Case Study: Cost efficiency & online adoption in construction travel

Corporate Travel Management (CTM) delivers £228K saving over a two-month period while increasing online adoption by 20%, reaching an overall rate of 91% through its proprietary online booking tool, Lightning.

By partnering with CTM, they successfully implemented a tailored solution that delivered measurable cost savings, improved process visibility, and enhanced operational efficiency.

Read on to find out how.

Objective

One of the UK’s largest construction providers and a member of the FTSE250. This customer specializes in delivering innovative, sustainable solutions across the entire project lifecycle.

The key objectives were:

• Streamline and enhance MI reporting
• Manage over 600,000 task codes efficiently
• Consolidation of their hotel program
• Full visibility into VAT billbacks and reconciliation
• Improve team productivity by leveraging advanced technology solutions

Solutions

Consolidation of hotel program: Through the consolidation of the client’s own hotel program and access to the CTM’s Global Hotel Program, the client leveraged volume with selected hotel chains, enabling the negotiation of better rates, added benefits, and improved traveler satisfaction whist delivering cost savings.

Automation of task code assignment: The implementation of an HR feed automated the assignment of project and task codes, streamlining the allocation process, reducing manual errors, and saving administrative time – improving productivity. A dynamic allocation system was also developed to ensure that travelers were correctly assigned to projects based on real-time updates.

Enhancing policy compliance through technology: CTM’s proprietary online booking tool, Lightning has automated communication methods to improve compliance. Pop-up prompts are used to “interrupt” the booking workflow, nudging bookers towards compliant options. When a booker selects a higher-priced option over the lowest available fare, prompts and reason codes are triggered. This visual reinforcement fosters greater compliance and cost savings.

Internal training on policy & compliance: In-person training sessions to improve compliance and reduce out-of-policy bookings. Collaboration with the client’s internal trainers helped evolve the training for a broader group of stakeholders, fostering a culture of informed decision-making when booking travel.

Reporting & dashboards: Automated reports and dashboards were developed to track travel spend and policy adherence. Ad-hoc reporting training was also provided to the client’s key stakeholders to enhance their ability to monitor and manage travel data effectively.

Improved VAT reclaim: Capabilities were developed to efficiently manage VAT reconciliation, providing a line-by-line breakdown of transactions. This approach helped the client identify and reclaim VAT more effectively, leading to additional cost savings.

Outcome

Cost Savings: Achieved a saving £228,157 on 19,830 bookings over a 2-month period – Potential annualized savings of over £1.5M at month two.

Traveler Satisfaction: Online adoption increased by 20% sitting at an overall rate of 91% through use of CTM proprietary OBT, Lightning.

Efficiency Gains: Successful automated project and task code assignments reducing administrative time by 2hrs per day.

Policy Compliance: Improved compliance rates from 67% to 98% within 3 months.