Business travel is becoming more and more prevalent in the modern workplace.
Workers are finding it easier to connect and be productive while out of the office and are now actively seeking opportunities to travel for business. Corporate travel is also a boon to the economy.
An influx of business travelers is flooding the travel space, and corporations are working to put forth robust policies that streamline expenses and protect workers.
But while many businesses work to keep track of travel expenses, a new Egencia survey found that business travelers continue to "go rogue" and book on their own-meaning companies are losing out on their bottom line and losing control over the safety and standards employees experience on the road.
Even though business travel is a win for workers-with 70 percent saying they enjoy traveling for work-many aren't following corporate policies when it comes to the booking channels they use.
Rogue booking brings on drawbacks for companies, who could lose out on better-negotiated rates on hotel bookings and more.
Overall, the Egencia study found that, while 60 percent of companies have a travel policy in place, more than half of the business travelers surveyed are still allowed to book travel using any method they choose, and a full 46 percent have done so for hotel bookings.
Egencia's recently released research on the topic suggests that the rogue booking phenomenon is most prevalent with accommodations.
Two of the reasons travelers don't book within their corporate travel policy (when it comes to a hotel stay) is that there aren't close enough accommodations and/or they found a better price for a hotel within their per diem.
"When it comes to hotels, we know that it's not about searching, it's about finding," said Andrew Dyer, VP Global Supply-Lodging at Egencia. "That's why we find ways to serve up the right choice for business travelers within the first few search results. And it works - 75 percent of Egencia travelers book one of the top seven hotel results and over half book from the top three."
The corporate traveler is looking for assurances and clarity.
"Travelers want an intuitive, cross-device experience with clear descriptions of what is included in the price. With this, they can feel confident that they are booking the right accommodations, which will, in turn, increase policy compliance," Dyer noted.
Recent evidence also suggests that business travelers like to utilize the sharing economy-yes, even when on business-so more and more companies are building these services into their corporate travel policies.
In addition to allowing multiple channels for booking accommodations, companies can incentivize employees and allow them flexibility in booking.
The Egencia survey found that 62 percent of business travelers say they would choose within their company's policy if they received a percentage of the savings for booking below the cap, and an additional 60 percent would comply if they received funds they could apply to other travel options.
There are many other facets to encouraging employees to comply. Safety is a major issue, as are cost efficiencies that provide long-term benefits.
Rogue bookings also create extra work for both employees and employers. There is more time spent on data collection, and it's harder to create comprehensive reports.
While it seems a daunting task, many technological advances are taking place to make booking easier. Airbnb recently launched a travel tool specifically for business travelers. As the market continues to grow, innovative companies and corporate travel managers are likely to come together, streamlining the business travel experience even further.
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