A Rapidly Growing Organisation in the Security Industry

Objective

Our mission was to transform the client’s informal, disjointed travel process into a fully managed, compliant service. This shift wasn’t just operational – it was a complete cultural overhaul. For the first time, bookers were empowered to manage their own travel within the structure of a clear, efficient policy.

Historically, the organisation’s employees had handled their own travel and accommodation bookings, with each department operating independently. To complicate matters, all travel expenses had to be reclaimed through a time-consuming accounts process.

Adding to the challenge, the client grew from 30 to 200 employees during the pandemic, leaving two PAs struggling to juggle travel requests from senior management alongside their day-to-day responsibilities.

Method

We engaged key stakeholders and the procurement team, walking them through the benefits of a Travel Management Company (TMC). Since this was their first experience with a TMC, there were naturally plenty of questions. Here’s how we addressed their concerns:

• Time Efficiency: Employees were wasting hours booking their own travel across multiple platforms (e.g., Trainline, SkyScanner). By switching to our bespoke online tool, they could book flights, trains, and hotels in under 3 minutes. For more complex arrangements, our offline team was on hand to assist.
• Expense Reclaim: Employees previously had to use personal credit cards for bookings, followed by lengthy expense reclaim processes. Within days of onboarding, we eliminated this hassle through consolidated invoicing. Our finance teams worked together to streamline the process, making expense claims a thing of the past.
• Travel Policy Implementation: In collaboration with one of our Account Managers, we introduced a tailored travel policy, fully integrated into the online booking tool. If employees attempted to book outside the policy, an authorisation process was triggered to keep costs in check.
• VAT Reclaim: The client had been missing out on VAT reclaims due to the use of online travel agents. We rectified this immediately, ensuring all future bookings allowed VAT to be reclaimed where possible.

Results

Within 3 months of implementation, 85% of rail and 75% of hotel bookings were processed online through arrangeMY. For long-haul flights and more complex travel arrangements, bookers turned to our offline team.

The new travel policy was not only accepted but embraced, and the authorisation process was adopted seamlessly. However, the standout success was the introduction of the bill-back service, with bookers unanimously celebrating the end of using their personal credit cards!