Your organization can streamline corporate travel management through process automation. The right cloud-based travel management software will help your company or startup automate the complex process fully by providing essential features and solutions without increasing upfront and ongoing costs. But the cloud-based software, unlike on-premise software, will be hosted and maintained by the provider.
In addition to maintaining and updating the travel management software, the provider will safeguard sensitive business data and accelerate disaster recovery. Hence, you cannot automate the business travel process successfully only by focusing on selecting a solution that meets your organization’s business travel needs in the longer run.
While comparing and shortlisting software, you must focus on finding the right travel management solution provider. You must evaluate the provider’s reputation and reliability using several criteria or parameters.
Here are some important criteria you should consider while comparing providers as part of the travel management software selection process.
11 Important Criteria for Selecting the Right Travel Management Software Provider
- Travel Management Software
You should shortlist the travel management solutions before evaluating their providers. It is always important to implement software that automates complex processes like business travel management and travel expense management at once.
At the same time, you should evaluate the options and solutions provided by the software to control business travel spending. It will be easier for you to choose the right provider once you shortlist travel management solutions provided by them.
- Options to Customize and Extend
A travel management solution may not provide the built-in features required to meet your organization’s precise needs. But you can customize the software to meet your specific needs. Likewise, you can enhance the software’s functionality by integrating it with existing enterprise solutions like accounting systems and HR management tools.
Hence, you should check if the provider helps you to customize and extend the travel management software according to precise organizational needs.
- Negotiated Rates
The new-generation travel management software helps your employees find deals and offers using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies. But your employees can book expensive travel products like flights and hotels at negotiated rates when the provider has built global networks and platforms.
Hence, you should check if the travel management software provider is part of a strong global network that includes many airlines and hotel chains.
- Reputation and Reliability
Most travel management solution providers build and enhance brand reputation by running digital marketing campaigns. Hence, you can evaluate the provider’s reputation and reliability accurately only based on real-time information. It is always advisable to read the reviews and testimonials posted by the company’s existing clients. At the same time, you should check how the provider responds to negative reviews and comments posted by users.
- Duty of Care Solution
It becomes easier for your organization to meet its duty of care obligation when the travel management software ensures the safety and security of business travelers. You should consider a travel management company that provides a comprehensive duty-of-care by partnering with third-party duty-of-care solution providers.
Also, you need to check if the provider enhances employee safety by facilitating real-time location tracking and delivering real-time information.
- Networking and Partnership
The travel management software allows your employees to book their choice of flights, hotels, and similar travel products by accessing travel inventories. But the size and diversity of the travel inventory vary across providers. Your employees can access extensive domestic and international travel inventories when the provider networks and partners with many vendors and suppliers. You should assess the extent of travel inventory as a parameter to find the right travel management solution provider.
- Data Security
Your employees and finance team will use travel management software to store and share a wide variety of sensitive information. The sensitive information could be accessed by cybercriminals when the software provider does not implement robust security measures at multiple levels.
Hence, you should check the encryption technology, access controls, and backup plan used by the provider to safeguard sensitive data. You should prioritize providers who monitor cloud activities and infrastructure security 24 hours a day.
- 24/7 Support
Most travel management solutions provide relevant information and assistance to employees before, during, and after business trips. But an employee can access the right information at the right time only when the travel management software provider offers 24/7 customer support. Hence, you should prioritize the providers that offer 24/7 support across widely-used communication channels.
Also, you should remember that a travel management company enables your employees to interact with travel experts.
- Awards and Certifications
Many industry organizations recognize outstanding travel management companies and travel management software providers by giving awards. Likewise, many websites rate travel management solutions based on important parameters like ease of use and customer support. The awards, certification, and ratings make providers stand out from the crowd. You can easily find the right travel management company based on the awards won or certificates received by it.
- Recommendations and References
Most companies and startups get a higher ROI of business travel through automation. You will find many companies and startups in your industry that use various travel management solutions. Their recommendations and feedback will help you compare travel management software providers using real-time information. Also, you can request the provider to share references and interact with current clients to get many important questions answered.
- Pricing and Fee Structure
Providers allow you to access cloud-based travel management solutions based on subscription-based models. But pricing structures vary across providers. Some providers determine the pricing based on the number of users, while others consider the number of transactions. Hence, you should compare the pricing and fee structures of various providers to get the best option for your budget.
Conclusion
While automating a complex process like business travel management, you should focus on choosing cloud-based software that provides the required features and leverages cutting-edge technologies. But you must not forget to compare providers while shortlisting their travel management solutions. You can consider several factors to partner with a SaaS company that provides the travel management software required by your business.
