When it's time to evaluate TMCs

As the weather starts to get warmer and the flowers start blooming, we can confidently say it finally feels like springtime. Spring is the special time of year for growth, creativity and spring cleaning.

While the words spring cleaning aren’t generally associated with organizations, we’d like to take the concept into your travel program. Organizations can use spring as opportunity to show their travel program some TLC with a bit of spring cleaning. As the second quarter of the year is in full-swing, your organization may take this opportunity to do some spring cleaning of its own–perhaps to your travel program.

Looking into your travel program, you may notice that in the first quarter of the year, or even in the past several years, your organization has run into some issues. If you’re in this boat, it may be time to start evaluating agencies, but do you know the telltale signs? To offer some assistance during your spring cleaning, we’re highlighting some common times of when you should start evaluating travel agencies.

Contract is coming to an end
Typically, contracts with travel agencies can last anywhere from 1 to 3 years. If your current contract is coming to an end, you can take the opportunity to see what else is out there. During those one to three years, there inevitably has been some major innovations in the travel industry that you may not have seen with your current agency. EWA Travel works with companies to ensure a smooth transition by allowing travelers to complete ticketed travel with their former agency. Be sure to ask what a travel agency’s implementation process looks like.

Your company is growing
If your company is projected to continue to grow in the next couple of years, it’s likely that so is your travel program. For that reason, travel managers should take the time to reassess their organization’s needs to determine if their current travel agency is meeting them. Ask around to see what the typical client’s travel spend is.

Less than stellar performance from your travel agency
Have you been hearing complaints from your travelers about them being able to find better fares online? Are you waiting a day or longer for a response from your travel agent? It may be time to look into other options when it comes to different travel management companies in the industry. Be upfront with other agencies about issues that you have and ask what solutions they have.

Need assistance with special regulations
While EWA Travel agents are trained on the Fly America Act and Open Skies Amendment and have nearly 30 years’ experience, there are many other agencies out there that are not. Scan the market and be sure to ask specific questions on what issues you’ve run into when it comes to compliance. Ask how they determine whether travel must comply with the Fly America Act. This could save you some headaches and money on changes in the future.

Travelers require some hand holding
Sometimes travelers may need some extra TLC when making travel arrangements. Travel agents can store all your traveler’s information and personal preferences into their system to use during the booking process. This allows for agents to properly anticipate and meet traveler needs. Ask agencies to walk you through the booking process to see if it would be a good fit.