In Part 1 of ‘What makes a great corporate travel consultant’ we talked about how the best travel consultants have:
- Great route knowledge
- Intimate airline and plane knowledge
- Great destinational knowledge
And that whilst you can spend hours searching the internet for the same information, you can get better advice through the ‘one stop shop’ that is your TTFN Travel Confidante.
But what else makes a great corporate travel consultant?
They know your corporate travel policy
Most companies these days have a corporate travel policy. This defines the hotels that employees can stay at, when you can travel business class instead of economy, which airlines to use and other information. The aim of a corporate travel policy is usually twofold: to keep things fair between employees and to ensure travel costs don’t get out of hand. A great corporate travel consultant will know yours back to front and ensure you get the best deal whilst sticking to your company’s rules.
They know your likes and dislikes
Once you’ve built a relationship with your corporate travel consultant they will be able to proactively make choices on your behalf and save you hassle. For example, if you like a window seat, they will book a window seat not an aisle. They will know to arrange it if you prefer blankets to doonas / duvets on your hotel bed and they will know whether you just want to get there and back or if you’d like to spend a little time exploring your destination.
They will try to get you value adds wherever possible
Great travel consultants are usually privy to little extra value adds that may be available to you. They may be able to get you an upgrade at a hotel, or a meal thrown in for free.
In summary, having a great corporate travel agent who knows their stuff can save you time, money and ensure your business trip runs as smoothly as possible.