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What Businesses Can Learn About Risk Management from COVID-19

The world is facing an unprecedented threat, one it hasn't seen in close to a century. The fallout from the coronavirus crisis will be felt for years, and businesses will have to change and adapt to the new reality. Just a few months after it appeared in Wuhan, China, the virus has devastated the world economy, with experts saying it will take years for it to get back to 'normal.'

One thing that has been painfully clear was that a ton of businesses were not ready for such an eventuality. Given the fact that the pandemic has done more damage in two months than the SARS outbreak of 2002-2003 did in a year, no one could have predicted such an unfavorable outcome.

However, it underscores the need for extensive risk management, especially for firms that transact internationally and send their employees on numerous business trips. And since employers are legally obligated to ensure their traveling staff's safety, these firms have to revamp their risk management policies to cater to the new reality.

The first thing they ought to do, according to the experienced travel management professionals at CrewFacilities.com, is listen to national and international health guidelines. With different regions being affected by the virus and recovering at different rates, this is the only way to get an accurate picture of what's happening on the ground. These guidelines will help you decide which trips to go through with and which ones to put on the back burner.

Experts say we might be stuck fighting the virus for up to two years, and this should also factor into your risk assessment. It would be prudent to assume there will be secondary waves of the virus, and even more virus pandemics in the future. Businesses that are prepared for such an eventuality will be able to weather the storm.

After the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak, for instance, Wimbledon took out a pandemic insurance policy and is set to receive a £114 million payout. This shows just how important pandemic insurance is, and will be in the future.

Establishing specific protocols to be followed in case a local, national, or international health emergency occurs should also be a priority, says CrewFacilities.com. Assign specific individuals to address specific issues related to a virus outbreak. Make sure they are acutely aware of the aforementioned emergency policies and give them the power to act as needed if the situation warrants such action.

Additionally, you should establish relationships with local, national, and global organizations. This will grant you access to accurate and fresh information, which is an invaluable part of risk management.

Ultimately, as the world opens up and corporate travel picks up again, businesses will have to up their risk management efforts and implement any lessons they learned during the coronavirus crisis. Contact us at CrewFacilities.com if you need help and we will ensure that not only are your protocols up to par, but we will also help you to implement those measures.

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Reduce Travel Time for Healthcare Workers by Utilizing Managed Accommodations During Coronavirus Pandemic

With more than a million people infected and 66,000 COVID-19 fatalities in the U.S. so far, it is fair to say that we have never seen a pandemic of this magnitude. Economies have been battered and virtually all businesses have been shut down except those that are regarded as essential, such as pharmacies.

As the disease holds the country and the world hostage, a huge demand has been placed on the shoulders of health workers and it isn’t uncommon to see images of these valiant professionals taking naps on hospital floors. However, it isn’t sustainable for medical workers to be deprived of sleep while they are addressing the coronavirus pandemic. Managed accommodation facilities, such as hotels, can provide these needed professionals a decent place to sleep and then get quickly back to work at the start of their shift.

How Can Health Workers Access Managed Accommodation Facilities?

First, county, city or state authorities can contact competent entities, such as CrewFacilities.com, to identify and vet suitable hotels and other such facilities in the vicinity of the hospitals where the health workers are based.

Once those facilities are identified, CrewFacilities.com will proceed to work out all the necessary details, such as negotiating the best room rates and implementing systems on how local authorities would be billed for their patients and personnel housed in the selected hotels.

Fortunately, CrewFacilities.com has experienced staff and state-of-the-art software (the CrewFacts App, for example) which can help to track where each medical worker spent their night and also generate detailed reports about the costs associated with such temporary accommodation services.

Those reports can then be shared with the county, city or state authorities for verification purposes and any payments are then channeled through CrewFacilities.com so that the authorities can devote their time and energy to the fight against the pandemic.

When health workers are housed in these hotels, cases of burnout, loss of morale and other adverse effects of working long hours would be minimized. Additionally, a lot of time would be saved since the medical workers would be staying close to their workplaces and there would be no need for long commutes.

All these benefits can be easily within reach, as the City of New York recently did after it signed a contract with CrewFacilities.com worth $250 million for temporary accommodation for personnel and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you would like to learn how your county or city can also benefit from our services during this crisis, contact Andrea Tsakanikas and her team at CrewFacilities.com today.

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How to Write an Employee-Centric Travel Policy to Maximize Employee Satisfaction

We're at a point in time when the world is completely opened up and accessible to anyone with the right means. These advancements have completely changed the face of corporate travel and provided a wide variety of tools that the travel managers of yore could only dream of. Firms spend over $100 billion every year shuttling their employees to and fro, and the best way to keep these costs in check is to write an effective travel policy.

This will not only allow you to stay within budget, but it could also result in significant cost savings. One mistake a lot of CFOs make when writing their travel policies is to ignore employee experience and satisfaction. However, employee satisfaction is tied to productivity, especially if they are traveling for business.  

Below are a few tips from CrewFacilities.com to help you create an employee-centric travel policy.

Prioritize self-booking. A large percentage of today's business travelers are millennials, a generation of digital natives. And with the advent and accessibility of online booking tools, you can be sure most of your traveling employees would rather self-book. It allows them to choose options they prefer, resulting in a more comfortable, satisfying and productive trip.

However, all the options provided need to be within policy if you want to meet your budgeting needs. And for you to provide a variety of affordable options, you'll have to,

Research extensively, especially if your employees travel to different locations. A fixed budget may not be feasible since prices vary with location and time, so you'll have to do your research. This will give you insight into pricing trends for your most frequented locations based on time and other factors. With this information, you'll be able to provide your employees with a variety of options to choose from.

Make it flexible and adaptable. As we've seen, prices aren't always static. Most of the time, they'll depend on the location being traveled to and the time of travel. Some trips may be easy on the pocket while others may not. Your budget and policy have to take this into consideration, adapting based on the current needs.

If, for instance, one trip costs $1,000 dollars but another costs $1,500, your employee shouldn't be forced to stretch $1,000 dollars. At the end of the day, enforcing a travel policy that caters to the employees' needs is a lot easier than enforcing one that's only focused on cost savings.

Has your travel policy been underperforming? With CrewFacilities' help, you could create an employee-centric policy to help boost employee satisfaction and boost the ROI on business trips. Contact us today for a free consultation.

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4 Must-Have Gadgets for the Modern Business Traveler

Travel has come a long way since man first set his sights on the horizon. And for centuries, he was held back by his lack of technology. But the modern traveler has so many tools at his disposal that travel has become virtually unrecognizable from what it once was.  We can now travel farther than we could and at unimaginable speeds. But unfortunately, this privilege often comes at a price.

From long, boring airport waits and exhausting long haul flights to being disconnected and losing lots of valuable time, modern travel often comes at a cost. However, humans are tenacious beings, and you can bet that as long as there's an issue that brings him discomfort, he will invent a technology to combat it. Here are CrewFacilities' top 4 gadgets every modern traveler must-have.

Smart luggage is a new and exciting sector. Blusmart describes itself as 'the world's first smart luggage', and it definitely delivers. Coming in an internationally sized carry-on, it can be controlled remotely from your phone, via the Bluesmart app. Using just your phone, you can lock and unlock the bag, weigh it, and track its location. You even receive a notification if it leaves your vicinity.

On top of that, Bluesmart comes equipped with a 10,000 mAh battery and 2 USB ports. The battery is big enough to charge your phone up to six times.

Power banks. Connectivity is crucial on the road. You need to stay in touch with the office, on top of access to any material you may need for the trip. Nothing sucks more than having your phone die out on you in a strange city or country. Power banks have become popular because they eliminate that possibility. Depending on the size and brand of the power bank, it could charge your phone a number of times, giving you an extra boost of power when you most need it.

Travel pillows. Long haul flights aren't easy on anyone. Sure, passengers are given pillows, but getting a comfortable position to sleep in an airplane chair is hard, especially if you didn't get a window seat. Travel pillows are a must-have for anyone who flies regularly, especially neck pillows.

They come in a variety of sizes and shapes, but the concept is simple, a foam pillow that molds around your neck and shoulders giving you the support and comfort you need to sleep. With this, you can say goodbye to sore necks and shoulders.

Noise-canceling headphones are the modern traveler's ultimate companion. Trying to get some rest but the noise in the plane or airport just won't let you? Pop on a pair of noise-canceling headphones and they'll drown everything out. Certain types of headphones like the Bose QuietComfort 35 will block out a loud neighbor but let you hear in-flight announcements.

With these CrewFacilities top picks, you can rest easy knowing your luggage will be safe, and that your flights will be comfortable and restful. We also have decades of experience delivering travel management services to ensure that travelers are comfortable and productive during their business trips, so get in touch with us and learn how we can be of service in this regard.

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Signs Your Company Travel and Expense Policy Needs Revamping

We live in an age where connectivity is prized beyond anything, especially in the corporate world. Before, people and businesses were mostly confined to their geographical location, but with the advent of the internet and faster and safer means of travel, this is quickly becoming a thing of the past. It has allowed companies to transact over state lines, national borders, and oceans, and this new business dynamic is centered on business travel.

Corporate travel accounts for a large portion of a company's total expenses, with business spending $117 billion on travel expenses each year. Without a clear policy, these costs could get out of hand and go against the business' primary goal to minimize the overheads and earn a net profit. Travel and Expense policies are designed to guide the company on how these travel expenses are handled.

These policies require constant revision and updating to make sure they're effective. To help you revamp your policy, CrewFacilities.com has prepared a list of issues that expose an ineffective travel policy;

Employees aren't sure which expenses are allowed. A comprehensive travel policy will make it clear which expenses are reimbursable, such as meals, accommodation, and tips, and this will give traveling employees a guideline for their expenses.

Travel managers handle similar situations differently. A travel policy sets a standard for how certain situations should be handled, and an ineffective one will lead to inconsistencies. For instance, one employee might get reimbursed by a certain manager for an expense, but another employee is denied reimbursement for the same expense by a different manager. This is a clear sign that you need to update your travel policy.

Employee fraud. This usually occurs when employees claim ignorance, saying they didn't know a certain expense wasn't allowed, or when they give inflated figures for expenses like tips that don't require receipts. An effective policy will outline what's allowed and what isn't, eliminating the ignorance defense.

You could also adopt a per diem system, where a fixed payment, a 'per diem', is issued to cover or repay expenses like food and transportation. The per diem will vary by location, and you'll be able to get an acceptable range, say $100 - $150, that employees will be allowed. Reporting anything higher will set off red flags.

Employees spend way too much time reporting expenses. The policy should make it so that employees have a quick and easy time reporting their expenses. If they constantly have to ask someone else how some part of the process ought to be done, then something needs to change.

Travel policies are meant to keep the travel budget reasonable while ensuring employees remain satisfied and perform to the best of their ability. These CrewFacilities tips will help you streamline your travel and expense policy and make it work for you. If you don’t have such a policy and need help formulating one, give us a call and we will gladly be of service.

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6 CrewFacilities Steps to Analyzing Your Company’s Travel Costs

Business managers have many roles, but chief among them is keeping an eye on the amount of money your company spends, and where all this money goes. You likely have a general picture of how much you spend on travel, rent, salaries, and utilities. You may also be aware of roughly how much your IT department spends every financial year, but until you carry out spend analysis, you may not be able to tell exactly how much is in question.

Spend analysis shows you what your company is spending money on and helps you come up with actual figures. This gives you essential insight and allows you to make informed decisions and changes. With the help of this information from CrewFacilities.com, you’ll be able to follow up on your company’s expenditure in real-time.

1. Set Your Goals

Before you begin your spend analysis, it’s important to think about what you wish to get out of it. The biggest goal for most businesses is visibility and accountability. You ought to be able to know how much your employees are spending at work, and what they’re spending it on.

While conducting this exercise, you should look out for the department that spends the most money, the vendors your company spends most with, and all the miscellaneous expenditure.

2. Collect the Spend Data You Need

Once you’ve figured out what you hope to gain from this exercise, you should then set out to collect as much data as you can on your company’s expenditure. Since very few companies have centralized financial data, you may need to comb through credit card details, payroll tools, invoices, and other financial documents and spreadsheets. With all this information handy, you can then consider coming up with a centralized expenditure platform to make it easier to keep track of your finances. CrewFacilities eases this step because we keep all your information in one place and you can access it at the click of a button on our CrewFacts App.

3. Putting Everything Together

After collecting this data, you should now embark on gathering it all in one place. It’s best to use some sort of database for this step, although Excel spreadsheets could work just as effectively. Document all your company’s spend, including department names, vendor names and any other relevant information. This will make it possible for you to gain access to this data whenever you need it.

Sometimes, your financial data is a mix of currencies, time zones, and formats. CrewFacilities experts suggest that as you comb through it, make sure everything is uniform and accurate.

4. Categorize Your Spending

After making sure your data is uniform, accurate and consistent, the next step is to group it together to make it easier to analyze. Ensure such aspects as the business team, supplier names, the category of expenditure (for example travel, food) and how regularly these expenditures arise are reflected clearly.

5. Analyze Your Data

Now that your data is all organized and uniform, this would be the best time to analyze it. Remember the goals you’d set out to achieve?

If your goal is to reduce your company’s expenditure, you should look out for redundant subscriptions, upcoming renewals you’re sure your firm doesn’t need, or miscellaneous expenditure that isn’t necessary for your day-to-day operation.

6. Make a Report

Once you’re done with your spend analysis and have figured out the changes you wish to make, it would be a good idea to wind up with a clear and concise report that will help implement these changes. You could then present it to the important stakeholders in person, or as a document you can forward to them.

These CrewFacilities.com tips will help you analyze how your company spends its resources, and how you can cut back on all unnecessary expenditure. You can then divert these funds to more important business activities, like providing employee benefits.

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Common Issues With Corporate Travel Management

Many companies worth their salt have invested in top-notch travel management services because travel expenses make up the bulk of most companies' costs after salaries and wages. Thus, making sure your travel management programs are running smoothly and efficiently will go a long way in keeping the overheads low.

Travel management programs also have to make sure the traveling employees stay satisfied and productive during their journeys. Whatever program a company uses has to walk the delicate line between travel policy compliance and employee satisfaction.

Unfortunately, not every company rolls out a program that manages to do so. If travel policy compliance is low or your employees haven't been comfortable and productive on business trips, then something is wrong with your corporate travel management program. So, what are the signs that your program isn't up to code? The experienced travel management experts at CrewFacilities.com cite the following red flags.

Long and Convoluted Booking Processes. Corporate travel management ought to be quick and straightforward. If you find yourself constantly sending emails and calling people to make travel arrangements, then something is wrong. It will not only stress you out and kill your productivity, but the extra hours required to do so will cost the company.

It's Hard To Keep Track of Finances. Your corporate travel management program has to comply with the company's travel policy if the company hopes to keep costs down. An efficient program will be able to keep track of all the finances spent during the trip and whether they were justifiable. If you are unable to track travel expenses, your program needs serious changes.

Unreadable Travel Policy. We've already established how vital travel compliance is. However, the thing with most official documents is that they are usually long and tedious texts. A travel program that doesn't find a way to make the company policy on travel accessible and understandable will have a hard time ensuring compliance.

Unhappy and Disgruntled Travelers. Travel policy management is two faceted, ensuring policy compliance while maintaining employee satisfaction. The best way to keep your employees happy is to give them the freedom to make their travel choices. Policy compliance doesn't have to come at the cost of employee satisfaction. If it does, something is wrong with your corporate travel management.

Micromanagement. Micromanaging also goes hand in hand with employee dissatisfaction. If you find yourself managing every aspect of corporate travel from booking flights and hotels to all the nitty-gritty details, chances are you'll make decisions that your employees won't love.  

An efficient corporate travel management program should be simple and cost-effective. A program that trusts employees and allows them to make their own choices, all while maintaining travel policy compliance, will be an immense asset. This is exactly what CrewFacilities.com delivers to its clients, and you too, can enjoy our services. Contact us today and discover how we can be of help.

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6 More Common Mistakes Most People Make When Choosing the Right Lodging Vendor

Mistake #21- You Don’t Have 24/7 In-house Travel Personnel

Most companies today understand the benefits of having in-house travel personnel when traveling as a crew. While having travel personnel can cater to your crew needs, hiring the services of a travel management company can prove quite beneficial for your team. Nonetheless, having travel personnel can help in organizing crew travel for your employees. For example, a traveling manager can help in creating a travel itinerary for your employees and ensure that everything is in order.

Manage your traveling needs

Through an experienced travel management company like Crewfacilities, you can get the best lodging services for your crew. Your traveling crew can also offer assistance in case any issues arises during your stay at the lodging facility. However, you’re traveling crew might not be able to cater to all your traveling needs 24/7, especially when travelling as a crew. For that reason, a travel manager will help you navigate between gaps such as exponential overtime, sleep, and possible needs so that your team can enjoy more time off.

Having an experienced in-house travel manager demonstrates an organization’s commitment to managing their staff travel program. Your in-house travel manager will work with our personnel at crew facilities to ensure your crew gets the best accommodation. A travel manager will also monitor your spending habits during your travel to prevent overspending.

Saves time

While hiring a travel manager can seem like a luxury, it can help to save time and hassle. A good travel manager can create a travel plan that encourages savings by choosing between multiple options. They use their expertise to identify ways that can help your company save money when looking for the best deal on lodging facilities. They understand the market better and will use their breadth of experience to ensure you get the best rates on lodging facilities.

Mistake #22- You Don’t Have over 215,000 Lodging Partners

While having a travel manager may seem like an unnecessary expense, it can help your crew reach their destination safely, efficiently and economically. Travel managers can negotiate with multiple facilities until they get the best rate on employee housing. The best thing about working with CrewFacilities.com is that they are experts in managing crew logistics. Moreover, a travel manager understands how to ensure your staff is comfortable when traveling. At crew facilities, you will get the best prices on lodging facilities.

Create a travel policy

A corporate travel manager can help create travel policies for your company. This is important to ensure you meet all your crew travel needs. A travel policy will have standards and guidelines on how to budget for your crew travel. However, it is always essential to maintain a good relationship with lodging partners from different parts of the country to ensure you get the best accommodation deals. Having an effective travel policy can also prevent needless spending.

Manage relationships

Having a strong working relationship with top hotels and lodging sites around the U.S can reduce the time spent on labor for travel personnel. You should consider using crew facilities for your accommodation needs as they have experienced staff to cater to your crew travel needs. Moreover, working with a travel manager from crewfacilities.com will help you negotiate better terms for your crew.

A travel manager has extensive experience by working with a wide range of hotels and lodging facilities around the country. Since they have a good working relationship with the best lodging sites, they can ensure you get the best accommodation. The travel manager will also ensure the accommodation you get meets all safety, health and environment requirements. Besides ensuring you get the best accommodation; a travel manager will stay within the stipulated budget on the travel policy.

Mistake #23- Incidental Holds are leading to Erroneous Charges

When you are traveling as a crew, it is always important to find out what the hotel charges as incidental hold before your book your rooms. This is extremely important when traveling on a tight budget and can make a big difference. For example, most hotels usually request you to leave your credit card at the front office in case of any incidentals during your stay. When you check-in a hotel, you only for the rooms plus tax. Any other expense is known as an incidental charge.

So, if you want to order room service, for example, the hotel must have your credit card on file. This is an essential factor to keep in mind before you decide to use crew facilities for your accommodation needs. However, having your credit card charged for an incidental hotel hold does not always have to be standard procedure. Your travel manager can negotiate better terms with the hotel or lodging facility so that incidental holds are not charged on your credit cards.

Most hotels often request clients to provide their credit card to make their stay a lot easier. When you pay your room using your credit card, the hotel will place an authorization request on the credit card rather than processing the actual charge. This will temporarily hold funds from your credit card limit and will not charge your credit card. When you check out and didn’t have incidental charges, the company will only remove the hold from the credit card.

On the other hand, when you use your debit card to pay for your room, the hotel will automatically charge you and then refund your money during check out. As mentioned earlier, you need to find out the policy crew facilities have on incidental holds before you book a room to ensure you are on the safe side.

Mistake #24- Too Many Employees have Authority to Book Travel

Booking business travel can be quite stressful, especially when traveling as a crew. Chasing down your employees for their passenger information is not fun, either. While it might be a great idea to have an ‘’all-hands-on’’ approach to make reservations, you can end up paying more in overtime in the long run. For starters, this can potentially lead to miscommunications and payment on extra empty rooms.

Additionally, it can lead to unwanted incidentals charged on your company’s credit card. However, making hotel reservations isn’t as complicated as you think. With decent planning, you can learn how to optimize your travel plan.

Only look at the right hotels

You should only authorize a few people to make reservations to avoid confusion as far as tracking of verification/payment is concerned. For instance, if you want to book a hotel for your crew, the options are overwhelming. If you have been given the responsibility to place the room reservations, you should only look at hotels that are the best fit for your company. If you have a tight travel budget, you can consider checking out crewfacilities for better room rates.

Demand excellent service from the hotel

Enjoy peace of mind by making a reservation with a reliable travel management company like crew facilities for their superb customer support. If the company often uses a specific travel management company, you may consider making friends with their travel agent to get the best room rates. As mentioned earlier, you should limit the number of people who are making travel arrangements to avoid confusion and double billing.

Double-check the travel itinerary with employees to ensure you have all the trip details. You can give all employees a travel request form so that they know what is required of them during the trip. That will ensure everything is in order for your crew to travel.

Mistake #25- Paying for Single Occupancy Rooms because you want your Personnel to Have a Quiet and Private Night’s Rest  

Traveling for business can be quite stressful – the jet lag, the lousy food, and the unfamiliar bed. To make matters worse, you have to share a room with your co-worker. If you have never gone on work travel before, the thought of sharing a room with a co-worker may sound outrageous. However, it’s a common practice for companies looking to save on travel expenses. While sharing rooms can help build friendships among the staff, some employees would rather enjoy their privacy. But booking single occupancy rooms can be a costly endeavor for the company.

Eliminate HR issues

You want what is best for your employees, and you want all of them to have single rooms. Nonetheless, this may not be possible in remote areas where there are limited accommodation options. You can consider pairing one-day shift workers and one-night shift workers in a double occupancy room. That is where crewfacilities come in handy.

They can offer you the best rates on double occupancy rooms and ensure each crew member gets his own bed. That way, employees can enjoy their privacy during their off-shift. This will ensure your personnel gets well deserved alone time to refresh and you eliminate unnecessary HR issues.

Your crew deserve respect

On the contrary, employees should never be requested to share rooms with co-workers. For most workers, this has to do with respect. Your crew should always be treated respectfully and should always have their privacy. This can allow them to enjoy their downtime without the prying eyes of their co-workers.

On the other hand, an employee who has a medical condition might not feel comfortable sharing a room with a co-worker. At crew facilities, you can get comfortable double spacious rooms for your crew to ensure each employee has his own bed. While this might not be ideal for some employees, it can help in reducing your travel costs.

Mistake #26- Missing the Cancellation Deadline for Weather-Related Delays and Paying for Rooms that are not occupied

If you plan to travel for business as a crew, it is essential to know the hotel’s cancellation policy to avoid paying for rooms that you haven’t occupied. For most lodging facilities, you can only cancel the booking at a specific time on the day when you were expected to arrive. But during the holidays and other days when there is peak travel, cancellation rule can be more severe. Before you make a reservation at crewfacilities, you need to check out their cancellation policy as it might even help you save your money.

It is always important to ensure you don’t miss the cancellation deadline as this will result in paying a fee. Hotels and resorts usually charge a fee when you cancel a reservation. Each hotel has its cancellation policy that specifies how much you should pay. Most hotels, for instance typically charge between 50-100% cancellation fee if you fail to check-in within 2 days.

This is an essential piece of information that you need to keep in mind before you make your reservation at crew facilities. As you plan your crew travel, your travel manager will help you manage the logistics and schedules. If you want to cancel the reservation due to weather-related delays, the travel manager can inform the hotel in advance.

That way, you don’t have to pay extra charges as a cancellation fee. At creditcrewfacilities.com, we understand that you don’t want to pay extra as a cancellation fee. And if you are trying to get the cancellation fee waived, you should always be respectful when making the request.

Be courteous when requesting the hotel to remove the cancellation fee. Try and use reasoning and persuasion to ensure the hotel manager understands your situation. After all, the manager is human just like you. Alternatively, you can change your travel plans to a later date.

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How to Know You Need a New Corporate Travel Management Company

The signs listed in this article should define the relationship you have with your current travel management company, and they will provide you with insights to check if your current TMC is the best fit for your business or if there is a need to hire a new provider.

Transparency in Pricing. A reliable TMC should take you through their revenue streams often, and this will help you understand how they earn from offering you the services that they give you. For example, be wary of a travel management company which earns a commission by recommending certain car hire companies to their clients. This is because you will not be sure that the advice that they give you is in your best interest or it is designed to line the pockets of the TMC. At CrewFacilities.com, we only earn the fees our clients pay for our services, so you can be sure that we have your back on all matters of travel management.

Definition of Success. Success has a different meaning in different organizations. Success can be about making more sales, overcoming competitors, or even having the best product in the market. So, as a brand owner, you need to check if your Travel Management Company has the actual concept of how you define success in your firm. Have a company that has the same ambition and vision of your business rather than one which wants to impose its definition of success upon you.

Focus on Customer Satisfaction. Customers are like your virtual partners. They may not come into the real picture of your business structure and team, but they have impacts on your survival. If you give them mediocre services, then your chances of survival will be limited. Hiring a Travel Management Company with a focus on customer satisfaction will be a big win for your business. CrewFacilities.com is a TMC focused on providing world-class levels of customer satisfaction, so you can be sure that your road warriors will be in good hands if you hire us.

Business Travel Innovation. Technology is playing a significant role in businesses in this modern era, so you can't ignore the power of technology. If you fail to incorporate technology, then you are lowering the chances of your survival. Applying suitable technology to solve severe problems is a critical element for every profitable travel program. At CrewFacilities.com, we deploy our state-of-the-art CrewFacts App so that our clients can have all travel related information, such as where each employee is sleeping and how much each night at the hotel is costing, in one place. We also generate different reports using this app so that decision making about future trips is easier.

Personalized Travel Management. A travel management company should be in a position to understand your organization and its culture. It should apply tools and technology to identify faults and help your travelers. Their expertise and consulting services should be portrayed in their culture as they equip travelers to make the right choices. Again, it should provide crucial communication and proactive approaches when plans are interrupted. CrewFacilities.com is well known for providing personalized services to their clients, so contact us and receive what you deserve for your trip.

Think carefully about the important parameters above with respect to your current travel management company. If they fall short on any of those yardsticks, reach out to us at CrewFacilities and you will soon experience what a top-notch TMC can deliver to your travel program.

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10 More Common Mistakes Most People Make When Choosing the Right Lodging Vender

Mistake #11- A Poorly Rested Crew is a Non-Productive Crew Studies now show that lack of adequate sleep can lower productivity among employees. However, most organizations don’t understand the importance of having well-rested employees. While this may help employees hit their short-term goals, it is a dangerous strategy that can affect their health over the long run. You can ensure your employees get adequate sleep by hiring the services of CrewFacilities.com as they provide decent lodging facilities. Adequate sleep improves performance From a management perspective, a lack of decent sleep can negatively impact employ performance at the workplace. Sufficient sleep is critical in improving employee well-being and overall performance. On the other hand, lack of adequate sleep has been known to affect the person’s mind, body, and spirit, and might affect temperament and emotions. Furthermore, sleep deprivation can cause the onset of health conditions such as dementia, diabetes, cancer, and heart attack. At CrewFacilities™, our travel manager will ensure your crew members get cozy accommodation to obtain their needed sleep. At Crew Facilities, we understand that lack of adequate sleep can impair your team member’s attention, motivation, decision-making, and memory abilities. Additionally, we know the psychological and physiological impact of working away from home. That’s why we provide high quality accommodation for both temporary and permanent field workers. For instance, most employees are often unable to get the best competitive rates as far as getting accommodation is concerned. We offer innovative technology We have innovative technology, CrewFacts™, which conducts the vetting process on your behalf. It ensures your crew is placed in a comfortable accommodation that meets all standards of health and safety. What’s more, CrewFacilities™ provides the best accommodation facilities located close to the job site location, and we can work with teams of different sizes. That way, we will ensure your crew gets restful sleep for better productivity and general well-being.

Mistake #12- Miscommunication is Adding to Your Travel Expenses Better communication is essential to ensure you limit your travel expenses when traveling for business as a crew. Communication between your employees and the facilities housing your team needs to be consistent to eliminate issues that can increase your travel expenses. By partnering with CrewFacilities™, you can get decent accommodation for your crew at competitive rates. This can go a long way in preventing additional labor costs and facility fees. Use technology to improve communication In addition to improving productivity, technology can also help to reduce miscommunication when traveling as a crew. To make a reservation or check-in, you no longer have to send a representative to another country of state. Instead, you can use CrewFacts™, a mobile application from crew facilities designed to help you make reservations for your crew. Using this mobile app will help prevent miscommunication that may increase your travel expenses. Have a strategic travel policy Another way to provide miscommunication when traveling as a crew is by implementing a robust travel policy. The plan should provide details about specific rates charged at various travel destinations where your company might have established discount advantages. At CrewFacilities.com, we shall partner with your employers’ travel policy without exceptions to ensure there is no miscommunication. Additionally, our travel manager is always available at your request to assist when needed. If you have any queries or issues with the accommodation arrangements, our travel manager will provide guidance. Book accommodation in advance When you make accommodation arrangements in advance, you can reduce miscommunication when you check-in by requesting for more clarification if necessary. On the other hand, when you regularly use the services of Credit Crew facilities for your accommodation needs, you can get better discounts. Additionally, our travel manager is always available to address any concerns that you might have to make your stay more pleasant.

Mistake #13- You Aren’t Checking the Room Rates Daily When traveling for business as a crew, it is always important to check the room rates regularly as they often change depending on the occupancy rate. While organizing an extended stay for your team can be quite challenging, it is essential to find the right accommodation to avoid paying more for rooms. Having a great experience in providing decent housing to crews from different parts of the world, Crew Facilities will help you find the best room rates. Check the room rates daily It is always essential to have an in-house resource to track occupied rooms daily to ensure you don’t pay for empty rooms when you check out. You also need to remember that hotel room rates change from time to time, depending on the occupancy at any given time. For instance, what you pay today for rooms might not be what you need to pay the next day. At CrewFacilities™, our travel manager will monitor room rates on your behalf every day should they drop. In the event the room rates drop, you can decide to occupy the new rooms that have better rates. Alternatively, you can calculate the Best Available Rate to save some money when checking out. Our travel app is convenient and user-friendly Our mobile app, CrewFacts™, will help you track room occupancy rates and make extended accommodations as well. When traveling as a crew, it is essential to find the best lodging accommodation since you will be spending most of your time at the facility. In addition to checking the room rates daily, you also need to audit every line item of your hotel invoice before releasing payment when you check out. That way, you can address any inconsistencies on the hotel invoice. Another benefit of using Crew Facilities for your lodging needs is that our manager can inform you of any changes in room occupancy during your stay.

Mistake #14- Not Taking Advantage of Hotel Reward Programs Hotel reward programs have their share of benefits, especially for workers traveling as a crew. For instance, if you plan an extended stay at a specific facility, you can earn points or price discounts. But before you decide to use a particular hotel chain for all your accommodation needs, it pays to research and compare several facilities. While some allow you to earn great discounts as a repeat customer, others are more lucrative when you use their credit cards. Additionally, some hotel chains offer better customer service than others, making them an ideal choice as travel destinations often vary from time to time. Earn points by collaborating with a renowned facility Most corporate business planners often make a mistake of overlooking the benefits of applying for hotel reward programs. If you want to find better accommodation when traveling as a crew, doing research is essential to identify how you can earn points from a hotel rewards program. Essentially, these points can be applied to your crew travel policy and can an extra mile in reducing your travel expenses. Collaborating with Crew Facilities is a great way to earn points on group extended stay travel. Earning Points In most cases, earning points often vary between programs, and the total number of points you may make from CrewFacilities.com may differ substantially as well. For example, CrewFacilities™ can help you earn more points for group stays. You can then decide to redeem the points to pay for an extra room, depending on the room rates. However, if you have a limited number of points, you can stretch them further for use at a later date. For instance, if you decide to stay at our facility at a negotiated rate, then you can get more value by using your reward points. The best thing about hotel reward programs is that they are often flexible and customer friendly.

Mistake #15- Not Having a Company Travel Policy Regardless of the size of your business, at one point in time, you may eventually have to participate in corporate travel. However, corporate travel doesn’t necessarily translate to leaving the country. You may need to have a meeting with suppliers in a different state, and flying will be more convenient than a 15-hour road trip. In essence, corporate travel is an integral part of any growing business, and due to this, corporate travel has transformed immensely over the years. It is, however, essential to have a company travel policy to prevent unnecessary travel expenses. Develop a comprehensive travel policy As a growing business, it is important to develop and execute a travel policy that includes information such as accommodation options, air travel, and other related traveling expenses. Essentially, having a comprehensive travel policy can give your employees clear guidelines so that travel costs are limited to only those that you have approved. A travel policy will, therefore, ensure there is no room for miscommunication when traveling as a crew. Create Universal policies Before you decide to collaborate with CrewFacilities™, you need to create a universal plan that dictates how employees should conduct themselves on business travel. For starters, you can hire a corporate travel agent to ensure all your travel policy rules are met. This will help keep employees in check and prevent any unnecessary expenses that can cost your business money. Save money The key benefit of having a company travel policy is that it ultimately helps you save money in the long run. Partnering with Crew Facilities to get accommodation during group travel is a great way to save money for your company. At CrewFacilities.com, we will make your traveling experience unforgettable by providing decent accommodation. Additionally, we will ensure your corporate travel looks simple, efficient, and bright.

Mistake #16- You Weren’t Notified to Approve or Deny New Rooms While traveling as a crew offers cost savings as far as accommodation is concerned, you might still end up paying more during check out. It is, therefore, essential to have a roaster of all employees that tag along on the business trip. You need to create a list of all employees before you make reservations at Crew Facilities. That way, you can avoid paying for empty rooms when you check out. Additionally, a roaster also helps you to stay on budget and avoid unnecessary costs in the form of additional room charges. Keep track of all the rooms you occupy It is essential to ensure you list all the rooms your crew occupies on the roaster. Always inform the hotel management when a crew member that is not listed on the roaster is arriving. Keep in mind that new crew members not listed on the roaster could lead to you being charged for additional beds and rooms without your approval. To stay on the safe side and avoid accruing extra charges, ensure that the facility notifies you upon their arrival to deny/accept any changes. As extra caution, you should make any changes in writing. Use CrewFacts™ to track room occupancy rate As there are thousands of rooms occupied each night globally, CrewFacilities™ have designed an interactive app, CrewFacts™ to help you track room occupancy rates. It allows you to keep track of all the rooms your crew occupy. Besides tracking room occupancy, the app has simplified the lodging experience. By keeping track of room occupancy rates, you can avoid paid extra for rooms you didn’t approve of. This is also a great way to ensure you’re travelling expenses are more manageable. After all, you need to keep your travel expenditure to a minimum for the continued success of your business, while still providing decent housing for both temporary and permanent field workers.

Mistake #17- You are Getting Charged for Cancellations While an emergency can cause you to cancel your reservation, you can avoid being charged when that happens. Cancellation policies often vary from one hotel to the other, and may depend on arrival dates and time of stay. Before you make reservations at Crew Facilities, you need to check their cancellation policies to avoid ending up paying extra for unused rooms. To ensure you stay on the safe side, you can request to speak with the manager. The front desk personnel may not have the power to waive the cancellation fee. Be honest Hotel employees can easily detect a lie, so it pays to be honest. After all, they are human, just like you. You don't have to lie outrightly to cancel a booking if you have found a cheaper alternative elsewhere. It is always good to be honest, even if you will still pay a cancellation fee. As a tip, if you remember the manager's name when you request for cancellation, you have a better chance of receiving a fee waiver. Accept the responsibility Instead of overreacting when you are requested to pay a cancellation fee, politely request whoever is in charge if they can make a "one-time exception". Let them know that you will not repeat the same mistake. Hotels love loyalty Just like any other company, hotels truly value their repeat clients as they provide consistent business and reduce marketing expenses. When you mention to the manager that you are a regular guest at their facility, you stand a better chance of not paying the cancellation fee as they may not want to lose you as a customer. If you have platinum or diamond credit card status with the facility, then you can politely request the manager to waive the cancellation fee. Before you make reservation at CrewFacilities™, you need to ensure you choose the dates you are certain that you will be available to avoid incurring cancellation fees.

Mistake #18-Your Hotel Point of Contact is Inconsistent While making a hotel reservation may seem quite straightforward, there are many blunders that people make when booking a hotel. For instance, if the person shopping online for the best room rates is not the same person that is making the reservation, you can end up paying more for your rooms in the form of overcharges. If the person that makes the booking doesn’t know the taxes or number of rooms that were initially agreed upon, then you are highly likely to pay more in the form of overcharges. And ultimately, these overcharges could cost you even more in labor for auditing. Making the wrong reservation Before you decide to partner with CrewFacilities™ for your accommodation needs, remember that a misleading hotel location could cause you to book accommodation that is not centrally located. Unfortunately, most people often book a hotel instantly without checking whether it’s on a safe environment. Therefore, the person making the reservation should always do a thorough search before they decide to book a specific hotel. After all, you may realize that hotels that claim to be near the city are actually hours away from the city. The person who has the responsibility of making the reservation should check the hotel’s exact location on GoogleMaps. As a suggestion, they can also enter some of the key attractions that your crew might like to see during their stay. Alternatively, the person making the reservation should also study the Street View of the neighborhood you intend to stay at to check whether there are essential amenities nearby. Not checking hotel reviews When the person making the reservation doesn’t read through user reviews, your crew may end up staying in a resort that doesn’t meet the set standards. While reading customer reviews is always a tricky act, you want to ensure you read as many reviews as possible before you make a decision. While choosing Crew Facilities is the best option for your crew accommodation needs, be suspicious of travel reviews that offer overly exaggerated praise about a specific facility.

Mistake #19- Your Credit Card Information is in Too Many Places at Once While making hotel reservations online is quite straightforward, you need to exercise caution when sharing your credit card information online. This is important as there is a growing number of fraudulent travel booking sites looking to scam unsuspecting consumers. This article will teach you what you need to do when hotels ask for your credit card information to avoid falling prey to fraudsters. Set up a weekly pay account To protect your credit card information, you can set up a weekly pay account with a travel management company so that you are not handing out your credit card information all over the country. At Crew Facilities, you never have to worry about being charged at random times. We have a transparent billing process, and we always strive to protect your credit card information. That way, you never have to worry about fraudsters stealing your credit card information. Confirm the reservation Once you make a reservation online, you need to call Crew Facilities immediately to confirm. In the event the company doesn’t have a record of the booking, you need to know earlier so that you can make the necessary changes. For starters, you can alert your credit card company to report the billing and still have enough time to make a reservation with a trustworthy company. Get recommendations You can get recommendation for reliable travel companies from your family and friends. If you are not sure if a specific company is legitimate, you can search it directly on the Better Business Bureau. And to ensure you avoid falling into the hands of scammers, you should always use a credit card when making reservations online rather than using a debit card. At Crowd Facilities, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that your credit card information is safe and secure.

Mistake #20- Expecting Your Accounts Payable Department to be Travel Experts To achieve their ever-growing travel needs, many companies and professionals are now reliant on finding a reliable travel planner. Whether you are planning a regular business meeting or an annual conference, it's important to have an efficient travel planner that can help you meet the goals and needs of your organization. After all, your Accounts Payable Department may have trouble spotting inessential and erroneous ‘’hidden’’ hotel charges. A travel manager will, therefore, help you decipher between what fees you should pay and which you should not according to your agreement with the facility. Plan your travel itinerary A travel manager will audit your travel before, during, and after your crew hotel stay. As mentioned earlier, you should not depend on your account team to manage your travel expenses as they may not have the relevant expertise. A travel manager can help you to find the best flights as well as the best accommodation tailored to your budget. Essentially, travel managers work around the clock to ensure your trip is not only safe but productive as well. What’s more, a travel manager can create an immersive itinerary to ensure your business trip is successful. If you don’t have travel experience, the travel manager will schedule your trip accordingly to ensure you also have time for recreation. After all, work without play can hurt your health. Travel managers possess a great deal of expertise Since travel managers regularly check hotel chains, travel websites, airlines, and travel corporations, they know invaluable secrets that will help you work within your budget. For instance, at CrewFacilities™ you will get the best accommodation deals that will come in handy when traveling as a crew. If you are planning corporate travel in the near future, you should consider consulting Crew Facilities to ensure your business trip is successful.

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Mistake #3- Taking the First Room Rate as The Final Option

You don’t necessarily have to pay more when booking a hotel room for your crew. There are tips and tricks you can use to ensure you find the best room rates. If you plan group travel for your employees at any time of the year, you need to take into account hotel inventory changes. For instance, you are more likely to find better rates as evening approaches than during the day. Due to other circumstances such as cancellations, you may not get the best rate when you first look for the best accommodation rates online. 

By regularly checking room rates on Crew Facilities.com, you can find the best rates for your traveling crews. Additionally, most hotels often work with companies in different sectors to offer you the opportunity to earn price discounts. You can take advantage of such programs especially if you are traveling as a crew. What’s more, travelling as a crew will likely lead to a better price discount on hotel rooms. 

As mentioned earlier on, sometimes booking at the last minute will go a long way in helping you get a better price. In most cases, hotel cancellation often ranges between 24-48hours well in advance. You can get lower rates on rooms at this time. Another way to ensure you get the best price on your hotel room is by contacting CrewFacilities directly as this might increase your chances of getting an upgrade whenever possible. 

On the other hand, when you visit our hotels regularly, you will eventually forge a friendly relationship with us and increase your perks in the process. At Crew Facilities.com, we offer the best room rates for those traveling on business. And since most businesses are typically slow on weekends and summer months, you may find lower room prices during this period. You can find out if there are price discounts on group travel to ensure you get the best room prices.

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4 Tips and Tricks for First Time Business Travelers

Inexperienced business travelers need to know that the success of their first trip, or any trip for that matter, largely depends on the bookings made. It is therefore important to heed the following booking tips and tricks so that your first business trip goes without a hitch. Crew Facilities Reviews are full of testimonies detailing the immense value of these suggestions!

Book direct flights. Direct flights enable you to reach your destination sooner and get back home early as well. In contrast, layovers prolong your trip unnecessarily because they increase your transit time and create the possibility of missing your meeting.

Consolidate travel providers. It is also wise to use as few service providers as possible. For example, book your tickets, car rental and hotel room from one provider if possible. You won’t have to juggle many providers, and you will quickly rack up loyalty points that can soon entitle you to upgrades and other perks. CrewFacilities.com Reviews are full of happy travelers who started enjoying these benefits when we advised them to consolidate providers.

Skip the midnight flight. The late night flight may appear irresistibly affordable, but you will pay a far bigger price in terms of its toll on your body. You don’t want to appear for your meeting looking groggy and spent, do you? It is far better to have a full night’s sleep and travel early morning than taking that “redeye flight.”

Calculate layover times carefully. It may be impossible for you to completely avoid layovers, especially when your destination isn’t close to an international airport. In such situations, think carefully about the amount of time you will need to walk to the terminal where you will board your connecting flight from. A layover time that is too long condemns you to spending endless hours doing nothing as you wait for your flight. Conversely, a very short layover duration puts you at a high risk of missing your connecting flight should you be delayed getting to the smaller airport. CrewFacilities.com does its best to help travelers navigate these complexities, and the numerous Crew Facilities Reviews reflect how happy travelers are for that help.

Bookings are just one aspect of a business trip. CrewFacilities.com can help with all the other aspects, such as risk assessment and mitigation, so give us a call today and you will soon be so happy with our services that you will add to the glowing CrewFacilities.com Reviews!

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4 KPIs to Assess the Success of Your Corporate Travel Policy

An effective travel policy reduces losses and rationalizes travel spend while creating systemic efficiencies. To keep on track with these objectives, you need to measure the performance of the policy from time to time. This article discusses some of the key performance indicators (KPIs) which you can use during that assessment.

Reduced Travel Expenditure

An effective travel program should result in increasing reductions in travel costs because employees are more conscious about the decisions that the make before, during and after their work-related trips. TMCs play a big role in bringing travel cost reductions through the price comparison tools that they deploy, as well as the astute negotiators they deploy when contracts with service providers, such as hotels and airlines, are being negotiated.

Your analysis of the travel expenditure should go as far as dividing the total travel spend of a given timeframe, such as a quarter, by the number of employees who travel frequently. This will give you the approximate amount of money spent on the travel of each employee during the period being considered. This number can give you a basis for setting targets for further reductions so that you keep lowering the cost of employee travel without compromising traveler safety and comfort.

Year-on-Year Savings

Another KPI you should look at is the year-on-year savings registered in the travel program. This big-picture number provides an overall trend of the performance of the travel policy since monthly or quarterly spikes and dips in spending are levelled out over an entire year. The results of several years can then be compared to ascertain whether the measures put in place to optimize the travel program are working or they need to be beefed up.

Strong Traveler Satisfaction

The need to save money should not overshadow the necessity to address the needs of travelers. It is therefore imperative to also consider traveler satisfaction with the travel program when you want to ascertain whether the travel policy has been successful, and the extent to which it has been successful. You can get honest feedback from travelers by conducting anonymous surveys or asking them to reveal their thoughts about the travel program during team meetings. The insights you get from such feedback will shape your view of how successful the travel policy has been, and you will get action points when you want to make improvements going forward.

Increased Productivity

A successful travel policy can also be measured based on how it facilitates the productivity of employees. For example, a travel policy which doesn’t provide enough spending money for meals will cause a dip in the productivity of employees who travel because they will be lethargic and fatigued. Satisfied employees are also very productive, so you need to take the hint and make policy adjustments if traveler dissatisfaction is affecting productivity.

Make the reporting of these KPIs an integral part of your annual or bi-annual company appraisals. As you know, you can only control what you measure, so keeping track of these metrics will keep you moving towards getting maximum value from the travel policy. If progress isn’t being registered at the pace you desire, contact CrewFacilities.com for help. Our experienced travel management experts will work with you to address the gaps in the travel program cost-effectively.

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Helpful Tips for Seamless Single-Day Corporate Travel

It can be easy for an inexperienced person to downplay the demands of a single-day business trip, only to discover when it is too late that catching the first plane out and taking the last plane back can be an exhausting experience when coupled with the work done in-between those plane rides. Use the tips below to make that single-day trip as seamless and minimally exhausting as possible.

Get enough rest. Go to bed early on the night before your trip so that you can wake up well rested and ready to take the demands of your trip in stride. Otherwise, you may end up dozing during the trip and you will be unable to function optimally when you reach your destination.

Dress comfortably. While you may be traveling for business, it is also important for you to dress comfortably, especially regarding your choice of shoes. Comfortable shoes will allow you to walk freely between meetings and at the airport, when needed.

Don’t overpack. It is wise to prepare for any eventuality, such as missing the last flight back at the end of your single-day business trip. In this regard, the professionals at CrewFacilities.com recommend that you carry a change of clothes. Other items, such as toiletries, can be obtained from the hotel where you spend the night, so there is no need to pack these as well. Be minimalist while packing because you will have to carry your bag with you wherever you go during the one-day business trip.

Utilize travel perks. A single-day business trip may be the best time to utilize any travel perks that you are eligible for. For example, you can upgrade your plane ticket on the way back so that you can be as comfortable and possible after the long day. Similarly, you can access a lounge at the airport so that you can freshen up or do some work as you wait for your flight.

Get the contact of your TMC. Single-day trips aren’t immune from the mishaps that corporate travelers experience from time to time, so you should have the contact of the travel management company on you at all times just in case an emergency occurs and you need their help. You should also ensure that the TMC knows your whereabouts at all times so that help can reach you quickly when the need arises.

With careful planning and the right travel management company on your side, single-day trips can be a good way to get work done since you never have to leave the comfort of your home for extended durations. CrewFacilities.com has extensive experience in managing all durations of travel, whether the trip is just for a day or lasts several months. Contact us today and discover how our expertise can be put at the service of your company.

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4 Important Elements of Your Emergency Response Plan When Employees Travel

It is important to have a contingency plan in place to respond to any emergency that may arise when employees travel. This article discusses some of the elements of a contingency plan that Crewfacilities.com discusses with the companies that hire them as their TMC.

A Guide Detailing Who Is Responsible for What

An emergency response plan should include a detailed guide of who will do what during an emergency involving employees who have travelled. For example, what should be done first as soon as news of an emergency reaches the company? Who will perform that responsibility? Knowing in advance the steps that need to be taken can allow help to reach affected employees quickly, thereby minimizing the potentially adverse effects of the emergency.

How Information Can Be Shared with Travelers

An emergency response plan should also detail the mechanisms that will be used to share information with travelers. This should also include a mode of communication in case mobile communication isn’t possible, such as when an earthquake takes out telecommunication towers over a wide area where employees have travelled.

A Contact Person at the Company

The professionals at CrewFacilities.com also insist that someone at the company should be designated as the point of contact when employees travel. This individual is vital because he or she will be responsible for notifying all the relevant departments and offices when an emergency occurs and employees need help. Employees can also contact this person directly when they need help.

A Contact Person at the TMC

The emergency response plan should also stipulate who the contact person is at the travel management company. It is also important to indicate whether that contact person will also be available outside business hours, and how that person can be contacted outside business hours. The contact person at the TMC should be an individual who intimately understands the travel details of the employees so that no time is wasted in getting those details during an emergency.

A contingency plan contains so much more than what has been covered in the discussion above. Contact CrewFacilities for help if you aren’t sure that your emergency response plan is up to the task. We shall go over that plan and not only fine-tune it, but also play a part in implementing it should the need ever arise.

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The Pros and Cons of Virtual Payment Cards

You may have considered setting up a virtual payment card system if your company has a robust employee travel program. However, you may be wondering whether it would be a worthwhile investment to use virtual payment cards. This article discusses some of the pros and cons of virtual payment cards. Use this information to make an informed decision about this payment system

The Pros

Virtual payment cards are an invaluable way to prevent or fraud. This is because the virtual payment card will be set up and approved by an authorized person before any expenses are incurred. Secondly virtual payment cards can also be used to pay for the costs incurred by independent contractors or other people who aren’t necessarily employees of your company. This saves you from having to process (and then later cancel) credit cards for such short term use. Virtual payment cards also make it easy for you to collect valuable data about your travel program. For example, you will get visibility on all the incidentals that hotels charge your employees. This information can help you to negotiate better when your contract with service providers comes up for renewal.

The Cons

First, not all merchants (hotels, for example) may accept virtual payment cards for services rendered or goods provided. Time must first be taken to set up a system so that virtual cards will be an acceptable form of payment. Secondly, there will always be an expense that cannot be covered by the virtual payment card. For example, a traveler may need to take a cab during an emergency in order to reach a nearby airport. Such a cost will not be covered by the virtual card. Furthermore, in-house travel managers aren’t usually authorized to select the best payment system that employees can use when they travel. The people in the accounts or finance department may therefore select other payment systems.

As you can see, virtual payment cards have a number of benefits that you would find useful. What can you do about their shortcomings? Hire CrewFacilities.com as your TMC and the company will open an expense account from which all the costs related to employee travel will be met. In this way, you will get all the benefits of a virtual payment card without having to deal with any of the pitfalls associated with this payment system.

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2 Areas of Personal Safety Support When Employees Travel

It is a known fact that many risks cannot be totally eliminated before employees travel for business, so companies must do what they can to ensure that no aspect of their legal or moral duty of care responsibilities has been neglected. Andrea Tsakanikas, the President and Founder of CrewFacilities.com explains the two key aspects of personal safety support that they arrange for the employees of their clients’ companies.

Ground Transportation

The vast majority of the risks that employees face when they travel on business can be related in some way to their ground transportation. For example, many car crashes occur because an employee isn’t accustomed to the roads at the destination. Similarly robberies and many opportunistic crimes take place close to a vehicle.

Consequently, CrewFacilities.com subjects the providers of ground transportation to an extensive vetting process so that travelers will not be exposed to any risk while being transported by the hired vehicles and drivers. CrewFacilities reviews show how clients have come to count on the safety provided by the vetted transport providers sourced by CrewFacilities.com.

Additionally, CrewFacilities.com recommends the use of private transportation, such as car rental services, in order to safeguard travelers from the myriad of risks that they may face while waiting for a taxi on the street or while using ride-share services. This may initially seem like a costly option, but just think of what it would cost your company to go through litigation regarding charges of neglecting to execute your duty of care responsibilities after a safety incident occurs.

Personal Protection

In some areas, personal security needs to be provided in case a risk assessment shows that the destination is a hotspot for various crimes, such as kidnappings. In such cases, CrewFacilities can arrange Executive Protection for teams and individuals so that employees can be facilitated to move around despite the different risks that are present in the locales where they are operating.

For additional information regarding how CrewFacilities provides support when your teams travel locally or internationally, read the CrewFacilities reviews and testimonials on the site. Don’t just take our word on this matter, call us and learn how we can be of service in altering the trend of the duty of care problems that your company has been experiencing.