Case Study: Cost Savings & Online Adoption

Overview

One of the ETP’s largest construction providers and a member of the FTSE250. This customer specializes in delivering innovative, sustainable solutions across the entire project lifecycle.

The key objectives were:

• Streamline and enhance MI reporting
• Manage over 600,000 task codes efficiently
• Consolidation of their hotel programme
• Full visibility into VAT billbacks and reconciliation
• Improve team productivity by leveraging advanced technology solutions

Challenges

The challenges included:

• Lack of visibility into travel spend and policy adherence.
• Too many hotels (approx. 300+) making it difficult to manage.
• Difficulty in correctly assigning travelers to projects.
• Lack of reporting to update and track project allocations.

Solutions

Consolidation of hotel program: By integrating the client’s existing hotel program with ETP’s Global Hotel Network, the client was able to leverage greater booking volumes with selected hotel partners. This strategic consolidation enabled the negotiation of preferential rates, value-added benefits, and improved traveler satisfaction — all while driving measurable cost savings.

Automation of task code assignment: ETP implemented an HR data feed to automate the allocation of project and task codes, reducing manual intervention and administrative errors. A dynamic allocation system was also introduced, ensuring that travelers were automatically assigned to the correct projects based on real-time updates — streamlining processes and improving productivity.

Enhancing policy compliance through technology: ETP’s proprietary online booking platform, Lightning, uses automated communication prompts to encourage compliant booking behavior. Pop-up nudges guide users toward policy-aligned travel options, while reason codes are triggered when higher-priced alternatives are selected. This real-time feedback loop reinforces compliance and promotes smarter, cost-efficient booking decisions.

Internal training on policy & compliance: ETP conducted in-person and collaborative training sessions designed to strengthen policy awareness and minimize out-of-policy bookings. By partnering with the client’s internal training team, ETP expanded program reach across departments — cultivating a culture of informed, compliant travel decisions.

Reporting & dashboards: Custom-built automated reports and intuitive dashboards were developed to provide real-time visibility into travel spend and policy performance. ETP also delivered hands-on ad-hoc reporting training for key stakeholders, empowering them to monitor, analyze, and optimize travel data independently.

Improved VAT reclaim: ETP implemented enhanced VAT reconciliation tools that provide detailed, line-by-line transaction insights. This transparency enabled the client to identify eligible transactions and maximize VAT reclaim opportunities — unlocking additional cost savings across the travel program.

Results

Cost Savings: Achieved a saving over $300,000 on 19,830 bookings over a 2-month period – Potential annualized savings of over $1.5M at month two.

Traveler Satisfaction: Online adoption increased by 20% sitting at an overall rate of 91% through use of CTM proprietary OBT, Lightning.

Efficiency Gains: Successful automated project and task code assignments reducing administrative time by 2hrs per day.

Policy Compliance: Improved compliance rates from 67% to 98% within 3 months.