Challenge
A leading multinational consulting firm had a particular set of challenges in Belgium. Their complex booking and expense process was driving up invoice errors and travel costs. The cumbersome process required manual approvals and administration through an on-site agency setup.
Our client wanted an end-to-end solution to make the process easier, faster and more accurate from booking, to approval and administration. They wanted to reduce office space. And they wanted this accomplished within a two-year time frame.
Approach
We worked together with our client to develop a new, completely automated end-to-end travel process. The implementation of the new process took several steps:
- BCD installed an online booking tool along with TripSource®, our total trip management platform for travel arrangers and travelers. This gives travelers the content they need to quickly and easily plan, compare and book their reservations. It also makes it easy for them to stay in the online environment rather than go outside of it, which benefits their company’s travel management.
- To ease the approval process, we set up Trip Authorizer, our automated trip approval solution, and integrated our client’s policy. Now only trips outside the existing travel policy need approval and they are sent directly to a designated queue. Those trips within policy are automatically approved and all data is checked and matched to the right invoices.
- We also send a daily feed of booked and approved data directly to our client’s server. Their SAP solution automates data processing and compares invoiced data and approved data. This enables automatic approval of the invoices and integration of all expenses related to the trip. In collaboration with their financial solutions partner, we set up an electronic feed to upload invoices onto their server. This eliminates more manual processes, like scanning and keying in paper invoices.
- They developed a web application linked to their SAP system as online booking tool. With this, they can transfer the correct online and offline billing information into the online booking flow. We developed a database which allows travelers to link their project number to the correct client billing entity, ensuring a 100% invoice accuracy.
Results
Together we created a new end-to-end solution, including an automated administration flow. And we did it in one year instead of two. By switching to an online setup, the company saves on service fees and office space. The new authorization and online environment increases the online adoption ratio and helps them monitor and control travel costs.
Our client has already saved up to 45% in agency costs by reducing the number of transactions and office space. And in just one month they reached a 66% online adoption rate.