Is your travel program creating productive employees?
7 ways to improve employee satisfaction
Just as business travel is changing, your employees are also changing.
Millennials are about to become your biggest employee demographic, and Generation Z are aging into the workforce. Where millennials prefer to use technology to communicate, favor seamless experiences, and look for workplaces that give them more travel choices – Gen Z are true digital natives. For them, connecting via technology and personalized travel are a given, not a benefit.
A recent study found that 88 percent of millennial business travelers said their job-related travel experience affected their overall job satisfaction. It is clear that delivering a great traveler experience will become a key factor in attracting, engaging and retaining employees in the future.
Employee experience: An untapped resource of ROI
The business travel industry continues to grow at a rate of 7%. Providing a great traveler experience — one that includes the services they want to use, and boosts morale, engagement and productivity — will become ever more important in nurturing talent, and driving business outcomes.
Data now drives business travel. Travel powered by data insights is helping us replace the old push-pull between cost and performance, with a more holistic, value-centric approach. With access to crucial insights into what makes business travel work for employees and businesses alike, companies have an enormous opportunity to seize traveler experience as a driver of ROI.
How? By focusing on supporting the productivity of employees who are traveling for work. Using employee satisfaction, engagement and wellbeing, you can deliver tangible value to your business.
Here are seven ways to improve employee satisfaction.
1. Extract value from traveler data
Did you know you could be using your data to measure the end-to-end cost of a trip? Track why and how traveling employees are not compliant, and understand the behavior of different traveler groups? Data insights empower you to truly understand your employees – so you can design a program that works for them. Armed with a 180 degree view of your travel program, you can make changes that will have real impact on your employee’s travel experience.
2. Put people first - not policy
Many organizations squeeze their employees into a one-size-fits-all box, and then wonder why their policy is ignored and their program compromised. Understanding how your employees feel about business travel and the impact it can have on them can help you to make changes in your policy that lead to more engaged and productive travelers. Download our recent report to learn more about the impact of business travel on your employees.
3. Simplify the booking process
52% of business travelers say that using their company’s online booking tool or app is in the top three most challenging aspects of booking through their travel program, according to CWT and GBTA research.
Travelers want a simple and individualized business travel booking experience that matches what they get when traveling outside of work. Choose tools that simplify booking, like myCWT. Our tools are accessible across platforms, including online and via an app, plus uses profile recognition to speed up the process and offer personal preferences, helping employees feel in-control and engaged when traveling. Here are more insights on what keeps them content and compliant.
4. Provide more choices
A recent survey by GBTA and CWT found that 73% of travelers say it is a “challenge” to find lodgings near their destination. More choice is the key to improving traveler satisfaction and boosting in-policy booking. Evaluate opportunities to increase your hotel options, such as with RoomIt, our dedicated hotel program that offers more than 800,000 properties that are included within company travel policies.
5. Offer rewards that enhance the travel experience
Amenities aren’t just ‘nice to have’ perks. Premium Wi-Fi, gym passes and other services can help employees stay productive and boost performance during a business trip. Likewise, 71% of travelers agree that if they give up their time to travel, they should have the ability to earn loyalty points. Assess how you can use amenities and loyalty programs to improve employee satisfaction, and help boost the value they see in traveling for your business.
6. Help them stay connected
When travel changes occur, the stress levels of your traveling employees rise. Ensure you are providing tools that keep your traveling employees in the know about cancellations and potential dangers when traveling. Use a messaging service that quickly finds answers to traveler questions, and an app that helps them rebook flights, ground transport and hotels in the event of a delay.
7. Make travel simple and seamless
Six in 10 business travelers say they are more creative and productive when traveling for business, according to research by CWT and Artemis. Every part of your employee's business travel experience - from the moment they step out of their front door, to the second they reach their destination, should be supporting your employee in achieving for your business.
With actionable insights and expertize on your side, you can use employee experience to drive productivity and improve your return on investment in business travel.
