Often ranked as the 3rd or 4th largest item of expenditure, business travel cannot be managed solely on the basis of savings. It involves operational, regulatory and environmental issues that affect the whole organisation. The most costly drifts come from :

• hidden costs (inefficient booking and payment processes, time-consuming refunds, friction between tools)
• and leakage, i.e. expenditure incurred outside official channels, which is therefore uncontrolled, unshared and risky for the safety of travellers.
• Added to this are the demands of global warming, which require sustainability to be integrated at the same level as performance and the employee experience. The challenge is to balance People-Profit-Planet so that everything ‘rolls’ without friction.

Key indicators

Employee satisfaction

Satisfaction is the best barometer of the health of the system. An annual in-house survey, ideally in a constant format to automate the analysis, highlights irritants, changes to be prioritised and communication needs to make the passenger journey smoother. Satisfied users are more likely to adopt the tools and comply with the rules, and this considerably reduces hidden costs. It also makes the sometimes unrepresentative feedback from the field more factual.

Total expenditure

Tracking volumes enables us to check that the increase in travel is correlated with business dynamics. A breakdown between travel for internal reasons (training, committees) and business reasons (sales, customer projects), supplemented by the number of trips and the average cost per trip, helps to isolate the real drivers and target the right levers (channels, approvals, alternatives). The main sources are the ERP/accounting system, the expense claims tool and TMC (Travel Management Company) reporting.

Average cost of the TOP 5

The average cost of the top 5 routes (departure-destination) provides a reliable trend without weighing down the analysis of price trends. The aim is to ensure that unit costs remain stable or in line with the market. As soon as a drift appears on a major line, targeted actions are triggered: renegotiation, adjustment of rules, resetting of tools or alternative sourcing. TMC reporting is the reference source.

Online booking rate

The online rate measures theadoption of the official process via the booking tool(OBT). A low level often indicates a poorly calibrated offer, rules that are too restrictive or users who are resistant. This indicator quickly reveals malfunctions and new needs (destinations, durations, types of accommodation) that justify adapting the system. The data comes from TMC reporting.

Rate of anticipation

The rate of anticipation verifies virtuous behaviour: on average, booking earlier means paying less, especially for internal travel where planning is more manageable. Defining a clear benchmark (for example, at least 14 or 21 days before departure, depending on the mode of transport) and monitoring it by business unit encourages managerial commitment and discipline. The main source remains TMC reporting.

Compliance rate

The travel policy compliance rate is an essential measure of the proportion of bookings that comply with the rules. Its analysis by department or entity assesses the level of managerial control andfairness of application. If systematic derogations appear (cabin class, hotel ceilings), the rules need to be clarified, thresholds adjusted or approval strengthened. Apply the same logic to expense claims (ceilings, supporting documents, authorised categories). Sources include the TMC, OBT and the expense report tool.

Hotel leakage rate

Hotel leakage reveals out-of-process bookings. In addition to uncontrolled expenditure, these discrepancies undermine security (unknown traveller location), blur compliance and weaken negotiations with chains. A macro comparison between accommodation expenditure (accounting/expense slips) and TMC volumes is all that is needed to monitor the trend and then correct the causes.

Carbon footprint

Thecarbon footprint completes the strategic dashboard. Depending on the ecosystem (TMC, expense accounts, IK, taxis), the aim is to produce an overall report, then segment by entity to activate the right levers: rail/air substitution, choice of cabin class, optimised itineraries or videoconferencing. Ideally, this monitoring is part of a carbon trajectory and explicit arbitration rules between performance, experience and sustainability.

Amplifying the impact: internal benchmarking and governance

To set the pace and create emulation, calculate a company average and break down each indicator by department or unit. This visibility encourages healthy competition and the sharing of best practice. Pace the reviews – quarterly for operations, half-yearly for policy and sourcing – and set alert thresholds for each KPI (fall in the online rate, rise in leakage, carbon budget exceeded) so that you can act quickly. It all depends on what’s at stake for your organisation.

From measurement to action

Indicators are only valuable if they feed into a living action plan. Start by adjusting the travel policy: clarify the rules for anticipation and approval, provide a framework for bleisure, document exceptions and align everything with a credible carbon trajectory. Follow up with targeted communication and training to deal with recurring irritants, improve the use of tools and promote alternatives (rail, videoconferencing).

On the supplier side, negotiate on the basis of real usage – new destinations, durations, categories of accommodation – and consolidate volumes via official channels to strengthen negotiating power. Finally, automate and simplify: integrate booking tools, expense reports and accounting, implement ex-ante and ex-post controls, and set up intelligent compliance rules to reduce errors and free up time.

Managing travel is about much more than monitoring budgets. It’s about orchestrating a system where adoption, compliance, quality of experience and sustainability are mutually reinforcing. By structuring these indicators, segmenting them by business unit and linking them to pragmatic action plans, you can maximise People-Profit-Planet and secure a critical area of business performance.

If you want to make your Travel & Expense system simpler, safer and more widely accepted in the field, Odyssey can provide end-to-end support – audit, strategy, sourcing, implementation, change – for smoother, more sustainable travel and expense management.