How to boost productivity for your corporate travelers

Scenario one: You have a team of seasoned travelers who glide through the airport as effortlessly as their Smart Suitcase while receiving gate changes through their TripCase app. Their hard earned loyalty points qualify them for lounge passes, upgrades and more.

Scenario two: Your rapidly growing team of travelers may not know the difference between Basic Economy and Premium Economy (and which one is your corporation’s preferred fare class, for that matter). Without TSA PreCheck, these travelers get stuck in long security lines cutting it close for their scheduled boarding times.

Sound familiar? Read on for a few ways to help all of your travelers become more savvy, have more pleasant air(port) experiences, and ultimately be more productive while on the road!

First, start with a policy that balances cost savings with the traveler experience:

In a recent GBTA (Global Business Travel Association) survey, 84% of North American business travelers say the quality of their business travel experience impacts their business results. Additionally, 79% say their business travel experience even impacts their overall job satisfaction. If traveling for work is a part of your company’s overall growth strategy, you don’t want to hinder your team’s travel experiences (and productivity) by only focusing on the immediate bottom line. There are plenty of other ways to find cost savings (like monitoring advance purchase behavior or effectively managing unused ticket credits) while still leaving room for things that show your travelers you care (like allowing upgraded seating on long flights). Extra tip: Consider ruling out basic economy fares in your policy. These fares do not allow for a seat assignment prior to check in which increases your business travelers’ chances of being stuck in a middle seat (and we all know no one likes a middle seat). For a breakdown on the restrictions of these fares, view our Basic Economy Infographic.

What’s the one thing we all can’t live without? WiFi! Help your travelers make the right choice:

As crazy as it may sound in 2018, not all flights/routes have inflight WiFi. According to a recent GBTA report, 25% of business travelers confided that the most frustrating part of the travel process is not having reliable access to WiFi. If it’s important for your travelers to get some work done while traveling, encourage them to do a little research when searching for flights.  Alternatively, encourage your travelers to book through an online booking tool backed by a team of agents who prioritize customer service.  At Cadence, we have instant visibility into which flights have Wi-Fi and are constantly using this as a quick, helpful resource for business travelers! Extra tip: for frequent travelers, it might pay off to prepay for an annual in-flight WiFi membership with GoGo or your preferred airline.

Provide resources to make the dreaded security line a little more efficient:         

• The TSA's Security Screening page is a great resource for a refresher on what is (and isn’t) allowed in your carry-on.  This will help ensure travelers don’t miss a flight because they got pulled aside for having a shampoo bottle that was too big. 
• Encourage travelers to sign up for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry and perhaps even consider paying for this membership for your most frequent travelers.
• Share the MyTSA App as a resource. One key feature of the app is crowd populated security checkpoint wait times so travelers can plan accordingly.

One last bonus tip:

If your traveler doesn’t have status, there are still opportunities to purchase lounge passes. LoungeBuddy shows you which lounge passes are available for purchase, what amenities they include, and allows you to make a reservation. Lounge use can be a big benefit in the productivity department during long layovers as they include Wi-Fi, plugs, snacks, and more. BUT, be sure your policy advises if travelers are allowed to expense this cost or not.

We’ve been managing corporate travel for over twenty years (and are business travelers ourselves!), so we know a whole lot about the best ways to be effective on the road. If you want to chat further about how to keep your team productive and your organization happy, we'd love to hear from you!