The Think Tank has given a lot of thought to traveler engagement
By Travel Buyers Think Tank
Communicating with travelers is a hot topic, as we found during our first BTE Going Deeper webinar, “Traveler Engagement: Embracing a New Value Proposition,” which premiered June 14. As we celebrate the first year of the Buyer Think Tank, all seven members have something to say about the ways they engage travelers in their own programs.
Cheryl Benjamin Travel Services Manager, Dart Container Corporation “Running an in-house CTD makes traveler engagement a top priority for us. Our biggest priority today is making sure our travelers are aware of the programs we have in place to help keep them safe and healthy on the road. In addition, we view our travelers as our eyes and ears – they interact with our supplier partners every time they leave home. So we rely on them to provide us feedback and we listen and take action when necessary.”
Chris Brockman Travel Manager - North America, Electrolux Major Appliances North America “Traveler engagement is absolutely necessary to run a successful travel program. Get the right contracts in place for airlines, hotels and cars to maximize savings. That means you certainly want your travelers to be compliant with the program. “Since travel is so personal, I encourage travelers to contact me with their recommendations that would help them be compliant and happy on the road. If it meets our guidelines, we add them to the program. A happy traveler can only add to the success of a managed travel program.”
Rosemary E Maloney Senior Manager Global Travel, Coach “Traveler engagement is about getting your employees to buy into your program. At my current company, we launched a new program last fall. I put on a travel fair where employees could interact with both our new and established vendors. It created excitement and helped employees connect directly with the people who would be helping them in the future. Engagement isn’t just about what I’m putting out to employees, but also what we’re getting back from them. Encouraging feedback helps build a stronger program.”
Kevin McDonald Senior Director for Strategic Procurement, PPD “PPD runs pharmaceutical trials, so we incur heavy business travel; we need to get our CRA’s to their clinical studies safely and efficiently. Our travel costs are reimbursed by our clients, so we look for the balance between controlling costs and maintaining comfort and consistency for our travelers. We use traveler feedback surveys, and study data trends to understand the traveler’s changing needs. The fact that we are a CTD also helps, as we have PPD employees helping PPD travelers. It’s not a perfect science, but seems to work well for us.”
David Smith Travel and Relocation Manager, Americas, Amdocs “With thousands of travelers, engagement has to take different forms. The first step is direct communications with travelers via e-mails or intranet updates. We limit companywide e-mails to a minimum and communicate directly with the individuals who need the information. “Beyond engaging directly with travelers, we insert ourselves as a key partner in planning for new business initiatives. It was difficult at first getting our foot in the door, but success gave us the ability to anticipate needs and deliver the right product/services for individual travelers. Listening is also key to our success as a partner, both in the business as a whole and with individual travelers.”
Jennifer Steinke Manager, Corporate Travel, Dycom Industries, Inc. “Traveler engagement and experience is paramount to the success of my program. Reaching my travelers more frequently and more timely helps drive compliance and savings. I strive to be a trusted advisor to my travelers and engage with them for feedback. I meet with them often enough to understand their business objectives, and how my travel program affects that either negatively or positively. I have to understand both sides. Happy Travelers are Compliant Travelers!”
Mark Ziegler Senior Travel Manager, NetApp, Inc. “Imagine meeting face-to-face with as many of your travelers as you can. It’s quite a concept, but it’s also not very practical. So, without an all-inclusive solution and the impracticability of reaching out to travelers individually, we are using as many means of reaching them as possible. Here are a few ideas: • E-mail messages (Yes, I know. We get so many!) • Social media (Try Yammer. We are.) • Executive administrator meetings (Best way to keep upper management in the know.) • VP/C-level communications (Copy their executive administrators.) • Corporate travel website (Boring, but critical.) • Brown bag lunch meetings (Face-to-face but not every day.) • Annual surveys (Entice them with prize drawings. This year we gave away a Tumi carry-on.)”