Life would be so much easier if companies had approval systems that were globally consistent. That way, it’s the same process and experience for every traveler no matter where they are. And for speed and efficiency, approvals need to be made on-the-go.

Without an approvals process, or if you let exceptions creep in, things can get messy. Impatient travelers waiting for a “yes”, deadlines pushed back, delays to move a project forward. There’s risk of the travel policy being completely abandoned.

Many businesses want approvals that kick in once a trip has been booked. While it might sound counter-intuitive, it’s an approach that provides global consistency for businesses rather than relying on differing solutions from online booking tools, and a self-service style of travel booking and approval flow for travelers, who are increasingly more used to arranging their own travel. Additionally by approving after a booking, it means the price is locked in and that any urgent trips aren’t delayed any further. The other benefit? Saving time for approvers and bookers, who aren’t facing the pressure of checking a trip while the traveler is tapping their toes waiting for that green tick.

This approach is also being driven by better travel technology. Travel policy is built more and more into the systems that travel managers and bookers use to organize and manage travel. Platforms can alert the traveler or booker when the rate for their hotel night in New York is too high. FCM Platform’s browser extension can be configured to nudge travelers into booking a particular flight that’ll be better for their wellbeing, or encourage travelers to think about the environment with their choices.

“The key to a successful approval tool is to make it a seamless process both for the traveler and the approvers.  With the help of technology, travelers should be in-policy by the time they come to hitting the button to send it for approval. All preferred suppliers and agreements should be configured into the platform to help support the traveler to make the right choices for them within the program framework.  That way, by the time the trip comes through to the approver for approval, it should all be ready to go.  Technology should make it easy to make the right decisions” says Jo.

One thing that remains with travel approvals is accessibility. Wouldn’t life be easier if you could approve a trip from your mobile phone or hit approve and reject with one click?

We’ve made it happen in FCM Platform. Approvers can now say yes or no to trips from in a single dashboard, on any device. It doesn’t matter whether travel was booked online or offline; you’ll have instant approvals and accurate information right at your fingertips.