The Debate A RAW DEAL? DO SMEs GET
The Business Travel Conference 2011 threw up much discontent from SMEs over the service they receive from their travel management companies. Read on for three varying views on the subject
THE BUYER Amanda Worthington, business travel manager, Mamas & Papas As an industry professional with over 20 years experience in the corporate travel sector, both within TMCs and working in house for several SME’s, the secret to not getting a raw deal is selecting a TMC that is the right fit for your organisation and business mix. I consider the selection of my TMC partner to
be one of the most important aspects of my role, and making the right decision is a key factor in me being effective within my organisation. For a TMC to work successfully with a SME
they need to offer the services that we actually want. From the plethora of agencies out there offering a similar range of services, those that stand out are the ones that listen to what we need and then propose a service to meet those needs. To assume that the requirements of all SMEs are the same just because they have a
similar spend is very wide of the mark; MI, 24-hour service, self-booking tools – we don’t all want the same and we don’t want to spend our limited budgets on services we don’t need or use. I think it’s safe to say we all want dedicated, knowledgeable consultants with whom we can build a strong working relationship and an account manager who really understands our business. Beyond that, our needs differ greatly. Fares are not the biggest issue – value for money is. Most SMEs realise that they will not qualify for route deals and that most consolidated fare levels are available through the larger online retailers. Therefore, a TMC needs to add value to a fare that can be purchased online, such as traveller tracking, MI, policy compliance, 24-hour support and a timely response to the initial request offering the most appropriate fare. Anybody working in an SME environment will confirm that time is our most precious commodity and anything that saves time is highly prized. For
many, buying travel is only a small part of our remit rather than a full time role. TMCs and SMEs can form successful partner-
ships by working closely together on products and services that suit the varied requirements across the market. From a personal perspective, I work with my TMC for air fares, rail, passport and visa services, and some hotel requirements. They are flexible in taking on more to suit my workload, and I work with the same consultants all the time and know my account manager personally. I book low-cost carriers, meeting rooms, event venues and some hotels directly. This is what works for me but other SMEs would need a completely different mix of services. The ability of the TMC to tailor their services to
the individual needs of an SME is the key to a successful partnership. I would advise all travel buyers in an SME environment to persist until they find the right TMC for them – don’t be fobbed off with the ‘one size fits all’ approach.
16 I THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96