Overview

This client had been engaged with Selective Travel Management (STM) for 4 years, however the majority of transactions were conducted by our offline booking team. The client had a fully staffed internal travel booking team that managed the bookings for all their employees.

Objectives

The client wanted to redeploy their internal travel booking team into other areas within their business, thereby reducing the salary cost attributed to booking travel. The client also wanted to give ownership back to the travellers, making them responsible for actioning their own bookings.

Challenges

The biggest challenge was the reluctance to change the booking process from the traveller’s perspective. The travel policy was simultaneously changed at the same time as the booking practice. The travel booking team was relatively happy at being redeployed elsewhere within the business. 

Solution

Through a consultative approach with the client, STM provided a full self-booking platform for the client. This incorporated a full online approval process for bookings that fell outside of the client’s travel policy. 

A full marketing campaign and online training sessions were launched to coincide with the changes in booking practice. The initial training session was recorded, allowing users who could not attend one of the sessions to watch the demonstration at a time that suited them. Regular training was provided by STM over the first month, with subsequent training provided on an “as required” basis. These ad-hoc training sessions would capture new starts etc.  

The client has now driven an 89% online adoption rate, which has resulted in savings versus paying the higher offline booking fees. However, the biggest saving this client has made is in the reduction in costs attributed to their internal travel booking team, which has now become defunct with all travellers responsible for booking their own travel.