As we continue to peek into the travel programs of small and medium enterprises, one truth continues to prevail: While there are so many similarities in travel programs regardless of size, there are standout differences for SME programs.

One example of this is stakeholder engagement. The stakeholder base for SME programs may look very similar to that found in large programs, but the interactions may look very different. In this issue, we take a look at why these differences exist and how both buyers and supplier can lean into these differences to design world class managed travel programs.

In most circumstance we would lump our stakeholders into two groups – internal and external. And although these categories hold true, let’s expand the view a bit and break out our internal and external stakeholders into two additional groups: Travelers and customers. The reasons for distinguishing these two groups is that each has unique needs and can influence how travel programs are built and managed. So we will address each separately.

Let’s begin with basic internal stakeholders, excluding travelers. In the SME space this group can vary significantly depending on your organization’s size and complexity. For example, a $2 million domestic program would have less complexity to its internal stakeholder base then let’s say a $2 million program in five countries. Regardless, each stakeholder group is important.

Engaging with internal stakeholders is critical to the success of your program. Understanding the culture of the company, it’s appetite for risk and willingness to change is so important, and the only way to better understand this is have thoughtful conversations with key decision makers within the organization. Now in the SME space this could mean the CEO’s executive admin, the CFO, or a number of other individuals. Buyers need to identify those individuals who carry the ability to influence the organization and those who support travel initiatives.

For example, the CFO may want to tighten the belt on travel expense and policy, while the chief commercial officer or even CEO may want to spend more on travel to get in front of customers and close more sales. What’s a buyer to do? How do you build a program that pleases each of these stakeholders? Buyers simply need to show their value by proposing solutions that satisfy both! First, refine policy by making commonsense recommendations that will allow the sales team to stretch their travel dollar further. There are tons of ways to balance both stakeholders; for instance, it might be that revenue generating trips take precedence over non-revenue generating trips. Just take the time to deliver a smart compromise.

This is just one example of many interactions you might have with internal stakeholders. The number one thing to remember is to engage with them. Stakeholders who are ignored can be a buyer’s worst enemy.

Suppliers
The next unique group of stakeholders is the external stakeholders, who for our purposes are the travel program suppliers. Suppliers are key to helping your program succeed and can help you help both the CFO and CCO get their way. The main point with the external stakeholders is you need to nurture those relationships and allow them to be creative in designing what offerings and discounts look like.

Buyers for SMEs may not be able to get everything that a large enterprise may get, but you can often get exactly what you need for the size of your program today. A small point of sale discount is better than no discount. And as you partner with your suppliers and your business grows, be clear with your suppliers that you are looking forward to seeing them grow along with your business – and that includes growing your discounts and offerings as you scale your program. Set goals together and celebrate achievements.

Customers
You may be wondering why customers are being called out specifically as stakeholders as opposed to just lumping them in with external. Well, the reason is, you may very well find yourself in a situation where your program is facing challenges from your customers’ programs. Things to consider: Your customers may get bigger discounts, and if they are reimbursing for travel, they may want you to use their supply base. Buyers need to be armed with the “why” this shouldn’t be the case. On the flip side, your customers may have more lucrative policies. So when traveling together, should your employees be in the back of the plane, or collaborating with customers in the front of the plane?

Buyers should develop language specifically for contracts with customers that highlights the travel policies and reasoning for keeping travel within each individual company’s programs. Getting this straight at the contract stage will eliminate a lot of back and forth around this topic. Key words to consider – co-employment, tax implications, duty of care, etc. Talk to your internal stakeholders about the best language to use and ensure that it is imbedded in every contract.

Travelers
Last but not least, the travelers – probably the most important stakeholders of all! They can make or break a travel program, especially a newer program. Buyers need to get their traveling population on board, and that begins with creating a lot of visibility for themselves. For some SME programs that could be under 100 travelers, in others it could be thousands. The point is, you need to create interactive opportunities to engage with your travelers based on your company’s culture. For example, if you are tech start up with travelers who are in the 20-something age bracket, putting them in a room and asking them questions might not be the best tactic, but posting a two-question survey on Slack may be a more productive approach.

Also consider cultural differences if you are a global organization. If you are US-based, creating engagement only in English may not elicit the response you are desiring, if any. So, when it comes to your travelers you have to remember one thing: Meet them where they are, not where you want them to be. The second most important thing is to listen to them. Don’t come to the table with pre-conceived notions. Be open to hearing their feedback. This will give buyers two things, either an opportunity to educate or an opportunity to create something better.

Stakeholder engagement is mission critical for the SME’s managed travel and meetings program. Stakeholders should be considered allies and extension of the travel buyer. Find the right individuals within your organization, partner with the right suppliers, educate your customers and trust in your travelers, and you can’t go wrong.

Jennifer Steinke is Director, Travel, Meetings and Fleet at Moderna, and an industry thought leader with over 30 years experience managing corporate travel. She holds an MBA plus Certified Corporate Travel Executive (CCTE) and Global Travel Professional (GTP) certifications from GBTA. Jennifer strives to deliver innovative and thought provoking ideas to the corporate travel industry.