After a year when the rulebook has been well and truly ripped apart, we take a look at what the future holds for business travel and how Wexas, as a personalised, high-service travel management company, can help you navigate the choppy waters of a world where living with Covid-19 is the norm.
With planes grounded, restrictions in place and borders closed, travel has been on hold, for most, for over a year. Add to that a sea-change in workplace culture – from the new-normal of homeworking to the rise and rise of virtual meeting technology – and the business landscape is an altogether different proposition as we approach the second half of 2021. But, what does all this mean for your company as you look towards a return to travel?
Travel policies for a changing world
As you prepare to relaunch your travel programme, Wexas is here to help you answer the big questions and shape a travel policy that’s fit for purpose. Working closely with executive, finance, procurement and HR teams, we’ll look at how your travel programme performed during the crisis, how travel budgets will be aligned for 2021/22, develop or improve plans for traveller safety and wellbeing and help you communicate any changes effectively to all relevant stakeholders.
Whatever changes you make, Wexas has you covered. Having been in the business for more than 50 years, we’ve developed strong supplier relationships and have a full suite of industry-leading technology at our disposal to help you maximise your travel spend, travel sustainably, maintain duty of care and drive your business forward, at a pace that suits you.
Understanding the real value of expertise
A recent survey by Business Travel News revealed that more than 42% of buyers believe that the relationship with their business travel agent is far more important now than before the pandemic. From cost savings to spend visibility and traveller safety, the value of working alongside an independent travel company with a highly qualified team can be quantified in many ways. And, as most client’s priorities evolve in response to the crisis, it’s essential that companies continue to assess the value of their relationship with their travel management company to meet changing needs.
These might include reducing out-of-policy bookings and leakage to ensure traveller safety and support your duty of care obligations.
More and more companies that previously had unmanaged travel programmes are now turning to Wexas. With our industry-leading knowledge and experience, we guarantee to deliver cost and time savings, especially when it comes to driving online adoption and travel policy compliance. Our specialists will also be on hand, 24/7, to manage everything from flight schedule changes and hotel re-bookings to ensuring the most environmentally sustainable ground arrangements.
Supporting your duty of care
More than just a buzz word, an employer’s duty of care to their travelling employees is certain to take on a far greater significance as we move past the pandemic. With the possibility of borders closing at short notice, potential changes to airline schedules and the endless complexities of shifting travel regulations, entry restrictions and, in the short term at least, Covid-19 testing, you’ll need genuine expertise on your side.
At Wexas, we combine cutting-edge technology with genuine expertise and the ability to react to quickly changing situations. Indeed, the safety of your travellers is at the heart of everything we do.
Our Traveller Tracking tool, Wexas TM Tracker, has been developed specifically to allow us to identify potential risks and determine traveller safety with speed and accuracy. Working in partnership with a world-leading travel security monitoring company, we’re able to proactively assess and monitor all bookings on a 24/7 basis, and adapt your plans as required. Once your traveller has downloaded the easy-to-use app, they can be located via GPS and instantly contacted so we can offer on-the-spot assistance and rebooking options.
Putting technology front and centre
As well as our Traveller Tracking tool, Wexas has invested heavily in a full suite of digital tools to help you and your travellers succeed.
- Wexas TM Online – Our online booking tool allows your travellers to make their own travel reservations, 24/7. From booking class pre-filtering options to pre-selected hotels, your customised tool will be dialled into your travel policy to ensure the ultimate in speed and cost-efficiency.
- Wexas TM Tracker – Detailed above, our traveller tracking tool enables you to fulfil your duty of care. See each traveller’s location in an instant, monitor destination risks both before and during travel and send pings to your travellers to request confirmation of safety, should the need arise
- Wexas TM Access – Put your travellers in control with our mobile app – a one-stop shop containing all your traveller’s individual trip details, from paperless boarding passes and hotel and car hire reservations to tailored restaurant recommendations, taxi booking facilities and even city maps.
- Wexas TM Insight – Our real-time reporting tool allows you to view your travel spend in an instant. Available both on and offline, you can see in an instant your expenditure and savings, allowing to you to make smart travel decisions quickly and efficiently.
Taking a lead on sustainable travel
Before Covid-19, sustainable travel was, for many, right at the top of the agenda, and rightly so. Even throughout the pandemic, the need to move to more sustainable business practices has remained a high priority. Business travel and sustainability are, of course, inextricably linked and, with airlines forced to stay grounded for months on end, the increase in emissions inevitably associated with a return to travel as normal has been thrown into sharp relief. it must be said, however, that many global airlines have made steps to retire their older, less energy-efficient aircraft in their fleet and put the downtime to good use, working on developing more environmentally friendly alternatives to jet fuel.
Through our environmental policy, Wexas is here to help you mirror your business’ environmental commitments. We’ll help you choose the most sustainable methods of travel for each trip, recommend the airlines with the lowest carbon footprint and help you offset your emissions through our recommended schemes – Climatecare and Carbon Footprint Ltd. Also, as part of the Wexas group, we work with the Wexas Travel Foundation to financially support grassroots environmental charities and projects across the world.
To discuss any of the above, or to find out more about working with Wexas Travel Management, contact us using the form below.