Travel Expenses Impact Small Business

Business owners prefer face-to-face meetings but an increase in travel cost and non-compliance with corporate travel policies create challenges. There are solutions, however, that are simple and effective.

Problem: High Travel Costs

In a recent travel trends study, more than 84% of business owners cited ever-increasing hotel and airfare rates as a strain on their bottom line. However, many of these businesses also report a reduction in their travel budget. Despite higher cost and fewer miles per dollar, small businesses are spending more money than ever before on work-related trips.

A major cause for concern amongst travelers is difficulty during the reservation process. Many business travelers report that seat reservations on low-cost carriers are more difficult than ever to come by and ancillary services are challenging the book. [Read more…]

Young Americans Prefer Electronic Media When Seeking Customer Service

In a new study by messaging service provider HeyWire Business, over half of the 700 respondents were more likely to use texting as their main method of accessing customer support. The survey results indicate a significant interest of consumers in today’s tech-savvy world to use text as a way to raise awareness of customer service issues.

Among people ages 18-34, 53 percent of consumers seeking customer support prefer using some form of electronic media – text, Web chat, email or social media – instead of picking up the phone and making a call. With younger Americans using text as a primary way to engage with brands and businesses around the world, this trend is expected to increase in popularity. [Read more…]