5 Reasons Why Human Resources Teams Love Amex GBT Neo

5

Jan

14,

2025,

8

minutes

read

HR teams might not handle travel directly, but they play a big part in shaping corporate travel programs - rightly so. Business travel can really affect how employees feel and perform, from their productivity to their health and mindset. That's why having the HR team's input helps keep travelers safe and happy, boosting both employee satisfaction and retention.

Business travel doesn't just affect individuals - it can impact the health of entire teams and the company as a whole. In today's hybrid work environment, it plays a key role in building stronger teams and a cohesive workplace culture. It's also crucial for onboarding and training, especially for remote new hires, making HR's involvement even more vital.

So, what can the HR team do to improve employees' experience of the travel program? Help them find the perfect travel management solution that not only keeps trips running smoothly but also prioritizes employee well-being. After all, happy travelers make for happy teams - and HR professionals know better than anyone how crucial that is for attracting new employees and keeping existing ones around.

If your company is in search of such a solution, we'd like to recommend Amex GBT Neo for the job. Neo is a comprehensive solution offering a complete travel and expense management experience, thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of both the company and its travelers.

If we were to write a resume for Neo, here are five strengths we'd highlight.

1. Neo offers something for all team members.

When you discover a solution that meets the needs of employees across multiple teams, it's a major victory for human resources. Neo delivers just that.

Employees and travel arrangers will love how Neo brings everything - trip planning, booking, and managing - together in one easy-to-use platform.

Travel managers will find the features that automate trip approval workflows and simplify policy enforcement with customizable settings especially useful. Meanwhile, finance teams gain real-time reporting, offering instant travel and expense insights for smarter decisions.

HR and diversity, equity, and inclusion teams will appreciate that the booking tool meets universal accessibility guidelines, making it a great fit for people with disabilities.

Hiring managers can highlight the traveler perks available through Neo when choosing candidates for roles involving extensive travel. These include things like loyalty integrations, preferential rates with complimentary amenities, and 24/7 support via multiple channels.

And senior leaders? They'll be impressed with how much Neo can save the company on travel (more on that later).

The result? A more happy, more engaged workplace, making HR management smoother and easier.

2. Neo saves teams time, boosts employee performance.

At a time when work-life balance is a priority, a travel management solution that frees up employees' time and mind is a major perk.

With Neo, employees can say goodbye to the hassle of navigating multiple websites and filling out numerous booking forms. Our centralized platform offers single sign-on and a seamless user experience that streamlines both travel and expense management workflows.

There's no endless swiping between windows, tabs, and screens. Using artificial intelligence, it offers an intuitive search experience, automatically generating itinerary suggestions tailored to travelers' preferences and past journeys.

With just three quick clicks and in under three minutes, users can seamlessly book policy-compliant, door-to-door travel - including flights, hotels, rail, and ground transport. Our self-service omnichannel platform allows them to effortlessly manage and modify their reservations at any time, from anywhere.

Handling expenses is just as straightforward. Our user-friendly interface enables travelers to manage their expenses on the go. The system remembers their progress, so even if they're interrupted by a phone call or need to board a flight, they can pick up right where they left off without starting over.

Our optical character recognition technology streamlines the process of scanning receipts. Employees simply scan their expense documents, and the tool accurately auto-fills the details, saving them time and effort.

3. Neo can enhance the employee experience.

Does Traveler A favor a premium economy seat and a boutique hotel in a trendy area, while Traveler B focuses on productivity with in-flight Wi-Fi and a hotel near the meeting spot? Whatever your travelers prefer, Neo offers a wide range of flights, accommodations, and amenities to fit their schedules and tastes. With access to over 600 airlines, 200,000 routes, and 2 million properties across 180 countries, travelers won't run out of travel options.¹²³

Booking through the Neo platform also grants you access to our Preferred Extras program, which offers perks like complimentary breakfast, high-speed Wi-Fi, and flexible cancellation policies.

Our booking tool is designed to echo the simplicity of popular consumer websites. It automatically reserves seats based on fare type or a traveler's airline loyalty status. This way, you won't need to book seats on the airline's website after your initial reservation, as some other tools require.

HR professionals get how crucial employee engagement surveys and feedback are for performance management. That's why we think they'll be interested to hear that we actively welcome travelers' input through our feedback channels and sessions. Because our booking technology is proprietary, we have the flexibility to develop and improve the tool based on their input and clients' evolving business needs.

4. Neo excels in supporting employees' safety and well-being.

Just like the human resources department, we offer comprehensive support to promote employee wellness. With Neo, travelers have access to round-the-clock help, 365 days a year, so travelers are covered at every phase - and every second - of their journey. Travelers can connect with our global team of travel counselors via phone, app - even popular communication channels like Slack, WhatsApp, and Microsoft Teams.

When plans to meet in person are disrupted by a flight cancellation, travelers won't face the problem alone. No matter the time of day, our proactive flight-monitoring technology automatically sends notifications to potentially impacted travelers and offers immediate rebooking assistance.

We go beyond protecting travelers physically - we also safeguard their personal information. Our privacy program is rooted in European Union principles, known for being part of the most rigorous and comprehensive privacy laws worldwide.

Building on these strong privacy principles, we've created a new feature within Neo called Invite a Guest that allows guest travelers to securely enter their details. It's a great fit for job candidates traveling for interviews and newly hired employees who require in-person training and employee onboarding.

Travel arrangers simply generate a temporary email invitation, granting guests access to Neo. From there, a single sign-on directs them into the platform, where they can safely input their private information to complete the booking.

5. Neo can reduce your company's travel costs.

Now, saving money may not be the HR department's primary focus, but when a tool cuts costs and boosts employee satisfaction, it's a win for everyone. And with less time spent chasing deals, employees have more time to focus on their core responsibilities.

Because your organization will have access to American Express Global Business Travel's negotiated rates, discounts of up to 50% (depending on the content travelers book) are a click away. And if you've secured special pricing with preferred suppliers, Neo puts those hard-won rates front and center, making them easy to spot at the top of search results.

Travelers won't have to worry about timing a booking exactly right to nab the best deal on travel content. With our re-shopping services, itineraries are automatically rebooked and reticketed when airfares and hotel rates drop. The savings add up without any extra effort from travelers.

Implementing a travel policy is a smart strategy for reducing travel costs, and Neo's built-in visual cues make boosting compliance easy.

As soon as users log in, they receive clear reminders of the travel policy. Noncompliant options are flagged upfront, encouraging travelers to rethink their choices. Plus, finding the right content becomes seamless with a search engine that highlights compliant options tailored to travelers' preferences.

Neo has got you covered: greater policy compliance, lower costs, and enhanced duty of care - all without adding extra work to employees' plates. That's a big victory for HR teams!

Discover more about how Neo can improve your travel and expense management processes to create a happier work environment.