Case study
OTR: Mentoring Solutions
Powered by FCM Consulting
The Client
Industry: Medical Technology
Countries consolidated with FCM: 2
2019 Travel Spend: $9.7M
2021 Travel Spend (annualized): $4.5M
Challenge
The company was growing. Acquiring other businesses, growing sales, increasing staff. With employees traveling more frequently, and travel expenses growing, it became clear that it was time to introduce structure and consolidate all the business’s travel into one managed program.
With no one on staff with any significant travel management experience, an executive admin raised her hand to take charge. She knew most of the people in the company and was eager to add even more value to her organization. Excited and committed, she just needed help with first, the basics, and then the strategy behind effective corporate travel management.
Solution
FCM Consulting, having listened to the specific needs and expectations of the client, implemented an OTR Mentoring solution to help the new travel manager “learn by doing” while setting the new consolidated program up for success.
Working side-by-side with the OTR Mentor, the new travel manager gained hands-on experience crafting the company’s first travel policy, setting up hierarchies in the reporting tool to provide actionable information to all the business units, approaching and negotiating with suppliers that matched the company’s needs, and more. This process of knowledge transfer is designed to, over time, train new travel professionals to a level where the OTR Mentor engagement ends, leaving the company in the hands of a skilled internal travel manager.
Results
Implementing an OTR Mentoring solution provided the company with clear benefits.
First, the company was able to offer real job development and a career path to a capable and committed employee.
Next, the company was able to avoid many of the problems that come with a first-time consolidation, by relying on the expertise and experience the OTR Mentor provided during the training period.
Finally, company was able to successfully leverage its newly consolidated volumes with travel suppliers to quickly reduce expenses throughout the company, while providing great service to the employees with a smartly designed traveler-centric program.
FCM Consulting has been instrumental in helping launch and manage our newly consolidated travel program. They advise, teach, and have a little fun in the process.
New Travel Manager, Medical Technology Company