Many people believe that because they are regular travellers this makes them best equipped to make their own travel arrangements and whilst they may have best intentions, by acting in this way it may in actual fact not only be false economy but it could be leaving the company wide open in terms of risk management. Organisations have legal and moral obligations to provide safety and security to their people, as much as possible, as they travel on business; that comes in the form of duty of care and a travel management company (TMC) should offer you access to tools and services that support you in looking after your travellers and help you in holding up your end of the duty of care bargain.
 
So next time you are booking your business trip and you think you can save a couple of pounds by booking your hotel room through some 3rd party website or going on a price comparison site for your flight just think about the following:
 
If you don't book through your TMC, they won't know where you are, which means they can't help you in a crisis.
Let's say you book a hotel on your own, and when you arrive, you are not happy with the condition of your room or worse still, the hotel doesn't have a record of your reservation. Who do you call for help? No one. That's who.
You are probably NOT even saving your company money by finding the deal of the century even if you think you are.  Want to know why? Your company negotiates deals with specific suppliers on an annual basis. These deals frequently include behind-the-scenes incentives based on quantity of bookings. The TMC may well be offering your company a rebate on commissions earned and you also have to factor in time, your time to make the booking and your finance department who then have to spend time cross referencing your expense claim.
 
So you may be an experienced traveller and you may feel that a TMC restricts what you can or can’t book. This is very rarely the case, we work with all of our clients to give the end user a pleasurable experience, give them choices and a high level of personal service all whilst controlling the companies spend, making sure the staff are as safe as possible and streamlining the back office processing.
 
Want to know more about how we can help give me a call on 07841 920752 or email mike.halliwell@ttce.com
 
Alternatively call 0131 467 7000 or email operations@ttce.com
 

Along with the growth of all kinds of internet businesses, online sites selling various travel services have been increasing in popularity in recent years. Hence, one of the first decisions that has to be made when planning a trip is: do I put the trip together myself or use the services of a professional travel consultant to do that?
 
We often hear that online reservation systems are now so efficient that all purchases can be made on the internet, and travel agencies are redundant. People tend to forget that a web page does not function on its own and there is always a travel agency behind every online portal. An IT-system is only a tool. We offer our clients both options: we try to help in making this important decision and we give you the pluses and minuses of both travel planning options.
 
The biggest advantage of an online selling environment is the lower price that is achieved thanks to the low costs of maintaining a portal. Seasoned travellers also value the options offered by the online portals such as a function to compare prices, read the opinions of other travellers and make a reservation quickly.
 
The strongest minus of an online selling environment is the vast amount of information, in which a less experienced client can get lost. A low-cost online environment usually does not give the option of asking for advice and help. On many online environments, there is no simple way to change travel plans or correct them if something goes wrong with a reservation. We often meet clients that do not know where to get help if they have problems with travel services purchased from foreign online portals.
 
The biggest advantage of a traditional travel agency is convenience and saved time: instead of hours spent on searching for information on your own, a professional travel consultant will offer the best travel solutions and help to find the right piece of information from the large array of information. A travel consultant not only assists during the time of reserving a trip and the trip itself but also provides help and support in the event of potential problems. TTCE supports its clients 24/7.
 
The minus of a traditional travel agency is the service charge that is usually a bit higher than the margin of online sales environments. However, this is not always the case because an experienced travel consultant is often able to find cheap travel options that online portals do not automatically offer. We also have access to fares that cannot be published online.
 
In summary: while a traditional travel agency gives a higher sense of security, online sales portals give a small saving. However, this small saving is often lost by the booker not accessing the best fares or rates. Remember, fee will only add up to around 3% possibly 4% of your overall travel spend. An experienced travel consultant can easily save this with the other 96% to work on. A TMC is a management company not just a booking tool, we are here to manage and control your spend as well as add security and convenience to your bookings.
 
Hence, we recommend that you use online travel agencies if
you are a seasoned traveller who is ready to accept higher risks for lower price;
you plan a simple trip from one point to another that does not require using different airlines and means of transport;
you have a good command of foreign languages and you can represent your own interests.
 
We recommend that you use a traditional travel agency if:
you are a client who lacks travel experience and may need advice and help in their mother tongue during the trip;
you plan a more complex trip involving various means of transport or airlines where you may experience unexpected problems;
you prefer comfort and security while travelling over a little saving.


Want to find out more, contact me at mike.halliwell@ttce.com or call me on 07841 920752.

Alternatively contact the office at edinburgh@ttce.com or call 0131 467 7000
 

Motivating your staff is key in any modern business, by rewarding your staff who meet and exceed your performance levels it will help them to strive for similar results in the future as well as motivating those that may be under performing.

But what is the best way to reward your staff who are performing well? Are cash rewards the way to do it? We believe that while paying a bonus may give staff an instant boost it will soon be forgotten once the credit card has been paid off!

We believe that incentive trips create much more impact, firstly there is the anticipation, followed by the enjoyment of the trip and lastly, memories that can last a lifetime.

We have a wealth of experience of creating incentive trips that will capture the imagination, get all of your staff talking and most importantly have your staff striving to raise their games in order to be included on the trip next year.

We can take care of everything, flights, hotels, restaurants and activities for the trip. We have a specialist team who would only be too happy to discuss your requirements and work within your budget in order to add value to your rewards program.

Want to find out more, contact me at mike.halliwell@ttce.com or call me on 07841 920752.

Alternatively contact the office at edinburgh@ttce.com or call 0131 467 7000