Author Archives: Scott Gillespie

Lower Costs and Successful Trips Matter Most

Posted on 05/24/2018

“Which of these four travel-related goals is most important to your senior management?” The answer?  Lower travel costs is the most important goal, while more successful trips came in a very close second, according to the survey tClara just ran. … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel Management | 4 Comments

2-Minute Survey: Travel Program Priorities

Posted on 05/14/2018

Folks, here’s a super-quick 3-question survey about travel program priorities. Travel Program Priorities Survey  If you are a travel buyer, please weigh in…it will take less than 2 minutes, and you’ll shed some important light on this issue. 3 questions, … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Travel Policy, Travel Procurement | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Webinar: Building the Case for Better Travel

Posted on 03/06/2018

Wow.  This article that challenges the importance of savings is one of the most popular ones I’ve ever written. Still, the question is can you really afford to focus on the benefits of travel, rather than on the cost? The … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel Management, Travel Policy, Trip Friction | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Making the Business Case for Better Travel

Posted on 02/15/2018

The most common question I get after speaking about the benefits of reducing traveler friction is “OK, we get the idea, but how are we supposed to sell this to senior management?” Here’s the answer: The whole idea is to balance … Continue reading →

Posted in Metrics and KPIs, Travel Management, Travel Policy, Traveler Friction, Trip Friction | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

A Challenge To My Travel Procurement Friends

Posted on 10/23/2017

 Is it time to think about your category goals for 2018?  Yep. Are you hoping to somehow increase the size of your savings next year?  Of course.   Are you optimistic about meeting that goal?  Probably not. Would you like to … Continue reading →

Posted in Metrics and KPIs, Travel Management, Traveler Friction, Trip Friction | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

A Big Win No One Is Talking About

Posted on 07/10/2017

Two years ago I wrote that travel managers face two paths. One path is to keep doing what you do today: jumping through endless supplier meetings, putting out fires around traveler service issues, continually hacking away towards inbox zero… In … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool Tools, Innovation, Managed Travel 2.0, Travel Management, Traveler Friction | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Let’s Buy Less Effective Trips!

Posted on 05/25/2017

Said no one, ever. Imagine giving management a choice between these two travel programs: “Nickels and Dimes” and “Goldmine”. In the Nickels and Dimes program, they get travelers who are more burned out, more likely to quit, have less productivity, report … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel Management, Travel Policy, Trip Friction | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Hourly Cost of Air Travel

Posted on 01/26/2017

Road warriors, by definition, do a lot of traveling. All their airline tickets add up to some pretty big expenses, as do the hours they spend inside airplanes. Why not take those two pieces of data and show what it … Continue reading →

Posted in Airlines, Data, Metrics and KPIs | Tagged , | 4 Comments

GBT’s Non-GDS Charge Makes Sense

Posted on 10/17/2016

Buyers have a new distribution dilemma. American Express GBT is phasing in a $10 surcharge for handling airline tickets from carriers who don’t use common industry channels for sales and settlement. (More coverage here, here and here.) Think of this as … Continue reading →

Posted in Airlines, Distribution, Travel Management | 4 Comments

Relationship Advice for Road Warriors

Posted on 08/01/2016

Surely a ton of travel creates unique strains for road warriors and their families. Fortunately, these problems are fairly predictable, and can be managed with a bit of planning, effort and honest communication.  If you know a road warrior or … Continue reading →

Posted in Traveler Friction | Tagged , | 1 Comment