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Fine tuning global pre-trip approval.

Article Excerpt
Company: Electronic Data Systems Corp.

Headquarters: Plano, Texas

2002 U.S. booked air volume: $61.4 million

Ten years after successfully implementing a pre-trip authorization policy at Electronic Data Systems, global corporate travel manager Jack Witherspoon has integrated more booking technology into the process, refining and streamlining travel approvals and bookings.

While the policy worldwide initially was enacted to justify and track bookings made through the agency res center, Witherspoon continues to tailor the workflow to apply to online booking channels. "We put pre-trip in because we wanted managers to think about whether a trip was necessary, or whether it was necessary to send four or five people on a trip when one or two would be better. That's what it actually did," Witherspoon said. "We were trying to change behaviors. It made managers think, 'Do I really need to approve this?' Also, it gave them a bit of insight because travelers are supposed to estimate a trip cost for hotels, meals and...