Steps to Simplify International Corporate Travel Management Process

Employees these days travel to both domestic and international destinations for business purposes. Employers streamline domestic and international corporate travel management by implementing and communicating granular travel policies. But companies and startups often need help to streamline and simplify international business travel due to multiple reasons. Many firms simplify international travel management by working with a reputable company.

Likewise, many firms make international business trips successful by implementing integrated travel management software. Decision-makers like you can simplify the corporate travel management process by following a series of steps.

10 Steps to Simplify the International Corporate Travel Management Process

1. Implement Clear and Granular Travel Policies

A well-crafted travel and expense policy helps employees know what they can do and should avoid during international business trips. Employees refer to the organizational travel policy to book the right product and minimize business travel risks.

But you must ensure employees can access only relevant travel rules and guidelines. Hence, it is essential to make travel policies granular using parameters like department, employee level, travel destination, and trip duration.

2. Offer Travel Training

Many employees engage in international business travel for the first time. Likewise, many employees travel to new business travel destinations regularly. You can help employees accomplish business travel goals by offering destination-specific training.

Your training program should inform employees of local customs, etiquette, communication protocols, and safety guidelines. Also, you must encourage each employee to gather elaborate information and clear all doubts.

3. Speed up Pre-Trip Approvals

Your firm can control international business travel costs by mandating pre-trip approval. The strategy will ensure that each employee can start business travel booking only after his business travel request is approved. But you can simplify international travel management only by accelerating the business travel approval process.

Your firm can implement travel management software that helps employees directly send travel requests to the right manager. Multiple approvers can use the software to review and approve the request based on business travel goals and policies.

4. Share Travel Information and Checklist

Employees need various information to prepare properly for an international business trip. You can help employees plan business trips by sharing detailed destination information. At the same time, your travel manager must share personalized travel packing checklists with the employees.

The travel packing checklist must cover essential aspects of an international business trip, including travel documents, safety items, currency, medication, travel accessories, clothing, and toiletries. It will ensure that employees do not experience stress by missing out on essential travel accessories.

5. Centralize Business Travel Booking

In addition to ensuring policy compliance, centralized travel booking helps your firm control international corporate travel costs. Your firm can centralize international business travel booking by implementing travel management software or working with a company.

But you must ensure that each employee can choose from many flights, accommodations, car rentals, and other business travel products. Also, he must be able to cancel and reschedule the bookings directly without visiting multiple websites.

6. Ensure Real-Time Information Delivery

Employees need various information to engage in international business travel safely and confidently. For instance, you can keep them stress-free by delivering real-time flight status. Likewise, you can ensure their safety and security by sharing the latest travel rules and guidelines.

Travel management software delivers the necessary information to work travelers automatically and instantly by sending mobile alerts. Your firm can ensure real-time delivery by implementing the right travel management software.

7. Meet Duty of Care Obligations

Investment in the duty of care resources is an essential aspect of international business travel management simplification. In addition to helping your firm meet a moral and legal obligation, duty of care benefits your employees to accomplish business travel goals.

Your firm can ensure the safety and well-being of international work travelers by working with a global health and security risk management company. Otherwise, you can provide emergency assistance to employees by partnering with a travel management company or investing in travel management software.

8. Speed up Post-Trip Expense Reimbursements

Your firm can simplify international business travel booking by enabling employees to use their preferred payment methods and corporate credit cards. But you must keep them motivated by speeding up travel expense reimbursements.

The consolidated expense reports a travel management company provides help your firm reimburse travel expenses in a shorter time. Also, you can speed up post-trip reimbursements by implementing integrated travel and expense management software.

9. Work on Post-Trip Feedback

A firm can only simplify international business travel management by involving employees. Your travel policy should encourage employees to share feedback after international business trips. Also, encourage employees to share ideas and suggestions to improve their business travel experiences and resolve problems.

10. Focus on Travel Cost Control

While streamlining international corporate travel management, you must remember to reduce the average trip costs. In addition to centralizing business travel booking, you should consider running preferred vendor programs. By selecting specific vendors, the program will help employees book expensive travel products at lower rates.

Also, you should find cost control opportunities by tracking, analyzing, and auditing the expenses incurred by international work travelers. It is also vital to increase the ROI of international business travel by using the actionable insights gained using data analytics solutions.

Final Words

Investment in international corporate travel helps your firm enter and expand into global markets. But you can only accelerate global expansion by simplifying the international corporate travel management process. Your international business strategy should ensure employees feel safe, secure, and confident during business trips. Also, it must explore ways to increase the ROI of international business travel by reducing the average business trip costs.

Like many companies and startups, your firm can simplify international travel management by implementing travel management software or working with a travel management company. But you must follow several steps while automating or outsourcing the international corporate travel management process.