Balancing Business Growth And Travel Efficiency In 2024 Robotics & Automation News


(MENAFN- Robotics & automation News) Balancing Business Growth and travel Efficiency in 2024

Traveling has always been an important way of networking and spreading the word about your business. However, it's also a significant expense on your company's budget. As much as 50% goes to lodging and air transportation , and every penny can make a difference.

There are a number of ways in which you can optimize your travel costs and efficiency with modern platforms for traveling being at the very top. Depending on the size of your business, traveling can make up a significant portion of the expenses.

On the other hand, going to a certain conference or an event can boost your success in the long run. These tips will help you balance your costs and business growth potential, allowing you to improve the efficiency of your trips.

Importance of online tools for traveling

Just because people had successful and cheap business trips in the era before the internet doesn't mean that you shouldn't find the best and most innovative tools in the current landscape. Furthermore, traveling expenses, accommodation prices, and event tickets are all more expensive than in the last couple of years.

There are platforms such as TravelPerk that can help you organize and manage your business travels in one place. Such platforms are a great way to facilitate your administrative tasks and provide better insight into your spending.

So instead of going to multiple websites to book your flight and hotel, track your expenses, manage accounting, and sync in your calendar, you'll have a single platform that does all of that for you.

By automatizing certain processes, travel management platforms also free up a portion of your workforce, allowing them to focus on more important tasks. There are also great data analysis tools that could help you get insights into your expenses in the long term.

Traveling can also be stressful, especially when you're traveling to locations you've never been before. With a travel management platform, you'll have the support and knowledge necessary to help you overcome any setbacks and problems.

Booking accommodation

Accommodation will make up a significant portion of your expenses, and it will also have a significant impact on your overall enjoyment during the trip. However, it's hard to get a hotel that's both high-class and cheap.

To make this easier, use platforms that offer discounts and tell you which hotels have the best deals. When booking a hotel, picking last-minute options can be more affordable, yet this is considered risky.

Travel management platforms can also provide you with better pricing and experience insights, as well as more details on important aspects such as Wi-Fi reliability.

This is mainly because business trips need to be predictable, and failing to book a hotel on time can cause a lot of stress. On the other hand, booking early can also be more affordable, but it also provides a stress-free experience.

Booking early can pay off, especially during periods when there's a high circulation of tourists. If there's a high-profile business event, it's likely that this will cause an increase in prices during the time, so booking early is your best option.

Precise expense management

If you're looking to balance your business potential and travel efficiency, you must manage your expenses precisely. With travel management and expense tracking tools, you'll have a better insight into traveling costs.

By gathering data on multiple trips you have over the years, you'll also be able to predict future expenses, both expected and unexpected. Companies should set clear policies on business trips, ensuring that the employees aren't overspending the company's budget.

Many expense management tools can give responsible managers insights into real-time spending. Consider choosing tools that enable automatic expense tracking and digital receipt submissions

Of course, when creating this policy, make sure that the employees don't feel restricted and stressed about the budget. Instead, there should be a middle ground between overspending and worrying about finances.

Eventually, at the end of the business trip, you'll be able to adequately separate personal and business expenses, and properly arrange them with your accountant.

Leveraging eSIM for business communication while traveling

Having the internet while on your business trip is a must. Regardless of what type of event you're visiting, you'll need the internet for communication. While we've mentioned the importance of having reliable Wi-Fi in your hotel, there are other ways of getting internet.

Many people opt for roaming packages that mobile providers offer. However, these packages often are available to a limited number of countries, and you might be traveling to the one where they don't offer the data for.

On the other hand, Wi-Fi is often unreliable in public spaces, hotels, and cafes. Of course, there are a lot of exceptions, but you should never rely on the idea that you'll eventually find a place with good Wi-Fi. Not only can this offer a sub-par experience, but it's also a security risk.

If you're a business owner or a decision-maker, you'll be a valuable target for hackers. During events such as business presentations, there could be hackers who have planned for this in advance, creating a significant risk of you leaking data.

The third option is eSIM cards. They offer the combined benefits of Wi-Fi and roaming packages. For example, they are reliable and quick, like data plans, yet are more affordable than them.

While they aren't free like Wi-Fi usually is, you can customize your eSIM plan to lower your expenses. Before you embark on your travels, it's important to check whether your phone supports this technology and to thoroughly study how to use an eSIM .

You can subscribe to multiple eSIM plans to cover the internet needs of other team members if needed. With a reliable internet connection, it's easier to quickly contact a hot lead you've met at a business event or a conference, increasing your chances for business growth.

Furthermore, traveling to new countries and locations can be stressful without reliable internet connection, as you might struggle to find your hotel, event, and overall navigate the city.

Sustainability for improving brand image

There's a lot of talk about how traveling impacts the environment and what we should do to lower carbon emissions and consider climate change. The sustainability of your traveling means can significantly impact your brand's image.

If you decide to leverage sustainable options, you'll not only potentially save money, but you'll also positively impact your brand's image. This can lead to a better reputation and even new clients.

Companies that use sustainable options, like carbon offset programs or environmentally friendly travel services, can stand out among their competition.

For example, if you could choose between a company that unnecessarily chooses cars and air companies that cause pollution and the one that does what's in its power to reduce environmental impact, you'll always choose the latter.

Creating remote and hybrid policies

Depending on the size of your business and the frequency at which you travel, you'll have to create necessary policies. While we were talking about business trips for the majority of this article, it's important to address the everyday commute.

Remote and hybrid companies have been growing in popularity because of their positive impact on employee well-being and productivity. However, remote work is a greener option than office work.

Everyday commute leads to pollution and causes something that's called parking stress. In large cities, searching for parking can be tough, leading to unnecessary stress and fuel consumption.

In the context of business trips, it's important to understand which meetings and events must be held in person. This can mean that you'll have to evaluate your clients and which relationships could be maintained even with virtual meetings.

Adopting remote and hybrid policies that serve as guidelines for commute and long-distance business trips can bring you a number of benefits, starting from lowered expenses up to better productivity and more sustainable practices.

Optimized travel is essential for long-term business growth

If you're a startup or a small business , investing in better software and more professional employees can be a larger priority than traveling. Yet, there are some events that can help you land clients and partnerships that you wouldn't otherwise.

To reap the benefits of business trips, implement the mentioned methods and services, and you'll have a headache-free experience. However, remember that some events and locations will be costly regardless of what cost-optimization methods you use.

Make detailed calculations on the costs and benefits and see how big of a change you'll experience if you implement the mentioned methods.

About the author : Veljko Petrović
is an IT student who has successfully combined his passion for technology with his exceptional writing skills. As an emerging specialist in cybersecurity, he has completed several courses and has been published in notable blogs in the industry. In his free time, Veljko enjoys weightlifting, reading, and programming.
Linkedin: ć-699ab0201/
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