Have you ever faced this situation? Your employee has just landed in a new city after a long, tiring journey. They are tired and waiting to check into a hotel to relax and unwind. But when they hand over their corporate card at the front desk, there is an issue with the credit card authorization.
Because of this, there has been a delay in their check-in process. This has caused confusion, adding unnecessary stress to you and the employees. Sounds familiar, right? But the truth is this is way too common in business travel.
According to GBTA, the business travel industry is expected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2027. With such immense growth, seamless transactions are needed more than ever. Over the years, the demand for smooth travel by employees has increased.
They expect a seamless travel experience from booking flights to hotels. However, travelers can face issues such as failed transactions and payment delays without the right payment methods. By implementing the correct payment methods, especially with credit card authorizations, companies can significantly improve the traveler experience.
But how do you do that? Let us help you understand how to eliminate such roadblocks and achieve smooth hotel transactions.
The Rising Need for Seamless and Contactless Payments
As the landscape of business travel changes, the demand for contactless and secure payment processes is also rising. Travelers now wish to avoid long queues at hotel check-in time, cumbersome reimbursement procedures, and the risk of a payment being declined.
According to a report by Invisible Bank, employees are getting annoyed with the long reimbursement process after a business trip. This leads to worn-out and dissatisfied employees. Employees are now looking for more seamless and contactless payment methods that not only save time but also enhance the traveler experience.
Virtual cards and credit card authorizations have emerged as game-changing solutions. They ensure pre-approved transactions, and provide 100% security and instant expense tracking. These solutions, specifically cc auth offer a hassle-free method to complete payments without depending on any physical card. They are one of the best methods to avoid any kind of fraud, confusion, and payment failures. They not only improve efficiency but also enhance the overall traveler experience.
You may also like: Importance of Credit Card Authorization in Corporate Hotel Booking.
Understanding Credit Card Authorization in Business Travel
Credit card authorization is a process where an organization validates a traveler’s credit card details to ensure that enough cash is available before any transaction is authorized. Corporate travelers need these transactions to be carried out. This is very crucial for employees as they must make seamless transactions without hitches for hotel bookings, transport, and other expenses to get done.
But sometimes, a few issues can arise such as declined payments, incorrect billing details, and delayed approvals. This, in turn, can affect the traveler experience. As a travel manager or an EA, you must ensure that these cc auth processes are smooth and hassle-free.
Steps to Improver Traveler Experience with Credit Card Authorization
Mentioned below are some of how you can improve traveler experience with the cc auth process:
1. Implement Virtual Cards
Virtual cards are digital cards that are issued for travelers for specific transactions. With a virtual card, companies can streamline their payment process.
- With a virtual card, travelers do not have to carry any physical card or use their cards. The virtual credit card details issued by your company are already mentioned in the cc auth form. Thus, eliminating the need for any physical card.
- These cards are assigned only for certain business expenses that come with a limit. Hence, these transactions are always authorized and are already pre-approved for certain business expenses.
- A VCC reduces the risk of fraud since these cards come with unique numbers and expiry dates for each transaction.
- A VCC makes payments seamless for both travelers and employees. Thus, reducing any kind of errors or miscommunication.
Also read: Implementing Virtual Card Payments: Enhancing Efficiency in Corporate Travel.
2. Ensure Pre-Authorization for Hotels and Vendors
Most hotels require a credit card authorization form before they confirm bookings. If there is no proper process, travelers can face issues such as check-in delays, check-in denials, and payment rejections.
- First and foremost, you must ensure that the hotel you are booking accepts corporate cards and understands your company’s policies.
- To ensure the hotel’s authenticity, you can send pre-filled authorization form to hotels before employees arrive at the hotel.
- It is always advised to verify with the hotel about the pre-authorization limits to prevent any cash leakages.
- Use travel management companies such as itilite which helps you streamline your authorization process.
3. Strengthen the Security of Corporate Cards
While making business transactions, security is of utmost importance. You should ensure that there is no fraud or unauthorized transactions taking place.
- Set spending limits to avoid any kind of unauthorized transactions. You can set pre-trip limits or daily set an amount.
- Include multi-factor authentication for your virtual cards. This ensures extra verification for bigger transactions.
- Use tools such as itilite to detect any suspicious or fraudulent transactions.
- Ensure that your virtual card has the feature to get quickly deactivated if the card details are compromised.
4. Inform the Employees About Your Word with Front Desk
When confirming the CCA, make sure to note and inform the traveler about the specific front office representative.
- Mentioning the front office representative’s name provides a point of contact in case any issues arise with the CCA. This ensures smoother resolution.
- If the traveler encounters any problems at check-in, they can refer to the specific staff member who handled the authorization.
5. Remove Expense Filing and Reconciliation
To ensure a hassle-free experience for travelers using CCAs, it’s important to streamline communication and reduce unnecessary administrative tasks.
- Since payments are directly authorized via CCA, travelers no longer need to collect receipts, fill out expense reports, or submit claims for reimbursement.
- Removing reconciliation tasks saves time for both travelers and finance teams, allowing employees to focus on their work.
- Automating payments through CCA reduces the risk of misplaced receipts, incorrect reimbursements, and delays in reconciliation.
6. Educate Employees on Payment Methods
Most employees are not aware of the credit card authorization process due to a lack of awareness. This can impact the traveler experience negatively.
- You must communicate with employees regarding the expenses which are chargeable and which are not.
- You should provide them with a support number or a helpline beforehand. This is when their payments get declined or don’t go through.
- Specify when personal cards and corporate cards should be used and how reimbursements work.
- Educate employees about the temporary holds adopted by hotels to avoid any last-minute confusion and issues.
Let itilite Manage Your Credit Card Authorization Process
With the growing business travel industry, a seamless business travel experience is the need of the hour. To enhance the traveler experience, the cc authorization process is very critical. By implementing the steps mentioned above, you can eliminate payment-related frustrations and improve the traveler experience.
Or else, you can take the help of itilite who will manage all your credit card authorization processes. itilite is a new-age travel management company that helps travelers and companies manage business travel seamlessly. If you don’t know how to get started with cc authorization forms or struggle with it, we will help you.
Right from when the business trip is announced till the time employees are back, the whole process will be taken care of by us. Additionally, we take the traveler experience seriously. So we also provide round-the-clock support in case of any emergencies.
Sit back and relax and let us handle your cc auth process.
To know more, book a free demo now!
