10 Visa Management Company Must-Haves
Managed travel has changed significantly in recent years. Online solutions have changed how visas are distributed and, as a result, travel management companies have had to reinvent how they operate. Within organizations, travel managers have taken on new roles, often functioning within procurement departments. With nearly every aspect of travel successfully managed today, it may seem that no stone has been left unturned.
This is not, however, entirely true. Visa and passport management is simultaneously the most overlooked component of business travel and the most essential. If you book a trip without the proper documentation, you probably won’t make it on the plane!
With so many companies offering visa related services, it can be difficult to choose the right provider for your travel executives. This guide helps ensure a good fit between your company’s needs and the visa and passport application solution you ultimately select.
Recommendations
1 — Look at each supplier’s footprint
In the travel industry, there’s no such thing as a centralized location. In order to deliver your visa, the company you choose to work with must have a presence in the country you are applying from. Agents need to physically deliver your passport to the proper embassy or consulate should be processed and stamped. You have to pick a supplier who has an office in the nations where your travelers do business.
2 — Online Solutions
Nowadays, people expect every company they work with, both in the travel industry and in other fields, to offer online services. This is not, however, a given. Many visa and passport suppliers have few, if any, online services available. Do your due diligence and make sure you choose a solution that will provide your employees with an incredible user experience and your administrative staff with full-fledged reporting tools and an advanced API integration. Along the way, you may need your visa application solution to be fully integrated with the travel booking expense solution for end-to-end travel management. Can your current vendor accommodate this?