The Global Business Travel Association and American Express Global Business Travel teamed up recently to release a report on overall traveler satisfaction and break down annoyances/successes by generation.
The gist of it? Millennials want more control over their travel decisions and Gen X/Boomers want less hassle. In our own world, we wondered about those monitoring the travel program expenditures? How does business traveler satisfaction impact the bottom line?
After all, if you keep up with the Oversight blog and ascribe to our methodology, the seemingly cheapest option or most stringent policy doesn’t always equal the most compliant program.
Other interesting findings from the travel satisfaction report include:
- Four-in-five business travelers said the flexibility to plan a business trip was their biggest priority. The ability to take a taxi or private car while on the road came in second.
- Millennials are more satisfied when they have the choice to book from different travel companies and book through third-party sites like online travel agencies.
- Booking through a travel management company is the standard for Gen Xers, while booking on a third-party site is more satisfying for Millennials.
- Boomers want two things: to get through security quickly and nab free Wi-Fi during their trip.
It would seem that splurging for things like Wi-Fi, private cars, and TSA pre-check would equal happier travelers. Programs with flexible policies that accommodate for these types of expenses support the traveler (rather than hinder). A happy traveler is one who is less likely to expense a luxury to the company out of spite or spend outside of policy to try and make their trip easier.
As a travel program manager, while trying to incorporate new policies to retain happy travelers, you may want to look for an automated way to monitor for suspicious activity that may occur.
Take a tip from millennial travelers and leverage technology to make auditing business travel expenses a breeze. Click here to request a demo of Oversight Insights On Demand™.
