Even in mature programs, travel managers always face a challenge in ensuring they can collect and utilize the data they need to help manage and elevate their programs. Now imagine the data-related challenges that buyers face when they’re trying to build a brand new program or even rebuild a program post-COVID. The challenge is real!

As buyers think about developing their Phat Data strategies, the focus is really on the data at hand, to identify what is actionable and what is not. Newer travel programs don’t have that luxury. An organization sees its travel-related spend is increasing and management knows that it’s a category they should better manage. So they hire a travel professional who will come in and wave a magic wand and, poof!, a world-class travel program magically appears.
Everyone knows this is not reality. So how does an earnest buyer build a program based on little data – or none at all? Let’s identify some of the key challenges and how to overcome them.

Challenge #1 – Hidden Data
The first challenge looks something like this – your company may not have an automated expense system, so all the travel-related data ends up in one big general ledger account. There is no rhyme nor reason to it, so no way to know whether spend is on air, lodging, ground, etc.

To solve this problem, there are two approaches you can take. One, if you don’t have an automated expense system, start engaging your internal teams to source and implement some kind of system to automate expenses. Even if it is just a simple one, over time you can grow into bigger and better products as your needs expand. The benefit to automating expenses is that you can build out travel categories and forms to collect the pertinent data that you need for better decision making.

But sourcing and implementing takes time, so in the meanwhile what do you do? Don’t wait for the expense tool. Take advantage of the opportunity to implement a corporate card. Even if the program is small, the card will break down the spend for you, and it is a quick way to get your hands on spend data.

If your organization uses a travel management company, use the booked data and start with that. If they don’t, add that to your list of to-do’s! Use any G/L data you can get your hands on, and if it is isn’t detailed enough, apply percentages like 50 percent for air, 40 percent hotel and 10 percent ground to get some idea on category spend. Look, I know it’s not very accurate but it is a place to start. The second source you can tap into is budget data. What’s in the budget for the upcoming year or the current year for travel? Again, this might be one big number, but apply the percentages to that.

Challenge #2 – Suppliers
The second challenge in developing your Phat Data strategy when you don’t have any data is building out your supplier programs. It’s tough to use data to obtain the best deals from suppliers when you have little to no clue how much you actually spend. So, start with a couple of strategies. Tap into suppliers’ small business programs. Most airlines have points-based programs for corporations. It’s a great place to start getting noticed by the airlines.

They keep a keen eye on these programs to monitor when your air spend becomes lucrative enough to move it to contracted discounts. And if you use the points, you save some bucks for your company. If you have a travel management company, direct them to apply the points programs; if you don’t have a TMC at this point, your travelers booking direct can apply the corporate points when they book.

If you’re shopping for a TMC, find a good partner with the ability to service your program while you are still small, but that has models which allow for program growth. The data they can provide will be helpful on both the spend side and the supplier side.

Challenge #3 – Stakeholders
Let’s talk about stakeholder engagement. It looks a lot different when you are trying to build out your strategy and don’t have a lot of data to help you tell the story. So just ask! Engage with your stakeholders in a variety of ways. You can survey them about their spend, their behaviors and their needs. This is great data that is easy to collect and reference in the future. Brief interviews also work – getting to know the key individuals and also gaining their thoughts on the travel program can give them the opportunity to feel like they had input into the design of the program. This is important for the longer-term strategy. Why? Because once you have the data, you have already built the relationships with the stakeholders. Over time, those conversations become easier to have and the future asks gain more traction quicker.

Challenge #4 – The Policy
When buyers are challenged with little to no data, they need to get creative and play a game of seek and find. Whether you are piecing together multiple data sources, estimating spend or engaging with stakeholders, you can’t forget the most important piece of the puzzle – the policy. Start small and simple, if needed. By providing employees direction on how to spend their travel dollars, buyers will be able to put some guard rails around the “What” of travel spend, and then direct the travelers toward more detailed reporting on the “How Much.” This will be the foundation of your program moving forward, so getting the policy right is the number one catalyst for program success.

While building out a Phat Data strategy might seem impossible when you are faced with lack-of-data challenges, fear not, it can be done. It will start simplistic in nature and develop over time. Most important thing to remember is that your strategy is a living breathing part of your managed travel program, and as the program evolves so does your Phat Data strategy.

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.