Time – How a Travel Manager Can Help SMEs Find More of It

By now your business is probably back in full swing (unless you’re one of those lucky ones still hitting the ski slopes overseas). The time for lounging around on holidays is over, and your days are now filled with sales spreadsheets, production targets, planning sessions and meetings with the team. There’s an ever-growing number of items on your to-do list, and you find yourself once again thinking carefully about one of the most precious resources of a small to medium business owner...

Time.

Every moment counts when you’re an SME, and every minute spent focusing on the most important aspects of your business is like gold. As we all know, there’s plenty of distractions out there just waiting to diminish your productivity. So, how do you get more time in your working life? Well, one easy way is to engage a Travel Manager to handle your business travel program.

In this article, we explore the top ways in which a Travel Manager can help save you time, and more.

With a deep knowledge of the industry, and more than a few secrets tricks up their sleeve, Travel Managers are in the best position to manage business travel efficiently and effectively. Their insights are highly valuable when it comes to planning and writing policies (plus providing a handy 1 page visual for the team, like the examples below, which you get as standard when you partner with Flight Centre Business Travel!), and their experience booking flights, accommodation and ground transport makes the process faster and more cost effective. When you have an expert handling your travel for you, that’s a whole lot of time you can spend working on your business instead.

Maintaining a consistent travel policy is crucial for controlling costs and ensuring that employees adhere to company guidelines. But just as importantly, a good policy can also save you plenty of time. When there’s clear travel guidelines in place, there’s less time spent on research, comparisons, discussing options, approvals and making changes to bookings down the track. Travel Managers are the experts in writing quality travel policies, and by streamlining the booking process and promoting adherence to established guidelines, they contribute to a more organised and accountable approach to business travel.

For SMEs, time is money. When employees are bogged down with the complexities of travel planning, they focus is taken away from their primary responsibilities. A Travel Manager allows SMEs to reclaim this time, redirecting it towards core business functions. This focus not only enhances overall productivity but also contributes to the growth and success of your business.

Every SME is unique, and so are its travel needs. A Travel Manager can tailor solutions to meet your specific requirements, considering your industry, budget constraints, and employee preferences. This personalised approach ensures that your business travel aligns with your overall goals, and that means less time spent discussing and approving your work trips.

In addition to time savings, a Travel Manager can also contribute to significant cost savings. Through their industry expertise and established relationships with vendors, Travel Managers can secure the best deals on flights, hotels, and other travel-related services. This not only helps SMEs stay within budget constraints but also ensures that employees are traveling in comfort without compromising on quality.