Things Your TMC Should Be Doing: How To Tell When It’s Time To Switch
Things Your TMC Should Be Doing go far beyond basic bookings. If your travel partner isn’t delivering these essentials, it may be time to switch providers.
Finding the best Travel Management Company (TMC) can seem daunting, but there are clear markers of excellence. The right partner makes corporate and group travel effortless, helps you save both time and money, and protects your team while they travel.
1. Gives Great Personal Service
A truly service-driven TMC will anticipate your needs before you even ask, from reminding you of policy compliance deadlines to suggesting cost-saving alternatives for frequent routes. They should be reachable, responsive, and invested in your success — not just handling transactions, but actively making travel smoother and more efficient for your team.
Your TMC should act as an extension of your own team — a proactive partner that understands your business, travel policy and traveller preferences. Never accept a provider that only deals via an anonymous call centre. Instead, insist on a dedicated account manager who:
- knows your company’s travel policy and cost priorities,
- can make fast decisions and exceptions when required,
- builds long-term relationships with your frequent travellers to improve the travel experience.
If you have to repeat basic information every time you call, the service isn’t personal — consider alternatives.
2. Have Long Term Staff – Things Your TMC Should Be Doing
When a TMC retains experienced employees, you benefit from continuity — the same people know your travellers, preferences, and policies. This builds trust, speeds up communication, and avoids the frustration of having to re-explain your requirements every time. If your TMC can’t hold on to their staff, chances are they won’t be able to hold on to your business either.
Things Your TMC Should Be Doing – Low staff turnover at your TMC usually equals consistency, institutional knowledge and better service. Long-standing staff are familiar with complex itineraries, supplier relationships and your company’s history — all of which reduce errors and speed up problem resolution.
Red flag: frequent staff churn, multiple account handovers, or lack of named contacts.
3. Quality & Useful Reporting
High-quality reporting is the backbone of effective travel management. Your TMC should provide clear, actionable insights that help you track spend, monitor compliance, and identify cost-saving opportunities. Reports should be customised to your company’s needs — not generic templates that add little value. A strong TMC delivers easy-to-read dashboards, real-time data, and bespoke analysis so you can make informed decisions quickly. If your reports don’t save you time or reveal ways to optimise travel, your TMC isn’t doing its job.
Reporting should save you time and surface actionable insights — not produce pages of irrelevant data. A high-quality TMC will:
- deliver bespoke reports tailored to your KPIs (cost-per-trip, compliance, traveler spend),
- offer automated dashboards and regular insights reviews,
- provide exportable data for finance and reconciliation without extra charge.
If reports feel generic or are billed as add-ons, you’re not getting true management intelligence.
4. A One Stop Shop
Your TMC should manage the full travel lifecycle — flights, accommodation, ground transport, visas, and events. Using one provider for corporate travel and group/event logistics reduces complexity, improves vendor leverage and gives a consistent traveller experience.
Things Your TMC Should Be Doing – Ask whether your TMC can handle events and group bookings end-to-end and provide a single invoice/statement for easier accounting.
5. Have Local Knowledge
Local presence or strong local partnerships matter. A TMC with ground contacts can assist travellers on arrival, advise on local entry requirements, and handle in-destination issues faster. This is especially important for conferences, multi-city itineraries and emergency support.
Tip: Ask for examples of local support provided during recent events or disruptions.
6. Use The Latest Technology – Things Your TMC Should Be Doing
Modern TMCs use platforms, mobile apps and APIs to make booking, approvals and reporting frictionless. Look for:
- self-service booking tools with policy controls,
- mobile itineraries and real-time alerts,
- integrations with expense and HR systems.
If your provider resists new tech or forces manual processes, you’ll lose time and traveller satisfaction.
7. Have A 24/7 Service to Deal with Emergency Travel Situations
Travel never follows business hours. Your TMC must offer true 24/7 support with clear escalation procedures so travellers can get help at any hour. Evaluate them on:
- demonstrated emergency response plans,
- case studies of incident handling (cancellations, medical, repatriation),
- local partners for on-the-ground assistance.
If they can’t explain how they’ll protect travellers during a crisis, don’t outsource your travel risk to them.
8. Time Is Money
A strong TMC saves staff time at every step — approvals, booking, changes, expense reconciliation. They should:
- reduce administrative overhead with efficient workflows,
- negotiate supplier rates to lower total cost of travel,
- proactively flag policy breaches and opportunities to save.
If your current provider wastes more time than they save, it’s time to move on. Choose a partner who values speed, accuracy and cost-effectiveness.
FAQ – Things Your TMC Should Be Doing
Q: What should I ask potential TMCs during selection?
A: Ask about assigned account managers, staff turnover, reporting capabilities, technology stack, 24/7 support, local presence, sample KPIs they can improve, and references from clients in your sector.
Q: How can I measure if a TMC is delivering value?
A: Track measurable KPIs — cost-per-trip, compliance rates, average booking lead time, traveller satisfaction scores, and time saved on administration. Compare these before and after onboarding a TMC.
Q: Do TMCs handle corporate events as well as individual travel?
A: The best TMCs do both. Look for a provider that bundles event logistics, group bookings and travel procurement to streamline invoicing and supplier negotiation.
Q: What are red flags that indicate I should change my TMC?
A: High staff churn, poor or costly reporting, lack of named contacts, no disaster response plan, outdated technology, and failure to demonstrably save time or money.
Q: How long does it take to transition to a new TMC?
A: Transition time varies, but a good TMC will provide a clear onboarding timeline, migrate supplier relationships and set up reporting and traveller profiles with minimal disruption.
Choose a TMC That Actually Does the Heavy Lifting
Select a travel partner that is flexible, tech-savvy, and committed to traveller safety. The right TMC becomes a force-multiplier for your business — saving money, simplifying processes and improving the travel experience for everyone involved.
Why Pure Business Travel?
At Pure Business Travel we pride ourselves on being flexible, friendly, and focused on delivering measurable value. Things Your TMC Should Be Doing – Learn more about our corporate and group travel management services here: Pure Business Travel — Corporate & Group Travel.
