Corporate travel is a unique beast. Unlike leisure travel, it involves policy compliance, approval workflows, duty of care requirements, and complex reporting needs. Choosing the right corporate travel management software can mean the difference between chaos and smooth operations.
Whether you're a Travel Management Company (TMC) serving corporate clients or an in-house travel manager, this guide will help you evaluate and select the right platform for your needs.
Understanding Corporate Travel Requirements
Before evaluating software, understand what makes corporate travel unique:
- Policy enforcement: Companies have travel policies that must be followed
- Approval workflows: Bookings often require manager approval before confirmation
- Cost control: Visibility into spend patterns and budget management
- Traveler safety: Duty of care and traveler tracking capabilities
- Reporting: Detailed analytics for finance, HR, and management
- Integration: Connection with expense management and HR systems
Essential Features for Corporate Travel Software
1. Travel Policy Configuration
The software should allow you to configure and enforce travel policies:
- Maximum hotel rates by city or region
- Approved airlines and cabin classes by employee level
- Advance booking requirements
- Preferred supplier enforcement
- Out-of-policy alerts and justification capture
Look for flexibility—every company's policies are different, and you shouldn't be forced into a one-size-fits-all approach.
2. Approval Workflows
Business trips often require approval before booking:
- Pre-trip approval for travel requests
- Budget holder notifications
- Multi-level approval chains
- Automatic approval for in-policy bookings
- Mobile approval capabilities for managers on the go
3. Traveler Profiles
Maintain comprehensive traveler profiles that include:
- Personal details and passport information
- Frequent flyer and hotel loyalty numbers
- Seating and meal preferences
- Cost center and department assignments
- Emergency contact information
4. Multi-Source Booking
Corporate travelers need access to comprehensive inventory:
- GDS content (Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport)
- Low-cost carrier content
- Hotel aggregators and direct hotel rates
- Negotiated corporate rates
- Ground transportation options
5. Duty of Care
Companies have legal and ethical obligations to their traveling employees:
- Real-time traveler location tracking
- Risk alerts by destination
- Emergency communication tools
- Travel disruption monitoring
- Integration with security providers
6. Expense Integration
Travel and expense management are closely linked:
- Automatic expense report population from bookings
- Receipt capture and management
- Per diem calculations
- Integration with major expense management platforms
7. Reporting and Analytics
Corporate clients demand detailed reporting:
- Spend analysis by department, project, and traveler
- Policy compliance rates
- Savings achieved through negotiated rates
- Supplier performance metrics
- Carbon footprint tracking
- Custom report builders
TMC vs. Corporate Perspectives
"The best corporate travel platforms serve two masters: they give TMCs the tools to manage operations efficiently while providing corporate clients with the visibility and control they demand."
What TMCs Need
If you're a Travel Management Company serving corporate clients:
- Multi-client management: Separate data and policies per client
- White-labeling: Present a branded experience to each client
- SLA tracking: Monitor response times and service levels
- Agent productivity tools: Efficient booking and service workflows
- Commission and fee management: Track revenue per client
What Corporate Travel Managers Need
If you're managing travel for your organization:
- Self-service booking: Employees can book within policy
- Cost visibility: Real-time spend tracking and forecasting
- Supplier negotiation data: Information to negotiate better rates
- Compliance monitoring: Ensure policy adherence
- Executive dashboards: High-level overviews for leadership
Evaluation Checklist
When evaluating corporate travel management software, assess:
Functionality
- Does it support your specific policy requirements?
- Can it handle your approval workflow complexity?
- Does it integrate with your required content sources?
- Are the reporting capabilities sufficient for your needs?
User Experience
- How intuitive is the booking interface?
- Is there a mobile app for travelers?
- How quickly can new users get productive?
- What training and support are provided?
Integration
- Does it integrate with your HR and expense systems?
- What APIs are available for custom integrations?
- Can it connect to your preferred GDS?
Scalability
- Can it grow with your organization?
- What are the performance characteristics under load?
- How does pricing scale with volume?
Support and Reliability
- What are the uptime guarantees?
- What support channels are available?
- How quickly are issues resolved?
Implementation Considerations
Data Migration
Plan for migrating existing traveler profiles, historical data, and policy configurations to the new system.
Change Management
Corporate travel affects many stakeholders. Plan communication and training for:
- Travelers who will book through the system
- Managers who will approve requests
- Travel arrangers who book on behalf of others
- Finance teams who need reporting
- HR and security teams with duty of care responsibilities
Pilot Program
Consider rolling out to a subset of users first. This allows you to identify issues and refine processes before full deployment.
How Wayon Serves Corporate Travel
Wayon's corporate travel module is designed for TMCs managing business clients:
- Multi-tenant architecture: Separate data and policies per client
- Configurable approval workflows: Build any approval structure
- Policy engine: Flexible policy configuration and enforcement
- Role-based dashboards: Different views for travelers, managers, and administrators
- Comprehensive reporting: Standard and custom reports
- Integration ready: APIs for expense, HR, and other system connections
The key differentiator? Wayon brings corporate travel management into the same platform where you manage all other travel operations—eliminating silos and providing a unified view of your entire business.