By Mark Williams, Partner
One of the primary, if not paramount, responsibilities of the travel manager is to mitigate traveler risk. All of us would agree to spend whatever it takes to protect a traveler in any specific situation. Specific situations do not arise often, however, and when they do they usually cannot be anticipated and are unique in their demands and requirements for resolution. The travel manager is thus challenged to implement a risk management program – technology, communications, procedures – that covers a broad range of potential risks.
The hard truth, however, is we all have budgets and typically do not have the resources to implement a risk management program addressing every possible situation. So, what is a travel manager to do? How are those precious dollars to be used to get the maximum benefit? Here are three ideas:
Once you’ve performed your analysis and gathered all the necessary information, you can balance the services your company classifies as “must haves” and “like to haves” with the corresponding cost. Draw the line on included services where there is a high level of comfort within your senior management. Engage the selected suppliers. Make sure there is a constant data flow to you, your security department, and other stakeholders.
With the high volume and distance of travel required in today’s business world, the risks to travelers correspondingly increase. Having the appropriate risk management program in place for your company will help mitigate that risk and help you as a travel manager successfully complete your most important task.
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