BBT talks to the travel manager for the University of East London to discuss the risks of the sharing economy, compliance and how to build successful supplier relationships.
How many travellers and trips does the university travel team handle annually?
The University of East London (UEL) has around 400-500 staff and student travellers each year, collectively taking around 800-900 trips.
How do you structure your travel management operation?
The UEL Travel team was born in 2013 when it was decided that travel sourcing, booking and management should be centralised. The team sits within procurement as part of the finance department. We work in direct partnership with our TMC. We add value by fully understanding and balancing the requirements of our travellers with the needs of the organisation. The TMC supports us with its expert knowledge of the industry. We book and pre-pay travel via the online booking tool (OBT) and the TMC offline services. A standard purchasing card is lodged in the OBT. However, not all bookings are made through that channel, so we are looking to implement a virtual card via the TMC in order to reduce manual reconciliation and improve the travel data capture.
What is the secret to obtaining travel policy compliance?
Crystal clear communication is crucial. If you have a clearly defined policy, travellers will know exactly where they stand. So it’s really important to deliver communications through channels to which staff will be receptive. If you’re simply uploading information to a website or intranet, it’s likely most intended recipients won’t read your message. You have to think carefully about how to engage travellers and get them onside.
Do you believe sharing economy providers will add value to managed travel?
At the moment I have to admit I’m not sure. I’m nervous when one of my travellers catches a cold on the road, so you can imagine how I’d react to the potential risks of sharing economy suppliers. However, I do understand they can’t be ignored. Some companies are making serious business changes to move into the corporate world. That’s positive. I have noticed some of my travel management contemporaries are now allowing certain providers on to their programmes. But I’m not there yet.
Where do you stand on open booking/Travel 2.0?
It works for some and not others. Some organisations, such as the one I work for, are used to having control. They have contracted air and accommodation programmes. That culture might be difficult to change. It also puts a lot of pressure on travel managers in terms of data and reporting. At present, we know exactly how to access data and track our travellers. How this would work in an open-booking environment remains unclear. It’s a duty- of-care minefield. Also consider the length of time travellers would spend searching and booking trips. When UEL decided to centralise travel, one of the objectives was to reduce the amount of time our staff spent surfing the web for flights and hotels. Open booking may be a step back.
What ingredients make successful supplier and TMC relationships with corporates?
Trust and honesty are vital, but there has also to be transparency. When a TMC, or any supplier, is proactive and goes the extra mile, it really means a lot to travel managers. It helps build long-term relationships. But it’s a two-way street.
What are the biggest challenges facing travel buyers over the next five years?
Technology. It’s moving at such a fast pace. There are obviously a lot of positives. But there seems to be many more channels through which to book – it makes me worry about policy compliance. Everyone wants an app. But rolling them out to thousands of travellers and then having to retain control is a resource-intensive job. And as long as suppliers target travellers through their proprietary apps with special offers and additional benefits, it will create challenges for travel managers.
What excites you most about the future of business travel?
I’m very excited to see how New Distribution Capability pans out over the next few years, even though I’m trying to get my head fully round developments so far. I’m also interested to see how the sharing economy providers continue to shape themselves into the corporate travel world.
What advice would you give to someone starting a career in travel management?
Always prioritise your role in the organisation. But at the same time it’s important to be aware of the bigger picture, both in terms of your company’s future strategy and developments affecting the broader corporate travel sector. There is so much to learn and it will shape the way you manage your programme. Attending industry events enables you to meet many interesting people who will give you lots of advice and support.
If you were not working in the business travel sector, where would you have ended up?
I would probably have ended up going back to university to study psychology. I studied it at A-level and find the human mind - and people - so fascinating.