The Six Stages of Business Travel

Are you tired of wasting precious time booking flights, hotels and cars separately? A consolidated booking process will make your life much easier as it keeps all your bookings in one place.

Here at FCBT, we’re your one-stop-shop for all your business travel needs. Your Travel Manager can secure the best rates across flights, hotels, car hire and more. Plus, we keep your travellers’ preferences on file to maximise loyalty programmes and access exclusive SME benefits, (competitive rates, lounge access and free upgrades anyone?), all while ensuring each booking adheres to company policy. 

Did you know: companies spend 10% of their travel budget on changes to itineraries? So, it's good to know your Travel Manager can hold bookings for you as you firm up your plans. Phew! This simple action alone can save lots of money and unnecessary stress! By having us take care of the bookings and admin, you can get on with your actual job.

Close on the heels of duty of care, is traveller experience. After all, happy travellers equal productive, successful trips. But did you know that 3 out of 10 travellers would change one or more aspects of their travel experience? And more to the point, for your individual travellers, do you know what their single most important thing is for them when they’re out on the road?

Could it be: 

• Ease of travel (one travel document, one point of contact) 

• Health, wellness and balance (for example, no red-eye flights or long layovers) 

• Travel perks like lounge access, early check-in or late check-out  

• Loyalty programmes – and the associated benefits (for both business and leisure travel)  

• Clear guidelines around travel spend, including what will and won’t be reimbursed 

• Complete peace of mind when it comes to travel assistance and after-hours support 

Or is it consistency and comfort? With FCBT's HotelsPlus programme, travellers can be sure their accommodation will always be conveniently located, of a consistently high standard, and include everything they need for a comfortable, productive trip. Plus, the HotelsPlus programme guarantees four value-adds (such as flexible cancellation and free Wi-Fi and upgrades) with each stay, including the most important: complimentary breakfast! FCBT cares about the entire travel experience, which means we’ll prioritise your traveller’s preferences, track their feedback, and keeps things simple, enjoyable and stress-free. 

Whilst your Travel Manager is an expert in all things business travel, their expertise doesn’t stop there. We care about your business and personal goals and invest in our clients' professional and personal growth. 

When did you last review your travel spend or examine what you’d like to achieve with your travel programme over the next 12 months? We’d like to know. In fact, we’d like to help you develop your business travel goals and put measures in place to help you achieve them.

A travel policy, for example, remains the number one cost-savings tool for any company's travel programme and can make a huge difference to a company’s travel spend and risk management. FCBT can help you design and implement an easy-to-follow, watertight policy that’s perfect for your business needs. We’ll also help you track your spend and analyse your travel behaviour.  

After all, travel usually features in the top three spots on a company's profit and loss statement, which means it’s important to partner with an expert like us, where our Travel Managers are passionate about delivering real value beyond the booking process; who is looking out for your business long term; can take a strategic approach to your travel programme; and deliver everything the ‘bigger businesses’ expect from their travel programmes – and more.  

Many businesses believe they don’t travel enough to warrant the services of a travel management company (TMC), and yet SMEs often outspend their corporate counterparts per person when it comes to travel. It’s not because they’re booking better flights or accommodation, but because they’re not taking advantage of a TMC’s expertise, negotiating skills, buying power or exclusive deals and rates.