Duty of Care in Corporate Travel

Duty of Care in Corporate Travel: Protecting Employees on the Move

by with No Comment Others

Business travel fuels growth. It strengthens client relationships, opens up new markets, and enables collaboration across geographies. But for every opportunity, there’s also a responsibility that companies cannot ignore: duty of care.

When employees are on the road, or in the air, the organization is accountable for their health, safety, and overall well-being. Yet, many businesses underestimate how complex duty of care becomes in the context of global travel. It’s not just about booking flights and hotels. It’s about making sure your people are supported, secure, and able to focus on their work without unnecessary risks.

This blog explores what duty of care means in corporate travel, why it matters, the common challenges companies face, and practical ways to implement it effectively.

 

 

What is Duty of Care in Business Travel?

At its core, duty of care is a legal and ethical obligation of employers to protect their employees from foreseeable risks while performing work-related tasks. In business travel, this means:

  • Ensuring safe travel arrangements

  • Providing access to reliable information about risks (political unrest, natural disasters, health advisories)

  • Offering emergency assistance and medical support

  • Tracking employee locations during trips

  • Creating clear protocols for crisis response

It’s not just a legal checkbox, it’s about building trust with your employees and showing them that their safety is valued as much as their productivity.

 

 

Why Duty of Care in Corporate Travel Matters More Than Ever

Global business travel is bouncing back strongly post-pandemic, but the risk landscape has evolved. Companies now face:

  • Health risks (pandemics, infectious disease outbreaks, medical emergencies abroad)

  • Geopolitical instability (strikes, protests, or political unrest)

  • Climate-related disruptions (flight cancellations due to extreme weather)

  • Personal safety threats (crime, theft, harassment, cultural misunderstandings)

 

Ignoring duty of care isn’t just risky, it can lead to legal consequences, reputational damage, and reduced employee morale. A traveler who feels unsupported is less likely to be engaged, productive, or loyal to the organization.

Why Duty of Care in Corporate Travel Matters More Than Ever...

Key Challenges Businesses Face with Duty of Care

Despite good intentions, many companies fall short in executing duty of care effectively. Here are some common gaps:

1. Fragmented Travel Booking

When employees book flights or hotels outside approved systems, companies lose visibility into where travelers are and whether bookings meet safety standards.

2. Lack of Real-Time Tracking

In a crisis, not knowing where your employees are is one of the biggest risks. Without location tracking, you cannot provide timely assistance.

3. Insufficient Risk Intelligence

Travel managers often lack access to up-to-date risk alerts for destinations, leaving travelers underprepared.

4. Limited Emergency Protocols

Not all organizations have a clear action plan for medical emergencies, evacuations, or sudden disruptions.

5. Compliance Gaps

Companies operating across multiple geographies must comply with varying labor and travel safety laws, something that’s hard to manage without the right tools.

 

 

Building an Effective Duty of Care Strategy for Business Travel

So, how can organizations create a robust framework that prioritizes employee well-being without overwhelming admin teams? Here’s a step-by-step approach.

1. Centralize Travel Bookings

  • Use a single corporate travel management platform to book flights, hotels, trains, and transfers.

  • Ensure policies are built into the system so all bookings automatically comply with safety and budget guidelines.

  • Centralized data allows for better oversight and faster response during emergencies.

2. Implement Traveler Tracking

  • Adopt solutions that allow travel managers to view where employees are at any given time.

  • Use GPS-enabled mobile apps to keep travelers connected.

  • Ensure travelers can “check in” digitally during key points in their journey.

3. Provide Risk Intelligence

  • Share pre-trip briefings about the destination (health, safety, cultural tips).

  • Subscribe to real-time risk alert services for weather disruptions, unrest, or travel advisories.

  • Offer clear guidelines for what employees should do if they encounter unexpected risks.

4. Establish Clear Emergency Protocols

  • Have a 24/7 support hotline or partner with a provider who can deliver medical and logistical help globally.

  • Define evacuation procedures and ensure employees know the process.

  • Train managers and travelers on emergency protocols through workshops or e-learning.

5. Automate Policy Compliance

  • Configure policies in your booking platform (e.g., preferred airlines, hotel safety standards, fare caps).

  • Flag or block non-compliant bookings before they’re finalized.

  • Monitor adherence with detailed travel reports and dashboards.

6. Foster a Culture of Care

  • Communicate regularly with employees about the resources available to them.

  • Encourage feedback after trips to identify potential gaps in support.

  • Make duty of care a shared priority between HR, finance, and travel teams, not just a travel manager’s responsibility.

 

 

Technology’s Role in Duty of Care

Manual processes aren’t enough. Technology bridges the gap between intent and execution. The right travel management platform can:

  • Automate duty of care tasks like compliance checks and real-time location tracking.

  • Consolidate travel data so managers always know where employees are.

  • Integrate with expense systems to ensure accurate reporting.

  • Provide 24/7 support for travelers when they need it most.

This is where modern platforms like AtYourPrice add immense value.

 

 

How AtYourPrice Supports Duty of Care

AtYourPrice isn’t just about saving companies money, it’s about ensuring safe, compliant, and efficient travel experiences. Here’s how it strengthens your duty of care framework:

  • Centralized bookings across flights, hotels, ground transport, and visas, ensuring no “off-channel” travel slips through.

  • Policy enforcement that stops non-compliant bookings before they happen.

  • Traveler tracking and reporting, giving managers real-time visibility into employee locations.

  • 24/7 global support so employees never feel stranded during disruptions.

  • Integrated GST-compliant expense management, reducing reconciliation headaches for finance teams.

  • Low Fare Search & Automation (LFSA) that not only saves costs but also ensures flexible rebooking during cancellations or delays.

By combining cost efficiency with robust risk management, AtYourPrice helps companies uphold their duty of care obligations while protecting their bottom line.

 

 

 

Duty of Care in Corporate Travel

FAQs on Duty of Care in Corporate Travel

1. What does duty of care mean for business travelers?
 Duty of care refers to the employer’s legal and ethical responsibility to safeguard employees while they are traveling for work. This includes health, safety, and security measures.

2. Who is responsible for duty of care in an organization?
 While HR and legal teams set the framework, travel managers, finance leaders, and direct supervisors all play a role in execution. Ultimately, the employer holds responsibility.

3. How can companies track employees during travel?
 By centralizing bookings in a travel management system and using mobile apps with check-in features, companies can know where their travelers are in real time.

4. What happens if a company fails its duty of care obligations?
 The company risks legal action, reputational harm, loss of employee trust, and potential financial penalties depending on the jurisdiction.

5. How can technology improve duty of care in business travel?
 Technology automates compliance, tracks employees, provides risk alerts, and ensures 24/7 support—making it easier to manage obligations at scale.

 

 

Final Thoughts: Protecting People Protects Your Business

Duty of care in corporate travel is more than a compliance issue. It’s a strategic investment in your people. Employees who feel safe and supported travel more confidently, perform better, and remain loyal to their organization.

With risks in global mobility constantly shifting, companies need more than good intentions. They need structured policies, reliable processes, and the right tools.

That’s where AtYourPrice comes in—empowering businesses to deliver on their duty of care promises while optimizing travel budgets.

Ready to make corporate travel safer, smarter, and more cost-effective?
Book a free demo today and discover how AtYourPrice can help protect your people on the move.

 

10 Hidden Costs Companies Face in Corporate Travel

10 Hidden Costs Companies Face in Corporate Travel (and How to Avoid Them)

by with No Comment Others

When companies think about corporate travel expenses, they usually consider the big-ticket items: airfare, hotel bills, and daily allowances. But seasoned finance and travel managers know the reality—the real drain on your budget often comes from costs hiding in plain sight.

These “hidden” expenses are sneaky. They might not make headlines on your expense report, but they accumulate over dozens—or hundreds—of trips, adding up to significant losses over time. Left unchecked, these can eat away at as much as 20–30% of your annual travel budget.

The good news? They’re avoidable—if you know where to look and have the right systems in place.

Let’s break down the 10 biggest hidden costs in corporate travel, why they happen, and exactly what you can do to prevent them.

1. Last-Minute Bookings

It’s no surprise that flights booked within seven days of departure cost more—sometimes up to 47% more compared to those booked well in advance. Last-minute trips are occasionally unavoidable (urgent client meetings, crisis management, etc.), but more often, they’re a byproduct of poor planning or lack of policy enforcement.

Why it’s costly: Airlines raise fares as seats fill up and departure dates approach. Hotels do the same when occupancy rates climb.

How to avoid it:

  • Set a clear booking window policy (e.g., all travel requests should be made at least 14 days in advance unless approved as urgent).

  • Use a system with automated policy enforcement so late bookings trigger approval steps.

  • Leverage fare monitoring tools that can alert you to price drops even after booking.

2. Non-Compliant Bookings

Also known as “leakage”, this happens when employees book travel outside approved channels—maybe via consumer sites or personal contacts. The intent isn’t necessarily malicious; sometimes they think they’re getting a better deal.

Why it’s costly:

  • You lose access to negotiated corporate rates.

  • It’s harder to track spend and enforce policies.

  • You may miss out on GST input credits or expense documentation.

How to avoid it:

  • Centralize all bookings through one platform that enforces policy rules.

  • Communicate clearly why using the approved system benefits the employee (better fares, faster reimbursements, smoother approvals).

  • Use real-time compliance alerts for any out-of-policy bookings.

3. Change & Cancellation Fees

Changing a flight or cancelling a hotel can cost a lot—sometimes almost as much as the original booking. When these changes happen frequently, the impact is huge.

Why it’s costly:

  • Airlines and hotels have strict change rules.

  • Last-minute changes mean forfeiting lower fares and rates.

How to avoid it:

  • Book flexible fares when trip dates are uncertain, especially for high-level executives.

  • Use a fare re-shopping tool to find lower prices even after booking.

  • Maintain a travel change policy that defines who can make changes and under what circumstances.

5. Baggage & Ancillary Airline Fees

Additional baggage, preferred seating, priority boarding—individually small, collectively expensive. Across dozens of employees and trips, this adds up fast.

Why it’s costly:

  • Ancillary fees are often not pre-approved or tracked in detail.

  • Employees may choose premium add-ons without realizing the cost impact.

How to avoid it:

  • Define a clear policy for allowable extras.

  • Negotiate corporate travel bundles with airlines that include baggage or seating perks.

  • Use expense reporting tools that tag ancillary fees for analysis.

6. Airport Transfers

Last-minute rides to and from the airport—especially during peak hours—are notorious for inflated pricing.

Why it’s costly:

  • Surge pricing, inefficient vendor selection, and booking delays.

How to avoid it:

  • Pre-book transfers through vetted vendors at fixed rates.

  • Include ground transport options in your travel management platform.

  • Encourage ride-share pooling when possible for team travel.

7. Overlapping or Duplicate Bookings

Yes, it happens: an employee books a ticket, cancels, then books again—or two people book the same trip without realizing it.

Why it’s costly:

  • You pay for unused tickets or cancellation fees twice.

How to avoid it:

  • Centralize bookings to avoid duplication.

  • Enable duplicate booking detection in your system.

  • Ensure managers have visibility of team travel requests before approving.

8. Poor Expense Reconciliation

When receipts are missing or mismatched, companies lose the ability to reclaim GST or validate expenses, leading to out-of-pocket losses.

Why it’s costly:

  • Lost tax credits.

  • Delayed reimbursements frustrate employees and slow accounting processes.

How to avoid it:

  • Use OCR receipt scanning to automatically attach expenses to bookings.

  • Automate GST reconciliation within your travel platform.

  • Enforce policies that require receipts for all claims.

 

10. Vendor Rate Inconsistencies

Rates for the same service can differ across booking channels, even within the same vendor’s ecosystem.

Why it’s costly:

  • You miss out on cheaper rates available elsewhere.

How to avoid it:

  • Use a booking system that pulls data from multiple GDS and non-GDS sources in real time.

  • Periodically benchmark vendor rates against the open market.

Why These Costs Fly Under the Radar

Many of these hidden costs stem from fragmented processes—different teams booking through different channels, inconsistent policy enforcement, and manual expense reconciliation.
 When data is scattered, it’s nearly impossible to see the full picture, and hidden costs slip through the cracks.

How AtYourPrice Eliminates Hidden Travel Costs

Here’s where AtYourPrice steps in—not as just another booking tool, but as a complete corporate travel management solution.

With AtYourPrice, you can:

  • Book everything in one place – flights, hotels, trains, buses, cars, visas, even transfers.

  • Automate policy compliance – prevent non-compliant bookings before they happen.

  • Catch and rebook lower fares with AI-powered Low Fare Search & Automation.

  • Simplify GST compliance with automated reconciliation and GST-ready invoices.

  • Compare rates in real time across global and local vendors for the best deals.

  • Access 24/7 support so your travelers are never stranded.

The result? Companies using AtYourPrice typically save up to 22% on travel spend—most of it from avoiding the very hidden costs we’ve discussed.

Final Thoughts

Corporate travel is essential for business growth, but without proper oversight, it’s easy to overspend without realizing it.
 By identifying and addressing these 10 hidden costs, you can regain control over your travel budget, improve compliance, and keep your travelers happy.

And with a platform like AtYourPrice, the process becomes effortless. You get complete visibility, smarter bookings, and proven savings—without adding administrative headaches.

Ready to see how much you could save?

Book your free demo today and get a personalized travel savings report for your company

How Automated GST Reconciliation Saves Finance Teams 20+ Hours a Month

How Automated GST Reconciliation Saves Finance Teams 20+ Hours a Month

by with No Comment Others

Why GST Reconciliation is a Pain Point for Finance Teams

If you work in finance, you already know how time-consuming GST reconciliation can be.

Every month, finance teams spend hours cross-checking invoices, matching them against GSTR-2B data, identifying mismatches, and ensuring compliance. The task is repetitive, complex, and prone to human error. Worse still, delays or mistakes can lead to penalties, blocked input tax credits (ITC), and compliance risks.

Now imagine reclaiming those 20+ hours every month and letting automation do the heavy lifting. That’s the power of automated GST reconciliation—a game changer for modern finance teams.

 

What is GST Reconciliation?

GST reconciliation is the process of matching a company’s purchase invoices with the data available on the GST portal (GSTR-2B). The goal is to ensure that input tax credits (ITC) claimed by the business align with the supplier’s GST filings.

Without reconciliation, companies risk:

  • Losing out on eligible ITC.

  • Facing notices from GST authorities.

  • Increased manual workload at month-end.

It may sound straightforward, but when you’re handling hundreds or thousands of invoices each month, the complexity compounds quickly.

 

The Manual Process: Why It’s Broken

Most companies still rely on spreadsheets, ERP exports, and manual cross-checks. Here’s why that doesn’t work at scale:

  • Time-intensive: Finance teams spend days combing through invoices and portal data.

  • Error-prone: Manual matching often leads to missed discrepancies or double entries.

  • Resource-heavy: Teams end up hiring additional staff during peak periods.

  • Compliance risk: Even a small mismatch can snowball into penalties or blocked credits.

In short, manual reconciliation drains productivity and exposes companies to financial risk.

 

How Automated GST Reconciliation Works

Automation brings structure, speed, and accuracy to the reconciliation process. Instead of toggling between spreadsheets and GST portals, an automated system integrates directly with both your invoice records and GSTN data.

Here’s what happens behind the scenes:

  1. Invoice Data Upload: Finance teams upload purchase invoices from ERP, accounting software, or directly from vendors.

  2. GSTN Data Sync: The system automatically fetches GSTR-2B data from the GST portal.

  3. AI-Powered Matching: Invoices are matched with supplier filings in seconds.

  4. Discrepancy Detection: Any mismatches (missing invoices, incorrect GSTIN, amount mismatches, etc.) are flagged instantly.

  5. Actionable Insights: Finance teams get a clear, actionable report on discrepancies with recommendations for follow-up.

Instead of hours of manual work, reconciliation happens in minutes.

 

5 Ways Automation Saves Finance Teams 20+ Hours a Month

1. Lightning-Fast Invoice Matching

What takes hours in spreadsheets happens in seconds with automation. Bulk invoice uploads and instant GSTN data sync eliminate manual cross-checking.

Impact: Teams save at least 6–8 hours each month just from faster data matching.

 

2. Elimination of Manual Errors

Fat-finger errors, missed entries, and misread invoices are inevitable when humans handle large volumes. Automated systems match at the line-item level, ensuring 100% accuracy.

Impact: Finance teams reduce rework and avoid compliance penalties—saving both time and money.

 

3. Smart Exception Handling

Instead of going line by line, automation highlights only what needs attention—like missing supplier filings or incorrect GSTINs. Finance professionals can focus their energy on resolving discrepancies rather than hunting for them.

Impact: Cuts reconciliation time by 30–40%.

 

4. Continuous Compliance Monitoring

With automation, reconciliation isn’t just a month-end chore. Real-time syncing ensures finance teams always know where they stand with ITC eligibility.

Impact: Prevents last-minute scrambles and frees up 5–6 hours during closing periods.

 

5. Better Collaboration Across Teams

Discrepancy reports can be shared instantly with vendors or procurement teams. Automated workflows send reminders and track follow-ups, reducing back-and-forth emails.

Impact: Finance leaders save hours of coordination every month.

 

Why It Matters: The Bigger Picture

Saving 20+ hours a month is only the start. Automated GST reconciliation creates ripple effects across the business:

  • Improved Cash Flow: By maximising eligible ITC, businesses free up working capital.

  • Stronger Compliance: Reduced risk of GST notices and penalties.

  • Employee Satisfaction: Finance teams focus on analysis and strategy instead of grunt work.

  • Scalability: As the company grows, reconciliation doesn’t become a bottleneck.

Simply put, automation shifts finance teams from being reactive to strategic.

 

Common Challenges in GST Reconciliation—and How Automation Fixes Them

Challenge 1: Missing Supplier Filings

Suppliers often delay or skip uploading invoices, blocking your ITC claims.
 Solution: Automated tools flag missing filings instantly so you can nudge suppliers proactively.

Challenge 2: Data Format Inconsistencies

Invoices come in different formats—PDFs, scanned copies, Excel sheets.
 Solution: OCR and AI tools standardise data for easy comparison.

Challenge 3: Scaling with Business Growth

As invoice volume grows, manual reconciliation simply can’t keep up.
 Solution: Automation scales effortlessly, whether you’re reconciling 50 invoices or 5,000.

 

Internal Processes That Benefit from Automation

Beyond reconciliation, automation improves several finance workflows:

  • Expense Management: Seamless integration of travel, vendor, and corporate expenses.

  • Policy Compliance: Automated checks ensure every invoice follows GST rules.

  • Audit Readiness: With digital trails and error-free data, audits become faster and less stressful.

This holistic impact is why more CFOs are making automation a strategic priority.

 

Why AtYourPrice Leads the Way

Many platforms claim automation, but few deliver true scalability and accuracy.

AtYourPrice stands out with:

  • Automated GST reconciliation built into corporate travel workflows.

  • Real-time spend analytics and reporting to give finance leaders visibility.

  • Approval workflows and policy enforcement that simplify compliance.

  • Human support backed by AI automation—a rare combination in the industry.

Whether you’re an SME struggling with invoice overload or a large enterprise juggling thousands of transactions, AtYourPrice adapts to your needs—saving time, reducing costs, and ensuring GST compliance.

 

 

FAQs on GST Reconciliation

1. What is automated GST reconciliation?

It’s the use of software to match purchase invoices with supplier filings on the GST portal, identify mismatches, and generate compliance-ready reports—saving time and errors compared to manual methods.

2. Why is GST reconciliation important?

It ensures businesses claim accurate input tax credit, avoid compliance penalties, and maintain healthy cash flow.

3. How much time can finance teams save with automation?

On average, companies save 20–25 hours per month by eliminating manual invoice matching and reducing exception handling.

4. Is automated reconciliation suitable for SMEs?

Absolutely. SMEs often lack large finance teams, so automation helps them scale without increasing headcount.

5. Does AtYourPrice offer GST reconciliation?

Yes, AtYourPrice integrates automated GST reconciliation into its corporate travel and expense workflows, giving finance teams complete visibility and control.

 

Final Thoughts: Time is Money—Save Both

Finance leaders are under constant pressure to do more with less. Manual GST reconciliation wastes valuable hours that could be spent on strategy, planning, and business growth.

By automating reconciliation, you’re not just saving 20+ hours a month—you’re empowering your team, ensuring compliance, and unlocking better cash flow.

Ready to stop wasting time on manual GST reconciliation?
Book a free demo with AtYourPrice today and see how automation transforms your finance workflow.

 

how-to-simplify-your-business-trips:-the-ultimate-guide-for-professionals-feature-image

How to Simplify Your Business Trips: The Ultimate Guide for Professionals

by with No Comment Others

Business trips are essential for success, but organizing travel often feels like juggling too much at once. From booking flights and accommodations to managing expenses and staying productive, it can quickly become overwhelming. However, with strategic planning and the right tools, you can simplify your business travel and ensure a seamless, stress-free experience.

This guide will walk you through proven steps to streamline every aspect of your trips.

Partner with a Professional Travel Service

Collaborating with a trusted corporate travel partner can save you hours of planning and help eliminate unnecessary stress. Platforms like AtYourPrice offer tailored solutions for busy professionals:

  1. Custom itineraries designed to fit your exact schedule.
  2. Cost-effective bookings for flights, hotels, and local transport.
  3. 24/7 customer support to manage last-minute adjustments or emergencies.

With a professional travel service, you no longer need to spend time hunting for deals or handling logistics on your own.

Simplify Your Expense Management

Managing travel expenses can be a nightmare without the right systems in place. A centralized tool can simplify expense tracking and reporting:

  1. Digitize receipts in real-time using mobile apps.
  2. Automate expense reports to eliminate paperwork.
  3. Gain clear insights into travel budgets and spending.

Simplifying expense management lets you focus on your meetings and objectives instead of drowning in paperwork.

Prepare a Clear and Flexible Itinerary

A well-structured itinerary helps you stay on track and reduces travel-related anxiety. When creating your itinerary:

  1. Include key travel details like flight times, hotel check-ins, and meeting locations.
  2. Schedule buffer times to account for unexpected delays.
  3. Use travel tools to map out nearby restaurants, coworking spaces, and transport hubs.

A clear, well-thought-out itinerary ensures you arrive at your destination prepared, organized, and stress-free.

Opt for Flexible Travel Options

Flexibility is crucial for business trips, as meetings and plans can change unexpectedly. Prioritize booking options that offer:

  1. Refundable fares for flights and accommodations.
  2. Easy rescheduling and cancellation policies.
  3. Support for last-minute adjustments, such as extended stays or alternate flights.

Platforms like AtYourPrice prioritize flexibility, allowing you to adapt quickly without incurring unnecessary costs.

Prioritize Comfort for Productivity

Comfort during travel directly impacts your performance and productivity. Make simple adjustments to enhance your travel experience:

  1. Book premium seats on long flights to arrive feeling refreshed.
  2. Choose hotels with high-speed Wi-Fi, workspaces, and seamless check-in processes.
  3. Arrange airport transfers in advance to avoid last-minute stress.

Prioritizing comfort ensures you’re energized and ready to focus on what matters most: achieving your business goals.

Adopt Sustainable Travel Practices

Sustainability is a growing priority for businesses worldwide. Incorporating eco-friendly choices into your business travel can make a significant difference:

  1. Book carbon-offset flights to reduce your environmental impact.
  2. Stay at green-certified hotels with sustainable practices.
  3. Use digital receipts and tickets to minimize paper waste.

Sustainable travel not only benefits the planet but also positions your company as a socially responsible organization.

Why Choose AtYourPrice to Simplify Your Business Travel?

AtYourPrice specializes in making corporate travel seamless, cost-effective, and stress-free. Whether you’re planning domestic or international trips, we provide:

  1. Customizable itineraries tailored to your specific needs.
  2. Access to the best deals on flights, accommodations, and transportation.
  3. 24/7 customer support to handle any last-minute changes.
  4. Tools to track expenses for transparency and simplified reporting.

With AtYourPrice, you can streamline business travel, save valuable time, and stay focused on achieving your professional objectives.

Final Thoughts

Simplifying your business trips is all about planning, choosing the right tools, and partnering with a reliable travel service like AtYourPrice. By streamlining bookings, managing expenses effectively, prioritizing comfort, and embracing sustainability, you can ensure every trip is smooth, productive, and stress-free.

Ready to transform the way you travel for business? Visit AtYourPrice.net today and discover how we can help make your next trip seamless and efficient.

5-Reasons-Why-Corporates-Should-Automate-Their-Business-Travel

5 Reasons Why Corporates Should Automate Their Business Travel

by with No Comment Others

The benefit of any technology used in business process automation implies an increase in its efficiency.  With business travel happening more frequently than ever the question every corporate need to ask itself – How to increase the efficiency of Business Travel Management process?  A sizeable diversified corporation typically has an in-house travel desk that interacts with the employees and an outsourced travel agency to fulfil the travel requirements. This is an archaic process which has a long chain of stakeholders (internal as well external) with the limited scope of improvisation and feedback.

In today’s world, there are many exciting and efficient tech-enabled processes and partners who can offer not just travel bookings but also can help you with real-time analytics and a complete cloud-based mobile-enabled solution that provides better business traveler experience as well as reduces travel cost.  Here are  5 simple reasons  why you may want to  migrate  your Business Travel Management process to a  technologically-driven  Business Travel Process :

Technology simplifies processes

Typically, travel desk personnel spend endless hours gathering information on the cheapest flights and hotel bookings. By the time the right itinerary is worked out, the prices have already soared.  All the stakeholders:  Business Traveler, Travel Admins, and Manager is all stressed due to the intricacy of the process. Automation ensures that itinerary finalization including flight details, hotel bookings, taxi drop & pick-ups managed through the Web/ Mobile application with approval from the Business Traveler in a click of the mouse.

Technology & Transparency go together

When the hotel and flight bookings are made manually by the travel desk personnel, it reaches a point when tracking the bookings becomes next to impossible. In companies, some business travelers may make out-of-policy bookings, last-minute cancellations. Consequently, there are delays in approvals. However not so with the Business Travel Management Tool. Here every transaction is dated and time-stamped.  There can be no out-of-policy transaction.  Also, all the bookings are initiated by the traveler leaving no scope for error or miscommunication.

Business Travel within Policy Guidelines

Surprising but true, many large corporates do not have a well-structured and comprehensive travel policy.  There are loopholes like the spending limit, deadline for submission of travel expense bills, rules for trip cancellation. Employees often misuse them. The travel desk and accounts departments go through the unpleasant task of scrutinizing and penalizing defaulters. An automated Business Travel Solution places appropriate built-in controls to restrict unwanted transactions.

Employee Participation

In the manual travel management system, the ownership of employee is limited once he has given a travel requisition through email or otherwise.  However, the automated management application, the choice of booking flights, hotels, check-in & check-out time is all initiated by the employee. They have the complete choice to select the service as per eligibility.  Moreover, trip cancellation or rescheduling processed through mobile application on-the-go.

Easier Management

One of the frequent sources of disputes between the business traveler and the travel desk is out-of-policy bookings.  Last-minute cancellations and rescheduling are the second. Mails over emails are exchanged between various stakeholders to negotiate the least cost itinerary. However, by the time the employee approves the same, the prices have gone up again.

In the automated business travel management system, flow of information in real-time making the governance and management of travel easy.  This reduces delays in bookings and saves money.  Over a period the company can do away with the travel desk altogether.

Five-reasons-why-travel-reports-should-be-your-travel-buying-priority

Five reasons why travel reports should be your travel buying priority

by with No Comment Others

For most companies,  travel costs signify an important annual expense. These costs are not only travel costs but include costs that incur during the travel. In such a case, travel reports play a key role.  It provides an extensive view of the expenses incurred. It also helps in reducing costs without encumbering the business goals of the company.

Let’s look at some reasons, the presence of travel reports in the travel management solution should be your travel buying priority.

Optimization of costs spend

Latest technologies today provide customized and effectual reporting at the traveler’s expense. These include analytics and predictive forecasting. The scope of the reporting includes real-time dashboards for SLA transparency. These reports consider all three account priorities, which includes travel logistics, performance, and management.

Data consolidation and reporting

With big data in travel management, data consolidation offers attractive opportunities. Data enables predictive analysis based on prior trips or preferred choices of the traveler. It helps to manage travel spend categories or customize content choices.

End to end Solution

The rise in business travel predicts a fundamental change in the way travel happens. Data consolidation and reporting help the travelers to manage their booking. Use of technology for travel makes travel process easy. The information meets the strategic objectives of cost control.

Adherence to company policy

Travel management reporting offers road-map on travel spending patterns and also helps to track and analyze travel spends. These reports allow the company to verify adherence to travel policy. This further helps to analyze, budget and control corporate travel expenses.

Access to information

 The tailor reports provided helps to maximize the value of travel costs and budget. The tracking and analysis of travel spend help you to identify cost-saving opportunities. Reports are accessible to the employee, department, or anyone in the hierarchy.  The interactive charts and dynamic graphs highlight the cost-saving possibilities. It also gives a picture of the broader travel trends across the organization.

So why still continue the ancient style of managing travel, when travel management solution gives you the perfect peace of mind with travel reports. Embrace technology, embrace growth.

Two calculations banner image for the blog - How can corporates obtain GST invoices from airlines?

How can corporates obtain GST invoice from airlines?

by with No Comment Others

It is now mandatory for any corporate entity booking air tickets either through a travel management company or directly from the airlines to reflect their GSTN in their booking to avail the benefit of the scheme, the input tax credit.

Corporates may complete a one-time registration with  Air India and Jet Airways portals to access their GST invoices through the following URLs:

Air India: http://www.airindia.in/GST-Registration.htm
Jet Airways: https://guestgst.jetairways.com/

For other airlines, corporates may log in their respective URLs as given below, fill in their  details of booking  and download the GST invoice:

Indigo: https://www.goindigo.in/#viewRetrieveGST
Spicejet: http://www.spicejet.com/
Go Air: https://gst.goair.in/
Air Asia: https://taxinvoice.airasia.com/

Corporates have to collect the GST invoice from both from the airlines and the travel management company as well for their travel spend.

If you are a corporate and looking to claim your Input Tax Credit with GST compliant invoices, AtYourPrice is the perfect fit for you. AtYourPrice is a robust web-based business travel solution that automates travel planning, requisition, approval, fulfilment, invoicing, reporting and duty of care. Today AtYourPrice is a travel solution choice for more than 250 corporates in India.    

Write to us your business travel requirements at marketing@infinitisoftware.net