The Ultimate Guide to Corporate Travel Management for Australian Businesses

Navigating corporate travel without a structured management program can be expensive and time-consuming for businesses. From inaccurate financial reporting, uncapped budgets and expenses, to frustrated employees and inefficient processes, the challenges add up fast. By implementing a clear, streamlined travel management program, you can significantly reduce your business travel costs, track and manage employee expenses, enhance your corporate duty of care, and gain better visibility into your travel spend and ROI.

That’s why so many businesses today choose to outsource their corporate travel management through a travel management expert like Spencer Corporate Travel. This means you have everything accounted for – from booking flights, hotels and ground transport to managing travel expenses and accessing 24/7 support in an emergency – all within a single partnership and dedicated team.

In this corporate travel management guide, we’ll answer questions like: What is corporate travel management? What are the benefits? What are some of the common challenges that Australian businesses face? Then we’ll show you how to find the right corporate travel company to support your business and your team.

What is Corporate Travel Management?

First things first, what actually is corporate travel management, and is it right for your business? Corporate travel management is all about organising business trips in the smoothest, smartest way possible.

Many businesses choose to outsource their travel management and corporate travel booking services so everything is handled by professional travel agents. This includes organising flights, hotels and ground transport, travel insurance, risk management, supplier negotiations and contracting, and even gaining access to automated expense tracking and analytics.

It’s a great way to save time on travel planning and booking, reduce and control travel costs, and keep track of your employees for additional safety and productivity – all under one roof.

While many companies manage their travel bookings through an in-house resource, whether a dedicated travel team, or self-booking travellers, or a nominated employee as part of a broader role – having the expertise of a professional corporate travel manager to support your team is critical to driving savings, safety and efficiency to your business. A corporate travel management company like Spencer Corporate Travel can support your team with a customised solution that meets your specific business needs – a dedicated travel booking team or the provision of self-service corporate booking tools, or a mixture of both.

Who needs corporate travel management?

Any business in Australia that travels regularly for work can gain enormous value from corporate travel management services.

For small businesses where every dollar counts, accessing corporate travel deals, setting travel policy restrictions, and having visibility over every travel expense can go a long way in helping you stretch your budget. Engaging in travel management services designed for small businesses is an effective solution to optimise costs and streamline internal operations.

For larger businesses where travel spending may be higher and more frequent, having a centralised travel management program with access to round-the-clock travel support and extensive corporate deals on national and international travel content can help you gain a stronger ROI on your travel spend while also meeting duty of care, reporting, compliance and sustainability objectives.

From small businesses to large enterprises, investing in a strategic corporate travel management program pays off by helping you drive internal efficiency, maximise employee productivity and emergency support during travel, and achieve greater visibility over travel costs and business travel ROI.

What are the benefits of a travel management program?

Partnering with a trusted corporate travel management company like Spencer Corporate Travel means your team can enjoy a stress-free business travel experience while saving yourself money and resources in the long run:

Here’s what that looks like:

• Manage all your travel needs all in one place – via our dedicated team of in-house travel experts or through our suite of intuitive self-service travel booking tools.
• Reduce your travel budget by taking advantage of exclusive offers and corporate deals negotiated on your behalf.
• Leverage travel expense insights with intuitive travel program reporting. This helps you understand travel booking behaviours to reduce costs, make smarter policy decisions, and improve budget forecasting.
• Speak to a real travel expert who knows your business and people when emergencies arise. With Spencer Corporate Travel, you’ll get access to 24/7 travel support from a dedicated team of travel experts.

Common Challenges Australian Businesses Face Without Proper Travel Management

For businesses where travel expenses make up a significant portion of overall spending, a lack of control can turn into a serious issue. From flights and hotels to meals and ground transport, travel expenses can pile up quickly. Without a clear travel program and policy in place, companies risk overspending, miss out on savings opportunities, and face risks that can impact employee safety and brand reputation.

But that’s not all – failing to manage corporate travel effectively can lead to poor financial reporting, inaccurate budgeting and challenges when calculating profit margins. Plus, since travel expenses are often tax-deductible, improper tracking could mean missing out on available deductions.

Here are some of the most common challenges businesses face without a proper corporate travel management program:

1. Manual Travel processes

Relying on spreadsheets, emails and paper receipts for managing travel expenses is inefficient and often leads to errors. Manual data entry increases the risk of mistakes, delays employee expense approvals, and information can go missing. It also takes up valuable time that employees could spend on higher-priority tasks.

2. Complicated Travel Approval Workflows

Without a streamlined approval process, businesses often face wasted time. Travel requests may sit in inboxes for days, delaying bookings and causing travel costs to increase. A lack of visibility can also lead to out-of-policy bookings, which creates further cost implications.

3. Poor Expense Tracking

Without centralised expense tracking systems, it’s nearly impossible to get a clear view of your business travel spend. Many businesses struggle to monitor expenses accurately, leading to difficulty controlling budgets. This lack of transparency can also make it harder to negotiate better deals with travel suppliers – which end up being more expensive in the long run.

4. Negative Employee Experience

Employees who frequently travel for work often face frustrations with disjointed booking systems, unclear policies, slow reimbursement processes and no support during an emergency or unforeseen event. Without adequate support and guidance, both employee productivity and satisfaction take a hit.

5. Higher Business Travel Costs

Many businesses fail to take advantage of negotiated corporate rates and optimised booking strategies, meaning they pay more for flights, hotels and ground transport. Additionally, a lack of policy enforcement can lead to overspending, and employees may unintentionally book premium services that may not align with company budgets.

How to Choose the Best Corporate Travel Company for YouR Business

Now that you understand what corporate travel management is and how beneficial it can be, you may be wondering how to choose the best travel management partner for your business. Here are some important things to consider before you choose:

1. Look for proven expertise: Experience goes a long way in the business world, that’s why it’s ideal to partner with a leading expert in corporate travel management. Their industry knowledge should enable you to handle corporate travel seamlessly and drive continued improvements and savings to your program year-on-year.
2. Make sure your specific needs are met: There is never a one-size-fits-all solution to corporate travel. Choose a provider like Spencer Corporate Travel that offers tailored solutions that address your specific business objectives and traveller needs.
3. Check for 24/7 support: Travel doesn’t stick to business hours. Find a corporate travel agency that offers round-the-clock in-house support to assist your travellers when unexpected challenges arise.
4. Look for cost-saving opportunities: A strong corporate travel manager will negotiate exclusive rates for flights, hotels and ground transport. Access to discounts and cost control measures can significantly reduce your overall travel expenses. But they’ll also understand how buying behaviours can drive greater savings, and make pro-active recommendations to improve your travel program and budget.

Contact Spencer Corporate Travel today

At Spencer Corporate Travel, we offer comprehensive corporate travel management services and guidance so you can grow your business without the time-consuming tasks slowing you down. From travel bookings and expense management to dedicated travel program support and intuitive travel tools, we’ve got you covered every step of the way.

Whether your company is large or small, we ensure businesses across Australia receive the same high level of service and travel expertise. At the heart of everything we do, our team works hard to make sure all your needs are met, and your travel experience is as smooth as it is cost-effective.

With over three decades of experience, Spencer Corporate Travel is a leading expert in corporate travel. Our deep industry knowledge and commitment to excellence make us the #1 choice for service, experience and trust.

Ready to take control of your corporate travel program? Contact Spencer Corporate Travel today to learn how we can help your business travel smarter.