Documents
Part of Corporate travel booking software
Comparing approval workflows for business travel
Compare business travel approval rules, notifications, approver order, plan limits and what happens when a confirmed trip changes.
Compare business travel approvals by asking what decision is made, who makes it and whether booking must wait. A notification is not an approval gate. Approving a trip’s purpose differs from approving its selected fare or hotel.
Define the decisions first
For each traveller group, document the normal route and an exception. Include an in-policy domestic trip and a higher-cost option charged to a different cost centre. Name the line manager, budget owner or travel team member who should decide. State whether two decisions must occur in order or can occur together.
Situation / Decision to define
- In-policy booking
- Can it proceed, or is approval required?
- Out-of-policy option
- Must the booking wait for a named approver?
- Changed cost centre
- Does the approver change, and can a request be corrected?
- Approver absent
- Who may act, and how is that recorded?
- Post-booking change
- Does the new route or cost need fresh approval?
Record the expected outcome before asking a supplier to show the request through traveller, approver and booker roles. Check the final booking confirmation as well as the request screen.
Approval decisions to define before comparing platforms
- In-policy bookingcan it proceed, or is approval required?
- Out-of-policy optionmust the booking wait for a named approver?
- Changed cost centredoes the approver change, and can a request be corrected?
- Approver absentwho may act, and how is that recorded?
- Post-booking changedoes the new route or cost need fresh approval?
- For each traveller group, record the normal route plus an exception
Compare documented approaches
Perk documents travel approval processes, how multiple approval rules apply to a trip, specialist manager roles, and managing approvals for changes to booked trips. Ask how those processes and rules are configured for your traveller groups.
Overlapping rules need care. Ask how multiple matching rules are resolved and which rule determines the rest of the route. If a travel manager books on a traveller's behalf, ask how approval works for that booking and how it is recorded.
For changes to booked trips, ask how a change request is routed and who can approve it. Do not assume the original approval rule controls a later change.
Corporate Traveller describes embedded policy, approval hierarchies and cost centres on its Australian platform. Its Trip Options feature supports sending, comparing and approving policy-fit trip options in one place. Confirm whether choosing an itinerary also satisfies your required spend approval.
Confirm what happens when an option disappears while approval is pending.
What each supplier documents about travel approvals
- Perk: approval processes and overlapping rulesDocuments travel approval processes, how multiple approval rules apply to a trip, and specialist manager roles. Ask how multiple matching rules are resolved and which rule determines the rest of the route.
- Perk: changes to a booked tripCovers managing approvals for changes to booked trips. Ask how a change request is routed and who can approve it — do not assume the original approval rule controls a later change.
- Corporate Traveller: policy, hierarchies and cost centresDescribes embedded policy, approval hierarchies and cost centres on its Australian platform.
- Corporate Traveller: Trip OptionsSupports sending, comparing and approving policy-fit trip options in one place. Confirm whether choosing an itinerary also satisfies your required spend approval.
Rehearse an exception
Ask a supplier to show a fictional request requiring approval. Change its cost centre, select an out-of-policy option and have the intended approver decline it. Check what the traveller sees, whether a booking was made and how a corrected request is reviewed. Repeat with an absent approver, a manager booking on someone’s behalf and a change after confirmation.
Accept the route only when the authorised person sees the relevant itinerary and amount, the required booking gate works through every permitted route and staff know what to do with an urgent change. Record any manual approval that occurs outside the platform.
Exception rehearsal: what to ask a supplier to demonstrate
- Show a fictional request that requires approval
- Change its cost centre and check who the approver becomes
- Select an out-of-policy option
- Have the intended approver decline the request
- Check what the traveller sees, whether a booking was made, and how a corrected request is reviewed
- Repeat with an absent approver
- Repeat with a manager booking on someone's behalf
- Repeat with a change after confirmation
