Perhaps
not surprisingly, U.S. business travelers not part of managed programs "are
more satisfied with many aspects of business travel compared to others in more
structured programs," according to a recent Global Business Travel
Association Foundation study. The study uncovered other differences among business
travelers in mandated policy environments, those in programs that encourage
"guidelines," and those not part of any managed travel program. It
also explored differing perceptions among business travelers in the United
States, Canada, India and Australia.
Commissioned
to Rockbridge Associates, the GBTA Foundation study was based on a March survey
of 1,788 business travelers who in the past year had taken at least four
business trips of 50 miles or more, including 840 from the United States. Among
those U.S. travelers, 47 percent said their organizations use travel
guidelines, 21 percent said they are part of mandated travel programs and 32
percent consider themselves unmanaged.
When
asked to rate their overall satisfaction with their last 12 months of business
travel, 69 percent of U.S. survey respondents in managed programs indicated a
rating that was deemed "very satisfied," compared with 70 percent of
those under guidelines and 82 percent among the unmanaged respondents.
The
GBTA research went a step further by creating a "Travel Success
Index," described as "an overall measure of travelers' perceptions of
how well they are able to reach their goals when traveling for work." Using
a 100-point scale, the index is calculated by considering business travelers'
ratings of the importance of 14 weighted attributes, including getting the best
prices, staying within budget, earning loyalty program points, using preferred
vendors, abiding by corporate policy, arranging schedules to minimize
out-of-office time and impact on their personal lives, minimizing carbon footprints,
reducing hassles and inconvenience, ensuring connectivity and making the trip
interesting, enjoyable, safe and comfortable. The overall score among all U.S.
travelers was 76.2. It was lower for those in mandated programs (72.7) and
those working under guidelines (76.0), and higher for unmanaged business
travelers (78.6).
In
analyzing the results from U.S. business travelers in mandated programs, the
study's authors wrote that "these travelers are not as happy as they could
be, even though they want to travel more. They are clearly working hard to stay
in budget and be compliant, but it is at the price of their personal life and
comfort. More needs to be done to help them plan and have travel choices
available that do not overburden [them], as well as have help available to rejuggle
their itinerary in-transit if needed to avoid hassles. Only a third of these
travelers make their own reservations, so if possible, encourage more of them
to do so, because it will give them the power to choose the itinerary that
works best for them personally."
In
characterizing U.S. business travelers who operate under travel guidelines,
GBTA Foundation wrote that such travelers "are successful with staying in
budget and being compliant, and given a little less structure in their program,
are more comfortable during their trips. However, they are exhausted from the
travel and the in-transit hassles, and it has an impact on their personal
schedules. They need help managing their travel to overcome these obstacles as
well. Travelers under guidelines are also trying to get the best prices and
they could be more successful, so helping them achieve this goal should also be
a priority in serving this group."
Unmanaged
U.S. business travelers were found to be "the most satisfied and successful
of all groups," given their freedom to plan their trips as they choose.
But like their peers in structured programs, "they still deal with the
impact to their personal life and exhaustion from traveling."
U.S. Travelers Most
Successful, Canadians Least
In
aggregate, a higher ratio of U.S. respondents (74 percent) indicated a
"very satisfied" rating for overall business travel during the past
12 months than did 300 Indian respondents (68 percent), 328 Canadian
respondents (65 percent) and 320 Australian respondents (54 percent).
The
average U.S. Business Travel Success Index of 76.2 also was higher than the scores
for India (75.3), Australia (74.5) and Canada (74.4).
The
report broadly generalized Indian business travelers as "young and
inexperienced" and who "need help mastering the nuances of business
travel. They are traveling often, and more internationally than others, so they
need additional guidance. They need help staying in compliance and getting good
deals, because half of them are in mandated programs and feel pressure in these
areas."
Australian
travelers, according to GBTA Foundation, "are not as happy with their
business travel and feel a lot of pain personally when traveling. While many
are experienced travelers, they need extra help in creating itineraries that
work for them while staying in budget and compliant."
Canadian
business travelers, meanwhile, "are somewhat less satisfied and successful
in their business travel, and look to get more out of their business trips. [They]
would like their trips to be more interesting and enjoyable, with less personal
burden."