Is your team frequently on the move? If so, you’ll understand the time involved in booking the best flights, sourcing hotels close to meetings, organising transfers or hire cars suitable for the journey – the list goes on. But, what if there was an alternative? A single website that presents the best travel options for every aspect of your trip instantly and within company policy, experts available 24/7 to find the best route and hotels close to your destination, and a number you can call if things go wrong…regardless of the time and where you are in the world. The good news is that this exists in a Travel Management Company.
Understanding Travel Management Companies
A Travel Management Company or TMC is a specialist provider that assists businesses in managing every aspect of their travel needs. Typically, TMCs offer a blend of technology and personalised service although many have opted to go technology-first, whilst others prefer to lean on their in-house teams. At Hannon Travel we do both. TMCs offer travel expertise that means whatever corner of the world you are travelling to, you have expertise available to you that understands the best route. How comprehensive this support is will of course depend on the TMC. In our view, a TMC should not just be a travel provider, they should be a strategic partner to your company that enables your team to travel the globe hassle-free, build connections, and expand your footprint.
Core Services of a Travel Management Company
Single Booking System
TMCs typically provide a single booking platform where all travel arrangements can be made, from flights and hotels to car rentals, train journeys, and transfers. Your company’s travel policy, approval process, and budgets are embedded into this system prior to booking, to ensure all travel is aligned with your financial strategy. This centralised system simplifies the booking process for employees, so that they don’t have to tap into multiple websites and aggregator sites, wasting time and effort that could be better spent elsewhere.
Travel Policy and Expense Management
Through using a TMC your company has the opportunity to centralise all travel management, apply a global/regional travel policy, and crucially, manage, limit, and monitor travel spend. A knowledgeable travel partner will support you with best practices for building your travel policy if you don’t have one, ensuring you don’t compromise on employee experience, while monitoring budgets.
24/7 Global Support
One of the standout benefits of a TMC is round-the-clock support. Travel often involves unexpected challenges, from flight cancellations to changed departure times. All of these unexpected events cause hassle, missed meetings, and ultimately cost your company money. TMCs offer a 24/7 helpline that employees can call from anywhere in the world to receive immediate assistance. This support acts as a safety net, ensuring that travel disruptions are managed swiftly and effectively, minimising stress and potential downtime for the passenger. Having an experienced travel expert to contact in times of need is invaluable and regularly means making a meeting on time versus missing it altogether. Essentially, a good TMC can open doors where barriers arise, can lean on international partners and connections to ensure you stay on track, and can provide assistance where unprecedented global disruptions arise.
In-House Vs Outsourced Care
If you are procuring a TMC, be mindful that many outsource passenger care to outside firms. Whilst the coverage is still 24/7, it may not be provided by the company you employed directly. Our recommendation? Check if the passenger care line is supported by the TMC in-house to ensure the person you call knows your account and specific requirements.
Global Partnerships
TMCs leverage their global partnerships with airlines, hotels, and other travel service providers to secure the best possible deals for you. These relationships often allow access to exclusive rates and amenities that are not available to the general public, via aggregator sites like Skyscanner or Booking.com, or to individual corporate clients. By negotiating preferential rates and terms, TMCs ensure that companies enjoy premium services while managing their travel expenditures.
Add On Services
While the above focuses on the standard offering of most TMCs, you should also consider what reporting capabilities they offer so that you can quickly monitor spends by region, team or individual, identify travel patterns such as more costly short-cycle bookings, and produce board-ready reporting that meets your needs. Find out what carbon emissions reporting they provide and the granularity. Does it meet your needs in terms of compliance with the EU CSRD for example? Find out what supports they provide employees on the move, besides a care line. Do they provide customised alerts to team members travelling so that they can anticipate potential delays or issues? Do they keep customers informed on what is happening in the ever-evolving world of travel? Managing visas and travel documentation is one of the most challenging aspects of global travel. Check what supports your potential TMC provides to minimise effort and hassle around visas. Similarly, for group, conference and VIP travel, check what additional supports are available should you arrange a company offsite, travel frequently to conferences as a group, or need specialist treatment for C-Suite. A strong TMC will offer flexibility you can lean on depending on what’s happening in your company and industry.
Why Use a TMC?
Efficiency and Compliance
A TMC streamlines the booking process and ensures that all travel arrangements adhere to company policy. This centralised control prevents policy breaches and helps in managing travel expenses more effectively. It also means your travellers are visible on a single global platform, meaning you can contact each and every team member on the move should you need to, and instantly provide support.
Enhanced Employee Experience
With a TMC, employees have a go-to contact for all their travel needs, which means they can focus more on their business objectives and less on time-consuming travel logistics. Whether it’s a last-minute itinerary change or an unexpected challenge at a hotel, a TMC takes care of all these details, enhancing your employee’s overall experience.
Cost Savings
The negotiation leverage of TMCs with travel providers ensures that businesses get the most cost-effective travel options. Moreover, by analysing travel data, TMCs can identify trends and opportunities for additional savings, such as choosing alternative airlines, helping you negotiate custom rates for your company (or leveraging existing partnerships), and highlighting costly trends to avoid.
Risk Management
In a world where travel advisories and restrictions can change rapidly, having a TMC means always being up to date with the latest travel safety guidelines and advisories. TMCs provide critical support in emergencies, from natural disasters to political unrest, ensuring employee safety is always a priority.
Why Choose Hannon Travel?
Hannon Travel is not just a TMC, we pride ourselves on being a partner in global travel. We are behind our customers every step of the way, ensuring you book the best travel options to suit your needs, stay aligned to your travel budget, and travel hassle-free all over the world. We never compromise on passenger care and our team are here 24/7 to support team members on the move. We bring decades of experience in corporate travel, grounded by a passion for impeccable customer service, and continuous advancement. In the 24 years since Hannon Travel began, our business has grown primarily from referrals, testament to our commitment to client satisfaction and our partnership approach.
Our Approach
We provide personalised service like no other, ensuring your trips meet your exact requirements. We proactively seek to address any potential challenges before they occur, making sure you travel seamlessly. We combine this personal approach with the best in travel technology so that you always have the best solutions at your fingertips, such as our comprehensive online booking tool and mobile app.
Comprehensive Travel Solutions
Whether it’s managing complex travel arrangements or ensuring that your travel expenses align with corporate policies, Hannon Travel covers all requirements and more. Our services include everything from arranging flights and accommodation to handling visas with our partner VisaFirst, ensuring that all your travel needs are met and exceeded.
Strong Industry Relationships
With longstanding relationships across the travel industry, Hannon Travel provides access to the best possible rates and exclusive benefits that can significantly enhance your travel budget and experience. These partnerships allow us to offer superior options that might otherwise be unavailable, from the best hotels to convenient flight routes.
Experience Better Business Travel
Enlisting the support of a Travel Management Company offers tangible benefits for businesses of all sizes. From streamlined booking processes and round-the-clock global support to more effective cost management and enhanced employee experience, TMCs provide businesses with the tools and support necessary to manage global travel effectively. With Hannon Travel, you can expect all of this and much more – better business travel and a partner you can rely on.
