5 Benefits of a hybrid travel management solution

Don’t know whether to choose between online or offline travel management? Why not choose a hybrid travel management solution? Travel management is a key element of any organization that conducts business globally. With the advent of technology, there has been a shift in the way travel is managed, and now  you don’t have to decide between offline or online, you can go hybrid, getting the best of both worlds.

We will explore the benefits of using a hybrid travel management solution, including cost savings, time management, increased productivity, enhanced traveler experience and improved compliance, as well as enhanced communication and a more personalized approach to business travel. We will discuss how this solution integrates technology and human expertise to provide a seamless travel management experience. Whether you are a small business owner or a large corporation, a hybrid travel management solution can help you streamline your travel program and make it more effective.

What is a hybrid travel management solution?

Before we talk about the benefits of a hybrid travel management solution, it’s important to understand exactly what it means. A hybrid travel management solution combines the best of both worlds: an easy, seamless online booking platform with real travel experts available 24/7. This means not only can employees easily book flights, car rentals and hotels, but they can also reach out to real experts should they have a problem that they can’t figure out themselves. It’s not like an OTA that is anonymous and hard to reach a professional should you need help.

By combining all the booking capacity and Artificial Intelligence to get the best prices and the most convenient flights, you can be sure that everything you need is in one place.

What are the benefits of a hybrid travel managment platform?

1. Save time and money

A hybrid travel management solution can help businesses save time and money by helping to automate the booking process, from flight reservations to transportation and hotels. From an administrative side, you can spend less time looking for flights and less time making phone calls to manage your bookings because you can manage everything in one place. Plus, you have access to all the best travel deals and negotiated rates with airlines, hotels and car rental companies, which can result in significant savings, especially for frequent travelers.

Another benefit of a hybrid solution is the fact that businesses can get valuable insights into their travel spending patterns, which allows them to identify areas where they can cut costs and optimize their travel budget. Instead of waiting to get monthly feedback from the TMC, businesses can have access to business travel reporting at their fingertips directly in the online platform. This means that they can make more informed decisions based on real-time data. 

You can get access to automatic control over prices with features like Go Smart, which visually displays the cheapest and most recommendable fare to book, automatically adjusting itself to the market. You can be sure travelers book within your travel budget, adjusting the percentage that the Go Smart price will never exceed, so you stay on track. Learn more about GetGoing’s Go Smart feature.

2. Enjoy the best of both worlds

Another benefit of a hybrid travel management solution is the combination of having the human touch when you need it, plus access to the best technology for managing, optimizing and booking business travel. You can leverage technology to automate processes and get data insights, while also getting access to human support and expertise when needed. This results in a more efficient and effective travel management program that can save time, reduce costs and improve the traveler experience.

While technology can automate many travel management tasks, there are times when travelers need human support. A hybrid solution gives you access to a team of travel experts who can provide you assistance when needed with things like travel disruptions or when help is needed to change or cancel a trip. While everything is easily handled on the platform, it’s always nice to know that experts are just a call away if you need them. 

3. Personalized travel experiences

When traveling frequently for business, you want the booking process to be easy and even better, personalized to your needs. A hybrid travel management solution uses technology to make travel easy and personalized. As an administrator by automating your travel policy you can create price caps, so that you are sure traveler’s stay within budget, and as a traveler, you can keep track of travel preferences and loyalty program memberships and travel history in one place. The platform will then optimize recommendations based on preferences set up in the platform’s administrator view.

Plus, with the help of AI, GetGoing analyzes data in real-time for each search to tailor results to your travelers and find the optimal price for their trip. As a traveler you can also use the filters to make sure your hotel is as close to the office as possible, which helps you to personalize your travel experience based on your needs and preferences. 

4. Streamlined communication

In a fast-paced work environment, you want everything to be as smooth as possible. That means travel approvals as well. Administrators can set price caps and automate their travel policies so that travelers only need approval when they go above this maximum. Plus, with technology travelers can easily see what hotels or flights are within policy so they don’t have to worry about getting approval. When approval is needed, approvers will get a notification, but this means travelers don’t have to pursue managers to get them to approve their trips. Approval workflows can streamline communication between employees and managers. 

A hybrid solution can also provide real-time data analytics that allow managers to monitor travel spending, facilitating communication between managers and finance departments to ensure that travel expenses are aligned with overall business objectives. 

5. Enhanced duty of care for your team

An online solution has the ability to tap into Artificial Intelligence that can help businesses fulfill their duty of care mitigating travel-related risks, such as security threats, health concerns, natural disasters or traveling to risky areas. GetGoing’s Go Safe feature helps travelers to choose the safest flight route, powered by AI, sorting flight search results to show direct flights or flights with connections in lower-risk countries first. You also have the ability to track travelers and make sure they have arrived safely to their destination, getting real-time travel alerts upon arrival. Learn more about safety and security features.

Why choose a hybrid travel management solution

A hybrid travel management solution combines the best of both worlds by integrating technology with human expertise to provide a seamless and personalized travel experience. By automating processes, providing human support when necessary, leveraging data analytics, ensuring compliance, and saving costs, this kind of solution can help organizations optimize their travel programs.