In today's digital age, why give priority to corporate travel?
The current context is one of rapid development, acute internationalization and exacerbated competition.
In this environment, and as part of their work, it is very often necessary for employees to travel, and so find themselves away from their usual workplaces and homes, whether in France or abroad, to temporarily carry out their professional activities. However, with the relentless development of new means of communication and information that could reduce the need to travel, the question of the relevance of corporate travel is becoming increasingly relevant.
Here are just a few of the reasons why business travel is still a must for companies today.
Corporate travel: a success factor for employees and companies
From a purely strategic point of view, corporate travel can be based on a number of different realities and objectives.
For example, the need for employees to visit customers or suppliers, to take part in professional meetings, congresses or specialized seminars, or the desire to seize the opportunity to attend trade shows or fairs of particular interest to the company.
Or opportunities to establish direct human contact with current or potential partners and customers, and to observe a particular reality. This proximity is a major asset in situations where distance can hamper understanding.
All the more so since, with the current trend towards economic globalization, supply and delivery chains have become much longer. Sometimes, decision-making or production centers are located thousands of kilometers from the markets to be prospected, the target customers and the suppliers. In such cases, remote monitoring can quickly present a number of limitations, not to mention the drawbacks associated with data security.
Business trips not only provide the opportunity to benefit from factual information and ensure its integrity, but also to instill confidence in business partners and customers, facilitating the signing of large commercial contracts or new partnerships. According to a study conducted by Oxford Economics, the conversion rate of prospects into customers is twice as high when sales staff meet them face-to-face. From a human resources perspective, another study, this time by American Express-YouGov, assures us that 93% of French professionals who make business trips do so with pleasure, and for 76% of them, it's a source of pride. What's more, for 72% of French people, the culture of business travel is a decisive factor in recruiting new employees. And 46% say they want to boost their company's business.
Business trips: a way to expand your address book and strengthen human interaction and team spirit.
Business travel is an essential opportunity to expand your network of contacts.
Indeed, an effective presence in the field at company meetings, prospecting campaigns or trade fairs and exhibitions enables you to make relevant encounters to boost your company's activities and even discover new business opportunities.
In addition, there's nothing like corporate travel to encourage human interaction, reinvigorate partners/customers and develop team spirit among employees. They also reinforce understanding and empathy, and reduce misunderstandings due to inefficient communication.
Organize your company's business travel to make the most of your travel budgets and optimize your trips
Once the benefits of corporate travel have been recognized, the next step is to ensure that professionals enjoy comfortable, efficient, quality travel and accommodation. And that's a different kettle of fish!
For this reason, it is often advisable to use an experienced business travel management agency. In this respect, CTA Business Travel is an ideal ally for achieving savings of 10-15% without compromising on quality. It helps companies and their employees optimize their travel costs and monitor their travel policies. Working together, we can identify savings levers and achieve rapid, substantial results. Reduced budgets made possible by economic levers:
- Access to one of the largest hotel, air, rail and car rental inventories on the market
- An ultra-competitive pricing database, updated in real time
- Search for the best fares on all airlines (including low-cost carriers)
- Integration of negotiated hotel rates into reservation systems
- Centralization of all data (tickets, invoices, etc.)
- A comparative study for each travel request (mode of transport, alternative timetable, etc.).
- A TourCom network with over a million negotiated rates worldwide
- Fast, efficient teams
- Systematic verification of bookings to guarantee the best rate right up to issue.
- Cutting-edge technology and the latest innovations
- Setting up regular reviews
Specialized in business ticketing, CTA Business Travel is aware that the search for savings is a key element in business travel, and is committed to monitoring savings at every stage of the collaboration.
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