Like it or not, the turmoil is putting many buyers on the hunt for new TMC relationships, so our Think Tank members offer some wise counsel regarding best practices and worst pitfalls in the TMC new world order.
Don’t Round Up the Usual Suspects
Finding the right travel management company for your program comes down to knowing the program you are working on. We often jump right in and start pulling in the previous vendors we’re already familiar with before checking to see if they are the right fit for the program. No TMC can be everything to everyone, so it’s important to step back and take on an audit of what your program actually requires before starting your RFP.
Make sure to fully understand the needs of all your personas and stakeholders as well as the goals of your company. My biggest piece of advice when sourcing a TMC: Always make sure they include account management on your bid calls. Account management tends to work in the reality of the situation, whereas sales teams can sometimes sell you a dream with unrealistic expectations of their services or tools.
– Rosemary E. Maloney
More than Money: What Success Looks Like
In today’s dynamic landscape, selecting the right TMC, meetings support partner, or technology platform is no longer a transactional decision – it’s a strategic one. The best partnerships begin with clarity of purpose: Define what success looks like for your organization, from data visibility and duty of care to attendee engagement and ROI. Consider partners not just on the basis of pricing, but on their ability to align with your culture, scale with your business, and innovate alongside you.
Evaluate the candidates on the basis of transparency, agility and proven collaboration models that can integrate travel and meetings data seamlessly. The most valuable partners act as extensions of your team – anticipating needs, optimizing spend and enhancing the overall experience. When chosen wisely, the right relationships with your event providers can elevate meetings from logistical exercises to business growth engines that drive connection, insight and measurable impact.
– Wendy Palmer
High Expectations, Consistent Execution
A travel management company can make or break your program. The right partner should reflect your company’s culture and reliably deliver on your objectives. When those elements aren’t aligned, the results are predictable: Service breakdowns erode trust and non-compliance rises. Your goal is to create a model travelers actually want to use, whether through online tools or consulting with advisors. Remember, traveler perception is their reality. If the experience feels clunky, slow or out of touch, adoption will falter no matter how strong the policy is.
To safeguard the credibility of your program, choose a TMC that brings consumer-grade usability, proactive service, and the discipline to execute consistently. Align with your TMC partner on expectations, communication standards and metrics up front, then hold each other accountable. When culture, delivery and experience are in sync, compliance with travel policy is the natural outcome. When that happens, service levels rise, and your managed travel program can deliver measurable value across the key metrics: Cost, safety and traveler satisfaction.
– Jennifer Steinke
