Contributor: Harvey Copeman
Read this article in our beautifully rendered June issue of Business Review Canada!
Canadian businesses are tired. Tired of hearing the phrase, “you have to spend money to make money.” When it comes to operational costs, a new focus on the lesser known “saving to make money” is taking hold.
To illustrate, I’ll now share with you how one company streamlined their business travel process to keep more money in the bank. To finish, I’ll leave you with a few travel secrets to help you save in the future.
Canada’s largest chain of tire and vehicle service providers needed to rethink its travel booking practices. The sales team historically spent 80 per cent of their time on the road managing 270 franchisees. Their dilemma was to find a balance of maximizing face time with clients and minimizing expenses. With some internal discussion and investigation, they were able to implement an innovative arrangement that accomplished both.
The arrangement involved a combination of two services. One would save time and the other would save both time AND money. They made use of an outside travel agent to arrange the reps’ flights, but significant cost savings came when they became members of Travel Save Pro.
The online travel “co-op” negotiates the lowest guaranteed rates with Canadian hotels and car rental agencies (based on large volume buys) on behalf of its members. With the lowest rates readily available to them, the company’s reps can quickly book their own hotel stays and reap considerable savings on rooms.
I’m happy to report the company is saving 30 per cent on its considerable travel budget and travel agent fees, while their sales reps are able to concentrate almost exclusively on their primary function.
Read Related Content from the WDM Content Network
WestJet Adds Flights to NYC to Compete Against Air Canada
Canada's Top 5 Travel Destinations
Air Canada and WestJet Adding to Economy Class Seating
Look into Travel Save Pro if Canadian hotel and car rental expenses are a concern for you.
When arranging your next business trip, keep these five travel tips in mind and save.
- Telecommunications – Many Canadian mobile providers offer short-term discounts on roaming rates that can keep money in your pocket.
- Parking – Look for a “sleep, park and fly” deal from airport hotels. Stay overnight before taking an early morning flight and leave your car for the duration of your trip. Convenient and cost effective,this hotel deal can start your trip off right.
- Car rentals – Take that extra five minutes to fill up your tank before returning the car. You could save $20. Rental agencies charge service fees on top of the cost of fuel to fill up the tank for you. A tank of gas could be closer to $2.00/litre.
- Flights – Traveling in a group? Consider booking individually. Airline group rates may be more costly and usually are off-limits to special offers.
- Flights – Try to buy a flight on a Tuesday. Prices tend to fall in your favour on this day. Stay away from weekends.
Happy travels!
Harvey Copeman, is President and CEO of the Canadian Professional Sales Association and Travel Save Pro. A travel industry expert with 35 years and Holiday Inn and Hilton hotels behind him, Harvey has been a contributor to major national publications/broadcasters like CTV National News, the Globe and Mail and Canadian Business.
