CASE STUDIES
BETTER TRAVEL, PROVEN RESULTS
We understand that you want results and what better way to prove we can deliver than to showcase a few of our success stories.
Oxera and YourData
Oxera wanted to be able to view data reporting online to enable them to see their travel spend activity per Oxera business entity as well as gaining visibility of WTT carbon data reporting for the annual travel booked by the company.
Concur Comparison
We took a typical week in September 2021, looking at 6 clients and their hotel self-booking habits for that week, to see if they could have saved money by using our own tool rather than their incumbent Concur solution.
On a like-for-like basis, the results surprised even us!
Consolidated Expense System
Gray Dawes has provided our client, an international marine vessel operator, with their full scope of travel services for over 6 years. The client has grown significantly in recent years, but they were conducting their business travel and expense management in the manner of a much smaller company.
- Expenses submitted manually on a spreadsheet.
- Each expense (over 500 per month) checked by a member of the Accounts Payable Team – taking 1 day per month of their time.
- Each expense is manually input into ERP System.
- HR would manually cross check and approve each expense (from £2 for a coffee to £700 for van hire) taking 2 days per month of their time.
- Invoices and receipts were posted / emailed to Accounts Payable
Savings Initiative
Gray Dawes has provided 91 (previously Investec Asset Management) with their full scope of travel services
(corporate travel, meetings and events, VIP & Visa services) and have been in partnership with them for 20 years.
We have built a strong joint partnership with the client in both their UK and South Africa operations. The contract has grown and evolved as Investec has expanded with Gray Dawes; sharing new ideas within our partnership to maximise the benefit and values of the business.
Sustainable Travel Agenda
EIC Climate-Kic are a recent example of a global client requiring total consolidation via the Atriis platform. They have 15 global locations and require billing in GBP and EUR, with local language support.
They chose Gray Dawes due to our capabilities of delivering complex Atriis global solutions, alongside driving their sustainable travel agenda. We have spent significant time redeveloping their travel policy and building out into the Atriis ‘one platform’ solution, billing in multiple currencies.
Global Partnership
Won in early 2019 and went live in June 2019 as part of a partnership with a USA based TMC to manage all the client’s UK and European based business travel. This is a Multi-million pound contract utilising Atriis across their key markets. Their previous online adoption was at 40% with their TMC and Concur platform. Within month one, they achieved an adoption of 95% on Atriis, which has since risen to a steady 97%. We achieved 10% savings in hotels in year one, purely through accessing Atriis hotel content; this wasn’t expected due to the historic global hotel programme in place.
Accountancy
Our initial key task was the management of the implementation of an online booking system for UK bookers and travellers within a very tight timeframe. Providing the necessary training to the client’s staff to ensure high levels of adoption from day one. Also, we put together an online support structure to enable quick and easy tool support should any queries or issues arise.
- Immediate 27% reduction in average rail fares through increased cost awareness (visual guilt)
- Quick and tailored implementation process with no additional charges
- Current online utilisation stands at 98.9% (from 0% base)
- All bookings in line with travel policy and authorisation protocols
- Access to industry leading tool; functionality, speed and stability
- Continual provision of training; new bookers, refresher and system update
- Enhanced Management Information reports including declined savings.com
Business Continuity
Stability is of vital importance to the successful operation of our business, however from time to time incidents occur that are out of our control, for which we ensure we are fully prepared.
“Calls were answered within 5 rings and all emails were responded to within 2 hours as per our SLA.
It was business as usual, we have many London office home workers and the lines were diverted to Colchester so there was no impact to customers”
Hotel Savings
Recently the purchasing department of one of our clients “challenged” us (GDG) to prove our value in the booking of their business hotels after claims from a small number of travellers that they could get cheaper hotel rates by securing reservation direct with the hotel or via third-party consumer aggregator websites.
May 2018: £17,891 saving achieved
Equating to: 6% reduction in spend
Sports Travel
The Club has a diverse travel need that incorporates the management of a number of differing needs and expectations. This varies from day to day business travel through to complex and demanding team movements which included; first team travel including aircraft charter, full travel management for scouting network, youth team and trialist travel planning, day to day travel management for senior executives commercial and media teams transactions are increasing 20% year on year.
- A single travel provider to manage all the club’s diverse needs
- Significant improvement in service and response times
- Centralised collection and management of corporate loyalty schemes delivering significant savings
- Single monthly consolidated invoice split by cost centre
- Comprehensive Management Information highlighting spend profile, trends and opportunities for further savings
- Travel policy implementation and enforcement
- Seamless 24/7 service
Implementation
JDX Consulting had no documented policy or defined process when it came to business travel. Each individual booked travel online using their personal credit card and claimed back on expenses. The reconciliation process for each individual expense claim placed a particular strain on the Finance team and took out 4 working days of time a month. The company also lacked visibility of their travellers which caused concerns over duty of care. The lack of policy and compliance also contributed to increased costs and concerns about best value.
Arranged traveller drop in sessions to meet the dedicated Travel Consultant and Account Manager
Developed travel policy, bench marked against similar clients
Established rate caps for hotels in key locations
Set up account facility meaning only one payment per month
Ability to book travel throughout the implementation period
Developed traveller profiling tool
Strategic Account Management
Part of our Account Management service is to provide strategic ways in which cost savings can be realised. We reviewed LEVC (manufacturers of the iconic black cabs) travel spend.
We analysed the following; management information, policy, suppliers and online adoption.
- £25,000 worth of savings identified;
- Move from higher-cost airlines £9,000
- Increase use of Geeley’s hotel local rates £10,000
- Supplier Agreements – BA OnBusiness and Virgin Flying Co £7,000
- Increased advance booking for domestic and European flights £7,000
- Sign up to EU Flex £2,000
- Increasing online use would decrease transaction fees
Online Cost Savings
Gray Dawes identified opportunities for GAB Robins to make considerable savings by booking more travel online. Our aim was to; achieve an overall online target of 80% from 40%, , individual targets for each travel element i.e. Domestic Air 75% and UK rail 85% to identify areas of success and areas for improvement, encourage advance purchase of rail tickets and reduce ticket on departure bookings, educate bookers to think smarter’ and plan and book flights further in advance, educate bookers on different types of rail fares, encourage booking more restricted tickets, mandate all point to point, domestic and European flights, hotels and UK rail to be booked online.
- £168,000 savings made in 2 years.
- Achieved online adoption target of 80% in first year
- Increased online adoption to 88% second year.
Increased online rail bookings to 94%
Changed bookers behaviour through education and communication
Travel For Medical Services
Our task was to move the management of travel to a centrally managed process through Gray Dawes effectively managing costs, supplying a robust and comprehensive round the clock service, gaining travellers and bookers buy in, after doing it so long in house.
Fees £46k, demonstrable savings achieved £125k
£30k split ticketing saving
£12k negotiated airfare saving
£52k of free British Airways flights accrued
£15k of free Star Alliance flights accrued
£5k “waivers and favours” savings
Up to 50% saving on consular fees
£11k saving through online booking communication drive
Risk Management
It is every company’s worst fear to have business travellers embroiled in an unforeseeable incident. On 22nd May 2017 Manchester became the subject of a co-ordinated terrorist attack which targeted a concert at Manchester Arena.
Gray Dawes takes the safety of its clients’ employees very seriously and as soon as news of the terrorist attack broke, a combination of quick thinking, technology and documented processes ensured we could promptly locate all our clients’ employees who were in Manchester at the time of the incident.
“I just wanted to say a big thank-you to you / your team for all your efforts last night and early this morning. It’s very much appreciated”
Media Travel
Red Bee Media wanted to consolidate their travel spend through a single travel management in order to maintain control and gain complete visibility of their travel spend. They already had an internal travel team, however were using multiple channels, had lack of visibility of spend, traveller tracking and out of hours support.
Savings of £109,000 within 12 months
Quick and tailored implementation process with no additional charges
Online utilisation 92% (from 0% base)
All bookings in line with travel policy and authorisation protocols
Access to industry-leading tool; functionality, speed, and stability
Enhanced Management Information reports including declined savings.com
Wealth Management
This client has a diverse travel profile including overseas client visits, internal UK office travel as well as attending meetings and conferences.
Our initial task was to ensure we were maximising their £500,000 annual travel spend, ensuring control and simplifying their existing expense reclaim system.
3% reduction in year on year travel spend
8% reduction in average airfares
7% reduction in average hotel rates
£10 per night reduction in most frequently used hotels
Travel policy control has decreased First Class rail travel to less than 2%
Utilisation of high value, flexible rail tickets has reduced from 24% to 16% of transactions
Consolidated monthly invoice file sorted by cost centre for easy internal accounting
Customer Service
Recently a travel booker of one of our clients encountered numerous challenges with their current supplier, when trying to arrange travel for a student.
The passenger, a Nigerian PhD student, who the University had been trying to get to the UK for over a month. Having encountered obstacles at every stage of the process, including delays, contradictory advice, breakdowns in communication from their usual supplier prevented flights being secured. It was with this that she decided to contact Gray Dawes to find a solution.
“She has been wonderful to deal with and wanted to share this with you. Going forward for any travel and accommodation bookings, I will definitely be coming to Gray Dawes Travel first”
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