Travel agencies are a great resource for arranging business trips. But finding the right agency means more than just asking around for recommendations and searching online reviews. A good agency can be helpful in saving time, money, and hassle. On the other hand, a bad one can waste your valuable time and resources leading to poor customer service or missed opportunities. It’s important to take your time when choosing an agency because it will play a large role in how well you’re able to manage your travel needs as part of your business strategy. The steps below will help you choose an agency that’s best suited to meet your specific needs:
Look for an agency that specializes in business travel.
Look for an agency that specializes in business travel. An agency that handles both corporate and leisure travel won’t be as familiar with your industry, and may not be able to provide the specialized services you need.
For example, if you’re a tech company looking to send employees on site visits around the world, it’s important that they understand all of their options when it comes to flights, hotels and rental cars–and they should be able to offer advice based on those preferences.
Find out how the agency handles its employees.
- How many employees does the agency have?
- What is their pay structure? Are they paid hourly, salary or commission?
- How are they trained and assigned to clients (if at all)
- What is the turnover rate for this company
Make sure the agency is experienced with your industry and provides specialized services.
If you’re a business traveler who travels frequently and has a specialized industry, such as healthcare or tech, it’s important to find an agency that understands your unique needs.
If you’re unsure whether an agency is experienced with your industry, ask them about their background and experience with similar companies. If they don’t have any relevant clients or information available online, this could be a red flag–and it’s probably time to look elsewhere.
If the agency does offer specialized services such as corporate travel management (CTM), corporate expense management (CEM) and/or global travel compliance solutions, make sure those offerings are listed prominently on their website so they can be easily found by potential clients like yourself!
Determine if a large or small company is better suited to handle your business travel needs.
- Determine if a large or small company is better suited to handle your business travel needs.
- The larger agencies have more experience, so they can often provide better service and more flexibility. However, they may also be less personal and responsive than smaller agencies.
- If you need help deciding which type of company fits your needs best, take into account the following:
- Is there someone at the agency who will be responsible for coordinating all aspects of my trip?
- What is their policy on making changes or canceling trips? Are there fees associated with changing dates or destinations?
- How quickly could I get answers if I had questions about my trip?
Acknowledge that a company’s location may help with its pricing structure, but this isn’t always the case.
When you’re searching for a business travel agency, it’s important to remember that location doesn’t always matter. It can help with pricing structure, but this isn’t always the case.
A good example of this is when you are looking at airlines or hotels in different countries or cities. You might find that one airline is more expensive than another because it has a better reputation or because there are more flights from your city than from where you’re flying out of. However, if you have access to both airlines and have no preference as far as brands go, then location shouldn’t be something that factors into your decision making process when choosing an airline or hotel chain (aside from any other reasons–like price).
There are several ways to choose a business travel agency, but it’s important to find one that can meet your specific needs
There are several ways to choose a business travel agency, but it’s important to find one that can meet your specific needs.
- Find an agency that specializes in your industry. If you work in the healthcare industry and need frequent travel for medical conferences, then look for an agency that specializes in the healthcare field. They will have more experience with this type of travel and can help you plan accordingly.
- Look for specialized services offered by your chosen agency. Some agencies offer personalized concierge services or 24/7 assistance when booking flights or hotels–something which may be important if you’re traveling frequently and want someone there who knows what they are doing!
- Consider size when choosing an agency as well as location (or distance from home base). Smaller companies tend to be easier to work with because they don’t have huge departments handling multiple types of clients at once; however, if proximity isn’t an issue then larger organizations might be better suited due their sheer number of employees dedicated solely towards helping travelers get where they need go faster than ever before possible before now thanks largely due to technological advancements such as smartphones which allow us access anywhere anytime regardless whether we’re sitting at home relaxing after dinner tonight OR working late into tomorrow morning trying hard not fall asleep while typing up this email right now before heading home early tomorrow afternoon so maybe I’ll just finish up here first thing Monday morning instead since no one else seems interested anyway
Business travel is a complex process that requires careful planning and attention to detail. The right agency will be able to help you find the best flights, hotels and rental cars for your needs. It’s important not only to find an agency with experience in business travel but also one that can offer specialized services such as group booking or corporate discounts on airfare.
