Enforce policy or risk wrecking deals, agency boss warns
Businesses need to start managing their policies far more tightly if they are to push up compliance levels, a leading business agent has said.
Alan Coles, managing director of P&O Business Travel, insisted companies who simply write a travel policy and fail to communicate with staff have little hope of enforcing it.
It could “ruin” lucrative deals with preferred suppliers, he said.
Coles will tell a seminar at the Business Travel Show tomorrow that corporates need to drive the policy home and constantly communicate and monitor its use.
“Corporate clients are saying the compliance issue is racing up the agenda,” said Coles. “This is because travel suppliers are increasingly luring corporate travellers into booking directly through the Internet.
“It drives a coach and horses through the official travel policy and can ruin lucrative deals that customers have with preferred suppliers.
“There is also a safety issue. If travellers book direct their employers will find it much harder to trace them in an emergency.”
Report by Steve Jones
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