Getting travelers to buy in takes imagination and lots of patience
Is it the challenge that won’t go away? Getting your travelers to pay attention to the organization’s travel mission may sound like simple business, but in reality, it means overcoming competing priorities and meeting the evolving expectations of travelers. As their expectations change, that makes it imperative for managers to exercise both imagination and persistence in promoting compliance.
“The generational makeup of the workforce is shifting, making it essential for travel managers to recognize this change and understand its implications for the company’s travel program and policy,” says Penny Watermeier, EVP customer success for CTM. “If the policy no longer aligns with traveler preferences, challenges are inevitable.”
In fact, dissatisfaction on the part of travelers is far from rare when it comes to their employers’ travel policies. Recent market research conducted by CTM with Millennial and Gen Z business travelers showed that fewer than half (41 percent) of North American respondents felt their travel policy met their personal needs and expectations.
“It’s a tough environment for travel managers because travelers are inundated every day with more information than ever before,” says Kelly Ellis, practice area leader for Advito’s Engage team. “And they are digitally savvy consumers that have become used to seamless shopping experiences. When the business travel shopping experience doesn’t live up to expectations, they can get frustrated and go elsewhere.” One of the biggest changes in recent years, she notes, is that travelers expect the information they seek to be served up to them exactly when needed.
The truth is that policy compliance isn’t only achieved through a mandate, notes Chloe Carver of Acquis Consulting Group. “There are more nuanced approaches that actually drive better outcomes for travelers and the program at large,” she says. “This starts with travel managers positioning themselves as a value-add to employees rather than the compliance police.”
To work toward building traveler trust, Carver suggests asking several questions. What business outcomes are we trying to achieve? How does travel support our company’s strategic priorities? What do our travelers need to be successful?
“The answers to these questions should inform every aspect of policy and program design,” she says. “When developing policies, keep in mind that today’s business travelers expect personalization, flexibility, and technology that mirrors their consumer experiences.” Meeting travelers’ expectations means understanding their unique preferences, communication styles and workflow patterns.
Successful Strategies
In the search for strategies that work best in promoting compliance, Michelle Lemire, consumer insights strategist for Festive Road, points to the success possible with modern engagement tools such as gamification and AI-powered support systems.
“These technologies allow for more personalized, timely interactions while maintaining consistent policy guidance,” she says. A multi-channel approach combining mobile apps, e-mail, intranet and messaging platforms can be effective, she notes. Desirable features might include bite-sized, visually appealing content such as infographics and short videos, as well as just-in-time communications delivered at relevant moments in the booking process. Gamification elements to encourage engagement can be complemented by peer advocacy programs where frequent travelers champion policy compliance.
Ellis reports that a strategy which has proven effective for clients is branding their corporate travel program. That can foster engagement by helping create a consistent program experience. “It’s not just about the online booking tool, intranet site, or any one aspect of the traveler experience,” she says. “It’s the thread that ties together every touchpoint of a corporate travel program.”
Carver adds that travelers are more likely to follow policies they understand, value, and help shape. “When you gather and use traveler feedback, you can create an environment in which travelers want to use the program and compliance happens naturally,” she adds. “Removing friction increases satisfaction, reduces noise, and ultimately drives compliance.”
One positive step is to develop a traveler advisory board, which Carver says can be a powerful tool and engagement mechanism for travel managers. In addition to frequent travelers across different departments and levels, members might also include some executive assistants and others who book travel on behalf of others. Typically, the group would meet quarterly to discuss the program, gather feedback on traveler preferences and pain points, and collaboratively develop solutions.
“This approach has dual benefits,” she says. “Travel managers can ensure the program meets employee needs, and employees see traveler input reflected in program design and policy decisions.” The results may include more open feedback, strong program ambassadors, broader organizational buy-in and improved compliance.
For best results in obtaining and following up on feedback, Carver advises creating a virtuous cycle in which traveler feedback directly shapes program evolution. This starts with systematically gathering input from surveys, meetings with the traveler advisory board, and engaging in informal conversations. Implementation of high-impact changes can then be based on this feedback.
“Most importantly, close the loop by clearly communicating to employees which program improvements came directly from traveler suggestions,” she says. “This transparency demonstrates you are genuinely listening and encourages continued engagement.” When travelers become active participants in program design rather than passive recipients of policy, compliance becomes less about enforcement and more about collective ownership, Carver asserts. At the same time, once you establish trust with travelers, you can have a more productive and open dialogue, including why certain policies can’t be changed.
While keeping travelers informed is a must, it’s important to keep communication simple. “Don’t overcomplicate it,” Watermeier advises. “Make sure the travel policy is easy to access, and consider identifying internal policy champions to help reinforce it across the business.” She also suggests running regular training sessions or refresher workshops, whether that’s for policy updates, onboarding new starters, or supporting employees who didn’t travel in their previous roles but now find themselves on the move and need to understand the policy. “You won’t get buy-in if the policy doesn’t align with the traveler,” she says. “It’s important to get this right, otherwise, travelers may start booking outside of policy, which can place additional risk on the traveler and the employer in the event of an emergency.”
In fact, while it’s easy to vow to keep travelers informed, that means more than just passing on policy details, according to Carver. For best results, communications should be created that feel accessible to travelers. “No employee wants to reference a seventy-page policy document every time they book travel or submit an expense,” she says. “When we do policy reviews for our clients, we typically deliver policy graphics in addition to the more formal policy document.” She has found this visual approach helps provide the most pertinent information to travelers while still maintaining more detailed information for specific situations within the comprehensive policy.
Consistent Alignment
“Make sure your suppliers align with traveler preferences and that your policy has the flexibility to support how travelers actually book,” Watermeier says. For travel managers, this includes determining what matters most to travelers when choosing a supplier. That could be loyalty programs, safety records, on-time performance, convenient locations or onsite services, among other possibilities.
It’s also productive to understand how travelers prefer to book. For example, consider whether they lean toward mobile apps or online booking tools, Watermeier notes. When it comes to such preferences, CTM market research (again with Millennial and Gen Z business travelers) has found that 50 percent of North American respondents of their recent survey preferred to use a mobile app to book business travel. That number is expected to grow, with 56 percent indicating it will be their go-to booking tool in the next two years. “At the end of the day, a travel program and its policy need to consider the traveler, not just the business, if it’s going to be truly effective,” Watermeier says.
To make sure such factors are addressed, Carver and her colleagues typically recommend reviewing your policy twice a year, with one informal review and one formal review each year. “Informal reviews should focus on addressing high-priority issues that are generating significant traveler feedback,” she says. “Communicate these targeted updates promptly to demonstrate responsiveness.” The formal review, on the other hand, should be a comprehensive assessment of the entire policy, resulting in more structured communication provided to travelers that highlights all changes, their rationale, and their effective dates.
“This balanced approach keeps your policy relevant while avoiding change fatigue among your travelers,” Carver notes. She adds that Acquis has been seeing more companies adopt new communication tools, such as Tripkicks, that can be integrated in the program to help facilitate and automate delivery of content to travelers, to ensure they have the right information at the right time.
Ellis also stresses the importance of regular analysis. “You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” she says. “It’s key to understand the effectiveness and efficiency of your marketing communications so you can refresh messaging and make tweaks where it might not be resonating or having your desired effect,” she says. This can include looking at marketing metrics such as impressions on an intranet page or clicks on an infographic and comparing them to program performance data. “Can you see measurable share shift between suppliers or a reduction in one-day business trips?” she asks. “This is how you’ll know if your strategy is having the desired effect.”
Ellis also advises the use of behavioral science to influence traveler decision making. She notes that giving someone a policy when they first start at a job is not going to influence the travel decision they’re making six months later. “Utilize behavioral economics to steer them at the point of sale with targeted messaging to make sure they know how you want them to book,” she says. “This way, you’re making compliance easy so that your travelers can help you achieve your goals.”
