Our client is a London-based investment management firm operating across key financial markets in Europe. With frequent international travel for investor meetings and fund operations, the company manages a complex programme that demands both precision and flexibility.
The challenge
Although this client was satisfied with their previous travel partner’s service levels, their finance and reconciliation team struggled to manage complex reporting and billing due to a lack of flexibility from their travel management company. The finance team had to manually reconcile reports and invoices, adding multiple reference fields and reformatting data to align with their internal ledger.
Their key challenges included:
- Managing 20 interdependent reference fields for successful ledger uploads.
- Preventing confusion for travel bookers by showing only relevant fields per trip type.
- Balancing finance data accuracy with an efficient booking experience.
The process was time-consuming and prone to manual error, limiting scalability and efficiency.
Our solution
Business First Partnership (BFP) collaborated with this client to design a bespoke technology solution that automated the finance workflow while keeping the booking process simple. This included:
- Custom-built automations: The new system uses data dependencies, once the first reference field is selected, only relevant follow-up fields appear.
- Accurate data capture: Finance teams now receive complete, structured data at the point of booking, eliminating the need for manual reconciliation.
- Streamlined experience: Bookers see only what’s required for their specific trip, ensuring clarity and ease of use.
Through regular account reviews, the BFP team identified an opportunity to improve adoption of the online booking tool. Smart Analytics data revealed a group of frequent travellers who were consistently bypassing the system.
By speaking directly with the team, BFP discovered a hesitation and lack of familiarity were the main barriers to people using the tool. In response, we organised on-site workshops and one-to-one drop-in sessions, giving users the chance to ask questions, build confidence, and experience the tool in action.
The results
- Finance data is now captured automatically and accurately, eliminating manual reconciliation.
- Improved efficiency has freed up valuable time for both the finance and travel teams.
- Online booking adoption increased from 10% to 84% across the UK and Europe following the workshops.
- 92% of eligible bookings are now completed online.
- Transaction fees reduced by 46% due to higher online adoption and improved efficiency.
- 10 travel bookers trained through six dedicated workshops, with ongoing sessions delivered to all new joiners.
Our partnership
Our partnership with this client remains strong, built on shared trust and measurable success. Together, we continue to refine their travel programme through proactive account management, ongoing user support, and a focus on long-term efficiency.