’ll have a clear target for measuring success, while generating metrics that can be used to inform decisions on future business trips.
2) Control Costs: Establishing a Budget for Business Trips
Expected ROI is key when deciding whether a business trip is worth the expense. With a travel budget in place, you’ll have an idea of the trip’s estimated cost for use in your calculations.
While airfare, car rental and hotel rates are a good place to start, there are many other travel-related expenditures that, without a clear and realistic budget, can easily get out of hand. If your employees travel frequently, estimating costs and setting budgets trip by trip can quickly become overwhelming. Instead, a detailed travel policy outlining allowable expenses, spending limits and required booking procedures can help simplify.
A comprehensive travel policy has other benefits, too. By putting guidelines and processes in writing, your employees will have what they need to make informed choices on the road, trusting they’ll be properly reimbursed when in compliance with the policy. Plus, there’s the potential to save money overall by implementing managed programs with preferred suppliers, curbing excessive spending, encouraging reasonable choices and improving consistency across trips.
Here are some topics commonly covered in corporate travel and reimbursement policies:
- Lodging: Setting limits on nightly room rates can help standardize hotel expenditures, but since costs vary by destination, using tiers for higher, middle and lower cost areas can be a good option. If your employees frequently visit the same places or are traveling in a large group, it’s worth contacting your preferred hotel brands to negotiate an ongoing or one-time special rate.
- Car rental: Enrolling in a business car rental program, such as with Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental, can help make road travel simple and convenient for your travelers and more affordable for your business, even for trips where an employee may have otherwise driven their own car.
- Airfare: Designating airfare spending caps is difficult with prices varying wildly by airline, destination and date booked. Still, encouraging employees to use preferred airlines, requiring ticket purchases two or more weeks in advance, and specifying any restrictions for add-on fees can all help keep expenses under control.
- Meals: Whether you offer a per diem or set a limit for spending per meal, offering your travelers clear guidance on what’s allowed gives them the freedom to make their own choices aligned with personal eating preferences. A simple option for determining reimbursement amounts is to follow the IRS rates for meal allowances.
With a clearly defined budget in place, your business will be well-equipped to make smart travel decisions and maximize ROI.
3) Go All-in on Education: Communicating Your Company Travel Policy
When your business travelers fully understand your company’s policies, they can be confident in their choices while out of town. After all, a great travel policy only works if employees know where to find it and how to use it.
But travel policies, particularly if combined with a general expense policy, can be long and detailed, covering everything from tipping valets to office equipment purchases. While a comprehensive T&E policy can set travelers up for success, it’s unlikely everyone will read it cover to cover, especially if they don’t have a business trip coming up. Creating a one-page “at a glance” guide can help make sure the most important information gets seen.
Another method to encourage awareness is to share your policy in multiple ways, giving your teams the opportunity to absorb the information in whichever format they prefer. Consider communicating your travel or T&E policy by:
- Posting in an easy-to-find place on your company’s intranet
- Including in your booking tool experience
- Sending via company email
- Hosting webinars with Q&A
- Conducting in-depth trainings
- Creating an easily-accessible version for use when traveling
Continuing to share and talk about your travel policy even beyond its initial rollout or at new-hire trainings keeps the policy top of mind.
"A successful travel program hinges on communication of not just the ‘what’ but also the ‘why’ behind your travel policy’s rules and guidelines,” says Sarah Pinkowski, Meetings & Travel Director at Enterprise Mobility. “Giving your employees that peek behind the curtain to understand what’s driving your decision-making can foster trust, encourage compliance and ultimately lead to a smoother, more productive travel experience for everyone."
4) Bending the Rules: Managing Travel Policy Exceptions and Special Requests
No matter how hard we plan, set standards and define policies, travel — and people — can be unpredictable. Maybe it’s a last-minute chance to meet with a prospective client that pops up too late to abide by a two-weeks-out booking rule. An employee without access to a credit card who’s unable to book their own lodging. Or accommodation for a disability that falls outside what the policy ordinarily allows.
With a formal process for handling exceptions, such as routing requests to leadership for approval, your company will be better able to take advantage of unexpected opportunities, show empathy and support for your employees, and avoid inconsistencies
5) Be Prepared: Creating a Contingency Plan for Travel Disruptions
While it would be nearly impossible to predict a major disaster or global pandemic, some travel mishaps happen relatively often, and having steps your business travelers can follow outlined up front can save them the stress and anxiety of being in an unfamiliar place when the unexpected occurs.
Some common travel troubles to consider when developing your policies include:
- Delayed or cancelled flights
- Weather disruptions
- Lost or delayed luggage
- Missing hotel reservations
- Computer or Wi-Fi issues
- Employee health concerns or personal emergencies
- Sudden changes to meeting schedules or events
But what about the truly unpredictable situations that can cause sudden and major disruption to your travel plans or even jeopardize an employee’s safety? In emergencies, communication and education are key. Ensuring travelers know what to do and who to call if things go wrong is an essential part of employer duty of care and can positively affect business outcomes.
“When your employees feel safe and confident in their ability to handle travel mishaps, it can be easier for them to relax and remain focused on achieving the trip’s objectives,” says Johnny Schultheiss, Vice President of North American Sales at Enterprise Mobility™. “Working with a partner whose practices deliver on duty of care – such as Enterprise does by providing clean, well-maintained, recent model vehicles – means one less thing you and your employees need worry about when on the road.”
Partner With the Experts: Business Rental From Enterprise and National
With unparalleled customer service and an extensive network – 90% of people living in the U.S. and Canada are within 15 miles of an Enterprise Rent-A-Car location – our Business Rental Program provides convenience and security for your company’s travelers, wherever they may go.
And with a fleet that includes more than 300 makes and models, many of which come with unlimited mileage, you’ll have the flexibility to rent the vehicle that will work best for each trip, whether that’s impressing a client with a nice, smooth ride or hauling a group (and all their luggage) to and from a conference.
"A strong relationship with a trusted travel partner like Enterprise and National can have a positive impact on everything from your budget to employee duty of care, all while helping to simplify planning and freeing up internal resources,” says Schultheiss.
Our customized solutions are designed to meet the unique needs of your business, no matter its size, with exclusive and affordable benefits that keep your company moving forward. Learn more about how Enterprise and National can help your business today.