Nokia - TRX's Reporting and Analytics Power a New Way of Thinking for Nokia and its "Travelogic" Program

With 2009 net sales of €41 billion and more than 60,000 employees in 150 countries, Nokia is a world-leading corporation and one of the world’s most recognizable brands. In 2008, Nokia spent over €400 million to support the Travel and Entertainment needs of this organization; with just over €1 billion in advertising spend in the same year, the travel budget did not receive much scrutiny. In 2009, times and conditions changed with a global recession, all budgets, including the travel budget, faced tighter reviews.

The Problem

In an effort to better manage their travel costs, Nokia hired TRX to gain clear insight into its travel spend; a single source that provided what, where and with whom they were spending. Due to the global make up of the organization, no single source existed for the company. Nokia’s travel sourcing involved several Travel Management Companies (TMCs); each providing separate reporting with no way to consolidate the reports and receive a clear picture of their overall spend.

The Solution

Nokia turned to TRX and its travel reporting solution, TRAVELTRAX®, which helps over 6,000 corporations around the world gain a better understanding of their corporate travel data and more effectively manage their T&E costs. TRX provided Nokia with a clear and concise insight into their travel programs by aggregating and consolidating data from their multiple travel agencies. Armed with this information, Nokia gained a better understanding of their global travel spend, which vendors were used effectively, a clearer insight into traveler’s behavior, and how their travel budget was affected.

The Results

After analyzing their consolidated travel data, Nokia was able to achieve significant savings through sustained behavioral change, policy modifications, and supplier negotiations. They introduced “Travelogic”, a corporate-wide program designed to fundamentally change Nokia traveler’s mind-set about business travel. Embracing their corporate culture, “Travelogic” educated employees about the benefits of using preferred vendors, best practices for travel, and most importantly, alternatives to travel, such as video conferencing. Travelogic features consolidated reporting, enhancement and analysis supplied through TRAVELTRAX.

“Travelogic” has yielded some significant benefits:

• Reduction in travel expenditures from €400 million to €200 million
• Average ticket prices significantly down due to behavioral change such as booking 7 to 14 days in advance
• Video conferencing has more than doubled since early 2009
• Annual CO2 emissions from air travel reduced by more than 140K tones