Business Mobility is the movement of people within a business – the method of transport they use to travel, the process they use to plan journeys, the payment of travel and actual journey they take. Business Mobility therefore is a hugely important element of business operations in terms of resource, cost and efficiency. However, it is often overlooked as an administrative task with little impact or influence on the long term strategy of the business.
In reality, Business Mobility can be a hidden burden on operational costs if ignored, or a positive influence on internal resourcing and travel costs if considered appropriately. For larger enterprise organisations, Business Mobility can consume millions of pounds worth of revenue every year and could be the difference between profit and loss.
What is it?
Business Mobility is much more than just a decision to have a company car or not. It is far more complex and can be used describe any of the below elements:
Journey Planning
- The research, decision making and booking of a journey for one or more employees in advance or at last minute
- Co-ordination and storage of travel booking data such as tickets, reservation numbers and itinerary
- Assessment and comparison of travel options for cost-efficiency
- Ensuring personal preferences are adhered to e.g. comfort of journey, preferred transport providers, travel times
Fleet Management
- Management of company vehicles, maintenance and upkeep
- Co-ordination of employees and regulations for company car usage e.g. insurance, qualifications
- Booking of company fleet vehicles for employees and management of expenses
Corporate Social Responsibility
- Ensuring business travel uses clean, sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation and technology
- Encourage a positive work culture for transport e.g comfort, reasonable travel times
- Reducing waste and costs with my efficient journey planning
Expense Claim
- Management and processing of travel expenses for vehicles and employees
- Analysis of expenses and financial impact to the business strategy
Why is it important?
Business Mobility encompasses various elements of every-day business operations that can have a positive or negative impact depending on the approach taken. Failure to recognise the influence and impact of Business Mobility can lead to:
- Expensive travel costs
- Time consuming tasks that reduce efficiency
- Lack of knowledge about the true cost of mobility
- Responsibility to manage/acquire assets that are not cost-effective
- Lower employee engagement through stress / poorly planned travel
- Additional complications and costs such as upkeep, insurance, legal regulations, employee rights, liability
Alternatively, a business that identifies the important of business mobility and implements a strategy to address all the tasks outlined in the earlier section – What – can reap greater rewards for their business, such as:
- Greater insight into running costs for travel
- Make better decisions based on data rather than anecdotal hunches
- Improved cost efficiency for journeys e.g. taking a plan may be cheaper for 5 people than the train
- Better employee engagement by giving them the power to plan their own journey based on their preferences
- Faster and simpler processes to travel make for less stress and less time spent
- Stronger process for collecting and organising bookings, costs and expenses for all employees
How is it done?
Business Mobility is usually evident in all types of business across all varieties of employees. An employee expensing a taxi receipt to get to a meeting or a personal assistant booking some train tickets on their employers behalf both show Business Mobility.
In some organisations Business Mobility is strictly regulated through internal policy, either to avoid high costs or time wasted. This may be an office manager or travel manager who is responsible for all travel arrangements. In other businesses, the planning, booking and payment of a journey may be the responsibility of the person actually travelling. Whilst this is more flexible, it could mean that Business Mobility is undertaken unregulated. In many larger businesses, Business Mobility may be a specific strategy, such as Fleet Management, where the company has invested in vehicles for official company use by their employees.
Whether you have an official Business Mobility strategy or not, it is very likely that it is happening in your business at this very moment. Mobility as a Service platforms such as Mobilleo ensure that if it is indeed happening, it’s being done effectively to ensure efficiency.