The Challenge
A global University press for a prestigious Russell Group University had been working with Key Travel for 12 months. Their travel policy required approval for any bookings over a £500 basket total. In addition, bookers needed to raise an internal Purchase Order (PO) to cover the cost of the travel. Only once the PO was approved could they proceed to book the trip.
Over 50% of bookings were requiring approval, which was causing prices to increase because approvers were slow to approve or did not follow the correct process, causing frustration and an increase in administrative work.
Our Solution To Workflow Improvements
Following on-site engagement with bookers, we undertook a process review with bookers and travellers to assess the end-to-end workflow and how this could be improved.
The Key Travel Account Manager proposed removing the basket total cap of £500, instead introducing an approval limit per product, to reduce the number of bookings requiring approval. This would help accelerate the booking process and increase user satisfaction, as well as reducing flight costs and influencing buying behaviours because a booker would prefer to self-confirm a lower cost flight not requiring approval, rather than triggering an approval request.
The customer also introduced the option to pay by credit card for all departments, reducing the admin involved in raising an internal PO when paying by invoice, meaning bookings could be made instantly, reducing the risk of flight prices increasing.
The Results
In the first month following the workflow improvements, bookings requiring approval decreased from 40% to 10% overall, and the average ticket price reduced by £130 per booking to £417. Additional training workshops and communications have been carried out, and user feedback has been very positive. The booking process is simpler, quicker and delivers a better end-to-end experience for users.