If you’re an executive assistant, you might play a key role in corporate travel management - with tasks ranging from booking travel to reviewing expense reports. Many administrative assistants rely on corporate travel management companies to save time and money for their company (you can learn more about what a travel management company is here.)

And we have it on good authority that they love Egencia! So, we’ve put together the five reasons why executive assistants love working with us as their corporate booking platform.

1.) Egencia enables you to delight and impress executive management

If you currently store travel booking and spend information in excel spreadsheets or have multiple files to track travel details, it can be difficult to know how much your company spends on travel.

Egencia keeps it simple by consolidating all booking data for travel arrangers and travellers. We give you data you can trust. And Egencia Analytics Studio allows you to understand your travel programme and report on it in a dynamic way with data visualization.

Savings and analytics tour

Egencia gives you access to reports on savings and trends that you can download with the touch of a button. For example, regular reviews might reveal new high traffic air routes that represent an opportunity to negotiate discounts, upgrades, or amenities with a particular airline, or your employee’s hotel chain. Executives and financial managers will appreciate the detailed information you can provide. Not to mention the automated corporate travel booking tool improving the accuracy of expense reporting which allows your company to process reimbursements faster.

2.) Egencia will save you time

Did you know that it takes travellers, approvers, auditors and accountants a combined average time of 13.6 hours to book a trip and process expenses manually? But with Egencia it only takes four minutes for a hotel and five minutes for air, car, and train! You no longer need to spend hours travel planning, working out your travellers’ preferences, approving itineraries, submitting expenses, or changing bookings. Giving you more time to do your job.

An executive assistant for a global manufacturing firm spoke about the benefits of partnering with Egencia after struggling with the time-consuming back and forth of working with an offline travel agent for years. “Just to be able to log in and select flights, hotels, and cars, and have everyone get an email with their travel itinerary was a game changer.”

When you partner with Egencia, you gain much more than access to cheaper and better travel inventory.

Below are some of the time-saving benefits you’ll also enjoy when using a corporate booking tool:

• An intuitive booking experience that isn’t confusing and is the same across all channels and regions. As one Egencia client says about the online and app experience, “Once people get it, they see how easy it is.” This is why Egencia clients have an average adoption rate of 95% globally (98% in North America). Even if you’re not the one booking corporate travel, you can still capture the booking information for employees that book their own trips.
• Traveller-focused search results that not only automatically provide the cheapest options, but also the most suitable options for a specific traveller. Egencia uses machine learning to factor in a traveller’s previous choices – and those of their colleagues to prioritise the most appropriate results. This means travellers are more likely to find their pick at the top of the list, rather than having to scroll through page after page. Preferred hotels and airlines can also be included in the mix. Built-in cues can help you and other employees make smart booking choices.
• Streamlined expense reporting for you and your travellers – Egencia allows you to do away with the dreaded paper trail of trip receipts. Travellers can capture any additional trip receipts, attach them to their itinerary and create and submit expense reports - straight from their phone. Managers can then approve them with a simple click. All data - offline, online, and personalised - is sent to an expense management system for a simple, streamlined reimbursement process.

3.) Egencia will improve your travellers’ experience

Egencia focuses on delivering a seamless and personalised travel experience. The platform offers a range of traveller-focused features, such as mobile access to itineraries, real-time travel alerts, and integration with travel apps. These features empower your executives with the information they need while on the go - so you don’t have to work it out for them. Additionally, the integrated Egencia loyalty programme allows travellers to earn frequent flyer rewards and benefits through preferred vendors - adding value to their journeys.

Travellers can also check-in and manage their trip easily on the go through the Egencia mobile app with:

• The ability to view, change, and cancel any part of their trip. Travellers never have to wait to take action.
• A virtual chat feature so travellers can quickly and easily get answers on the go, even if they’re specific to their itinerary. Virtual chat allows travellers to ask questions in plain language and gives them contextual options to help them get the answer they're looking for.
• Ground transportation options and more on the mobile app so your travellers have all the options and information they need right at their fingertips, as soon as they arrive. The Egencia mobile app provides travellers with key information such as car-sharing and public transport options, journey times, hotel hygiene protocols, restaurant opening times and more.

4.) Egencia will save your company money

You might be worried about the cost of introducing a corporate booking tool if you work for a company that’s being asked to do more with less. The Harvard Business Review recently reported that 51% of business leaders said that their organisation had maintained control over expenditure and reduced business travel costs over the past year as a result of their new approach to business travel management.

Egencia provides built-in cost-saving features that don’t detract from traveller wellbeing. The tool helps executive assistants enforce travel policies and guidelines by allowing you to set up customised travel policies that ensure travellers adhere to company guidelines. It also provides visibility into travel expenses, allowing for better cost management and budget management.

Learn more about how Egencia reduces costs at every step the traveller journey by checking out our recorded Webinar: Boost your Corporate Travel ROI.

5.) Partnering with Egencia means you no longer need to be on call at the 11th hour

Sometimes making sure your travellers are safe across time zones can be a full-time job, especially if the business trip involves international travel. With Egencia, you no longer need to take travel-related phone calls after hours.. The app offers round-the-clock support to travellers, providing peace of mind for both you and your executives. Whether it's making last-minute changes, handling emergencies, or resolving travel arrangement issues, Egencia provides a smooth travel experience and minimises disruptions or delays.

Egencia can step in as the personal assistant 24/7 in up to 60 languages too. The last thing you want to deal with is dropping everything and rebooking a flight and hotel when a traveller is delayed en route. One of the benefits of partnering with Egencia is that travellers can speak to a travel consultant that has access to their itinerary in just a few minutes. This is a great feature for those less technologically inclined.

Learn more about how Egencia supports executive assistants that book travel by downloading ‘The complete executive assistant business travel checklist’.

Egencia provides executive assistants with a powerful and efficient travel management solution. From booking flights, hotels, and ground transportation to managing itineraries, expenses, and reporting, Egencia offers a one-stop solution for all travel-related needs. This centralised approach saves time and simplifies the administrative tasks associated with corporate travel. By choosing Egencia, executive assistants can focus on strategic tasks and contribute to the success of their organisation's travel programme.