Business trips often involve managing multiple tasks, from planning travel arrangements to tracking expenses. While work responsibilities will always take priority, business trips can be enjoyable. By simplifying travel and expense management processes, organizations can give employees time to recharge while on the road, making their trips more fun, memorable, and, ultimately, productive.
This blog post will explore how to streamline travel and expense management so that there is more time for fun on business trips.
1. Leverage Travel and Expense Management Software
Most importantly, the right tools make it easier for employees to stay organized, save time on administrative tasks, and allocate more time to enjoy any business trip.
Utilize travel and expense management software to streamline T&E processes. Software solutions such as Emburse Certify or Chrome River can make receipt collection and expense reporting a breeze. Travel companion apps like Emburse Go can help you navigate new places.
With features like online booking, expense tracking, and reimbursement management, using travel and expense management software focuses on the key to any work trip: taking care of business while finding time and opportunities to enjoy a new place or have a little time to relax.
Learn how Emburse can help your organization manage travel and expense programs.
2. Embrace a Mileage Tracker App or Expense Reporting Tools with Map Integrations
If you or your employees frequently drive during your business trips, expense tools, and mileage tracker apps can simplify the process of tracking and reporting your mileage.
Expense tools like Emburse make it easy to add starting and ending locations and any stops or detours along the way. The tool then calculates total mileage and makes it easy to request reimbursements.
Another option is to use a mileage tracker app like TripLog, which automatically records your travel using GPS technology. The app generates a detailed mileage report integrated into your expense management software, like Certify or Chrome River, simplifying the reporting and reimbursement process and saving valuable time. Time that can be used to visit a local attraction, try out a new restaurant or relax.
3. Harness the Power of Receipt Scanner Apps
Traditional manual receipt management takes time and effort. To simplify this process, leverage expense reporting software to capture and digitize receipts by simply taking a photo with your smartphone. Tools like Certify and Chrome River use technology like optical character recognition (OCR), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) to extract the relevant information and organize it for easy expense tracking and reporting. By reducing the manual effort required for receipt management, your employees can spend more time enjoying their business trip.
4. Utilize a Travel Management Company
Consider working with a travel management company (TMC) to simplify travel planning. These services take care of booking flights, accommodation, and ground transportation, ensuring a seamless and stress-free experience. Travel services can be especially helpful when flights are delayed, or travel plans change for any reason.
Many TMCs also offer online booking tools (OBTs) that allow your organization to set policies on fares, suppliers, airfare class, and more. Employees can then confidently book and manage travel just like they do outside of work. Even better, many expense tools will integrate with your TMC and OBT to simplify tracking and expense reporting.
By entrusting travel arrangements to professionals or using an OBT, employees can focus on the enjoyable aspects of a business trip, knowing that the logistics are being taken care of efficiently.
5. Use Free Time to Explore
Business travel can be an excellent opportunity for new experiences. And, while managing travel and expenses is important, it's equally crucial that employees have some time to unwind.
Encourage your business travelers to take advantage of their free time by exploring the local area. They can visit popular attractions, try local cuisine, or engage in recreational activities. Emburse Go, a travel companion app that helps travelers centralize all of their travel itineraries, can also help employees navigate new places. The app identifies the best local restaurants, things to do, and attractions to visit.
A little time for leisure always helps make a business trip more satisfying and, often, more productive.
Efficient Travel and Expense Management Makes Business Travel More Fun
Simplifying travel and expense management is a great way to make business trips more fun. By utilizing travel and expense management software that includes receipt capture and mileage tracking, employees can focus more on the work that needs to happen while enjoying a little time to unwind.
Companies that utilize travel management services allow travelers to focus on work while finding a bit of time to enjoy their trip, whether exploring a new destination, engaging in team or client relationship building, or just having a moment to unwind.