The real costs of inefficient travel programs

We’ve all heard what happens when the ‌business-travel stars align: customer relationships flourish, teams find better ways to collaborate, and new markets come into reach. But what are the costs of getting it wrong?

Without a transparent, managed travel program, businesses transform an opportunity for growth into an obligation that wastes time and frustrates travelers. Read on to understand the costly problems an inefficient travel program can cause—and how working travel managers are using Uber for Business to put them on the right track.

Most travel managers already have their hands full with budgets, vendors, compliance, and more. An inefficient travel program gives them even more to do, forcing them to jump between scattered platforms to monitor traveler activity and expenses.

Global Travel Manager for Waters Corporation, Camilla Boyes, testifies to just that. “On any given day, I go from negotiating a contract with an airline to the new fleet order,” she says, “so there’s a lot of different pressures on my time.”

Uber for Business simplifies the process and boosts visibility at every step, from pre-trip planning to post-trip accounting. Transparent dashboards and customizable controls make it easier for travel managers to track and control spend, meals, and riders. Kristine Rosenberger, Uber for Business customer and Regional Travel Manager of the Americas at NES Fircroft, agrees. “It’s very user-friendly. You have your dashboards. You can get all the information you need.”

Employees are at the heart of the travel experience. But an inefficient program adds unnecessary stress and promotes burnout, whether due to complex logistics and protocols, safety concerns, delays, or last-minute rescheduling.

Uber for Business brings the best of Uber to work travel, making every trip seamless and stress-free. Business travelers can reserve rides to an airport or conference in advance, track their route in real time, and enjoy familiar comfort in thousands of cities worldwide. And with automated expensing, there’s no need to save receipts or file reimbursement reports—just ride and go. It’s a smoother way to move, so employees can focus on their work, not their travel logistics.

Feedback from business travelers shows that these measures make a big difference. “We’ve had nothing but positive feedback from our travelers about the implementation and the program generally,” adds Boyes.

North American Travel Manager for International SOS, Brenda Davis, expresses the same. “As soon as I announced it, all of my sales team signed up right away because they knew the value of it.”

Too often, safety concerns stop employees from taking part in work travel opportunities. And unreliable transportation is a big part of those concerns. With the right program, travel managers have tools for tracking progress, and employees have peace of mind to succeed around the globe.

“Our main concern is duty of care, making sure that our travelers are safe and that we know where they are,” says Bridgette Henry, corporate travel analyst for VF Corporation. “And through the Uber for Business platform, I’m able to see where they’re driving to [and] driving from.”

The Uber for Business platform comes with built-in safety features—Text-to-911, On-Trip Reporting, and Seat Belt Alerts—to make travelers feel confident wherever they go. The result? Over 99% of Uber trips go without any reported safety incidents.

Expenses are already tedious. A travel program that relies on manual recordkeeping or paper receipts risks human error and noncompliance and slows down finance teams. Uber for Business removes this barrier by integrating with leading expense systems like SAP Concur and Coupa—and automatically forwarding ride or meal-delivery receipts.

“Uber for Business has been a great time saver,” says Ted Chan, Fleet and Travel Manager at Schindler Elevator, US. “Receipts port over into our expense management tools so that you don’t have to worry about exporting receipts…just hit the submit button.”

It even makes it easier to separate personal and business travel expenses. Teresa McLane, Corporate Travel Manager for a midsize company, explains, “On one of the very first login screens, a question pops up, ‘Is this business or personal?’ And it allowed [the travelers] to toggle between the 2 profiles before the trip was actually booked.”

Inefficient transportation quickly racks up extra miles and emissions, slowing down decarbonization milestones. Uber for Business can be a big help in this area, working sustainability into efficient ground travel plans.

“Everyone needs to be more conscientious of how we’re utilizing transportation and being more conscientious of the environment,” explains Rosenberger. “Jumping in an Uber instead of renting a car and all the extra emissions on the road—I think it’s a good opportunity to do your part.”

Uber has committed to becoming a net-zero platform by 2040. As part of that effort, riders can request rides in hybrid or fully electric vehicles in more than 1,500 cities—and travel managers can view metrics on these rides to track ground-travel carbon emissions over time.