JoshuaCompany travel is essential for businesses of all sizes, but managing logistics, payments, approvals, and compliance can overwhelm teams without the right tools. Travel management software streamlines the entire travel process from start to finish.
In this detailed guide, we evaluate the top 10 travel management platforms to help you select the best option for your company’s unique needs. We analyzed each software’s key features, integrations, pricing, support, and reviews to determine the top picks for 2023-2024.
By the end, you’ll understand:
- The primary benefits of travel management software
- Must-have features to look for when choosing a platform
- How the top 10 solutions compare across pricing, capabilities, and reviews
- Answers to common questions around implementation, training, and support
Introduction: Why Use Travel Management Software?
Travel is crucial for businesses, but manual and decentralized processes create inefficiencies. Spreadsheets and expense reports are time-consuming for travel teams and travelers alike. Compliance also becomes difficult to track without automation.
By centralizing travel booking and spending in one platform, companies gain full visibility and control over their travel program. Key benefits of travel management software include:
Compliance – Enforce travel policies to avoid fees, out-of-policy purchases, and audit issues. Flag exceptions in real-time.
Savings – Negotiate preferred rates with suppliers and track savings over retail prices. Control costs by standardizing bookings.
Duty of Care – Know traveler locations and emergency contacts for fast emergency response if needed.
Traveler Experience – Provide self-service booking tools to streamline the travel process.
Reporting – Gain insights into travel spend, program performance, and compliance metrics for management.
Efficiency – Automate approval workflows, expense reporting, and integration of spending into accounting. Save time for travelers and administrators.
With these advantages, travel management software proves its worth for even occasional business travelers. Let’s explore the top solutions.
Top 10 Travel Management Software for 2023/2024
Drawing on an analysis of features, reviews, and industry expertise, here are the top 10 travel management software options:
1. TripActions
TripActions is an all-in-one travel management platform that covers booking, payments, expenses, and traveler tracking. Advanced AI capabilities like natural language processing simplify workflows through conversational booking and virtual assistants.
Robust integrations span Concur, Expensify, Workday, and others. Pre-trip planning tools cover the duty of care needs. Global reach supports remote and complex travel programs.
Pricing: Quote-based, starting at $5 per booked trip for small businesses. Corporate plans average $12-15 per user per month.
2. SAP Concur
Concur is an established leader known for reliable air/hotel booking, payments, and expense management. Easy-to-use workflow approvals span travel policies.
Comprehensive reporting helps analyze travel programs and compliance. Integrates widely used TMCs, card programs, and accounting systems.
Global presence serves large multinationals. Some critique less robust analytics vs competitors.
Pricing: Average $23-28 per user per month, with volume discounts and custom packages available. Implementation and onboarding fees may apply.
3. Certify
Strong challengerCertify emphasizes control through centralized bookings and payments. Enhanced reporting brings travel data to life through interactive visuals and dashboards.
Integrates top suppliers and payment providers. Promising for smaller travel programs due to easy onboarding and training. Some find a lower volume of content than bigger platforms.
Pricing: Starting at $12 per user per month for small teams. Fees depend on bookings, users, and content/functionality bundles.
4. Chrome River
Chrome River focuses on streamlined expense reporting through automated receipt capture, approvals, and advanced analytics. Seamless Concur and other TMC integrations.
Accommodates complex policies like mileage rates and custom fields. The mobile app simplifies traveling. Suitable for audit-heavy industries or remote workforces.
Pricing: Average $22-25 per user per month. Add-on fees apply for some receipt scanning and extra approver seats.
5. Egencia
Egencia provides robust booking and reporting as an Expedia Group brand. Leading choice for companies using Expedia Group travel programs and savings.
Global scale serves worldwide travel needs. Integrates travel suppliers, card programs, and accounting. Streamlined approvals and workflows. Emphasis on high-volume groups.
Pricing: Standard Egencia packages start at $15 per user per month. Bundled TMC rates are also available.
6. Rydoo
Rydoo takes an innovative approach, blending travel management, corporate cards, and expense software into one place. Helps gain a unified view of travel spend.
Features like receipt recognition automation, AI travel assistance bots, and intuitive mobile apps simplify travel. Well-suited for companies valuing all-in-one solutions. High cost compared to focused platforms.
Pricing: Starting at $23 monthly per user for complete packages, including cards/payments. Volume-based discounts are offered.
7. TravelPerk
TravelPerk targets growing businesses with streamlined booking capabilities and integrations. Easy to implement and learn compared to larger platforms.
Excels at concierge-style support by phone and email. Draws some criticism for lower content volume and features versus competitors. Best for occasional travelers.
Pricing: From $9 per user per month. Packages add services like business cards or 24/7 support for a total of $15-25 range.
8. Emburse
Corporate expense software provider Emburse provides booking, payments, and reporting through partnerships with Certify. Core strength is modular spend controls and tracking features.
Seamless with accounting through AP automation. Ideal for smaller companies focused on business cards/spending policies over volume. Missing some direct booking tools.
Pricing: Starting at $10 monthly per user as an à la carte system. Compliance add-ons usually increase fees to the $15-20 range.
9. Lola.com
Lola.com brings a modern interface and easy mobile booking focused on employee experience. Integrates leading travel suppliers through preferred rates.
Suited for occasional travel programs seeking flexibility through customization. As a young platform, features are still growing versus established competitors. Usage-based pricing helps control costs.
Pricing: Pay-per-trip model from $6-8 per booking. Low monthly fees starting at $10 per user/month for basic functions.
10. KDS
Established provider KDS serves mid-to-large-sized companies through integrated booking, approvals, and insights. Especially strong in hotel content and Asia-Pacific coverage.
Wide industry expertise spanning sectors like oil/gas, mining, engineering, and more. Custom reporting and accounting links are made easy through templates. Pricey for lighter travel programs.
Pricing: Quote-based, starting around $20 per user. Additional charges for content access, training, and support based on program size.
Choosing the Right Travel Management Software
Now that you’re familiar with the top solutions, here are some factors to consider when choosing the best travel management software for your organization:
Travel Program Size and Complexity
Larger, global, and complex programs usually require more robust platforms like Concur, Egencia, or Chrome River. Small-to-mid-size firms can often thrive on simpler offerings from TravelPerk, Certify, or Lola.
Travel Volume and Booking Needs
TripActions, Concur, and Egencia handle high booking and spending volumes best through preferred supplier rates. Emburse works well for audit needs over bookings.
Integration Requirements
Consider essential connections to accounting, expense tools, and TMCs. Evaluate which platforms easily link all needed systems.
Support and Customization
Understand included/paid support, training, and flexibility to modify the solution long-term for your evolving needs.
Pricing and ROI Factors
Calculate per-user pricing plus content/services fees. Weigh ROI from savings, efficiencies, and compliance gains over time.
Choosing a platform aligned with these criteria sets your program up for long-term success. Reach out to vendors for demonstrations tailored to your specific situation.
Common Questions About Travel Management Software
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:
What are common implementation timelines?
Typical timelines are 2-4 months, depending on customization needs. Larger implementations may extend to 6 months. Emburse, TravelPerk offers the fastest onboarding, usually around 4-6 weeks.
How much training is required?
Vendors provide initial onboarding training, often online. Expect 4-8 hours per person to cover core functions. Certify Lola offers the simplest learning curves. Ongoing training varies by platform and support packages purchased.
What ongoing support is included?
Most providers include 24/7 phone, chat, or email support as part of their standard packages. However, the level of support can vary significantly:
- Large platforms like Concur and Chrome River typically offer phone support included with monthly or annual support fees. Wait times may be longer.
- Mid-sized options like Certify and Egencia often include phone/email support during business hours at standard pricing.
- Entry-level providers frequently only offer email support during business hours at their basic prices. Phone queues or response times may be longer.
Additional support options usually involve professional services retainers or support add-ons providing dedicated contacts and prioritized assistance. Response level agreements ensure timeframes for addressing issues. These packages ideally include hourly allotments for configuration, optimization, and ongoing training needs.
When evaluating support levels, consider your team’s capabilities and willingness to troubleshoot basic issues independently versus reliance on vendor hand-holding. Balancing self-sufficiency against critical priority support response ensures ongoing value. Periodic system reviews also keep implementations running smoothly over the long haul.
How do upgrades and changes work over time?
Most travel management vendors offer annual SaaS subscriptions, including standard platform upgrades and feature improvements at existing pricing. Major version changes may involve additional implementation fees.
Customization requests like integrations or modifications often require billable professional services time. Carefully review vendors’ modification policies, rates, and change management processes involved. Flexibility to evolve the solution remains important over many years.
What are some key advantages of cloud-based vs on-premise software?
Cloud software delivery model has become the norm for travel management systems given its advantages:
- No infrastructure costs for hardware, databases, servers, or upgrades, which can save thousands annually
- Access features from any internet-connected device
- Automatic updates and new version rollouts by the vendor
- Highly scalable and flexible to adapt to organizational growth
- Data is safely stored off-site on secure, redundant servers
- Disaster recovery and business continuity are simpler in cloud models
While on-premise solutions provide data hosting and more control locally potentially, costs are typically higher, and management complexity greater long-term for most firms. The cloud is now the smarter choice for traveling workforces and responsive software demands.
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