Andrea Herrera, Global Workplace Operations Manager at Beekeeper

Beekeeper

4global locations

Workforce management

279

Zurich, Switzerland

How TravelPerk offered Beekeeper a modern solution for travel management

Beekeeper was looking to update their travel booking process

Beekeeper is a software platform that helps companies connect their frontline workers through digital solutions. Their mission is to help people work better together—particularly deskless and essential workers, who represent 80% of the global workforce.

Andrea Herrera is the Global Workplace Operations Manager at Beekeeper. She manages everything related to the employee experience, including physical and remote offices in Germany, Poland, Switzerland, and the US.

With so many global team members, Beekeeper’s teams often need to coordinate across countries and plan events in different locations. This involves a lot of business travel.

When Andrea started at Beekeeper, the company had just implemented a new software tool: TravelPerk. The goal was to streamline and modernize Beekeeper’s travel booking process. Previously, travel bookings had been done manually, which wasn’t the most efficient.

“The office manager used to just receive requests and probably spend the whole day booking for people, which is insane and totally unproductive.”

Andrea Herrera- Global Workplace Operations Manager at Beekeeper

TravelPerk helped Beekeeper automate tasks and offered the key integrations they needed

When searching for a travel management tool, Beekeeper was specifically looking for an integration with BambooHR. They knew this was a must, because it would remove a lot of manual work. They also opted for an integration with Yokoy, a spend management tool.

“TravelPerk feeds on BambooHR data on a regular basis, and I love that I don’t have to do anything about it. There’s just an automatic synchronization once a day, so all my employees are up to date. It reduces the manual work from my side, saving money and time.”

Andrea Herrera- Global Workplace Operations Manager at Beekeeper

The result? A huge increase in efficiency, from over a third of the office manager’s time spent on travel booking to just 1.5 hours per week

Today, Beekeeper spends much less time on travel management than they previously did. Andrea estimates that the previous office manager in the Zurich office spent up to 30-40% of her time on travel booking, which was far too much. With TravelPerk, this is down to about 1.5 hours per week.

They’ve now developed a streamlined operation that offers a strong ROI to the company. Andrea says that without the platform, Beekeeper would need an additional full-time staff member just to handle business travel.

TravelPerk also saves a lot of time for Beekeeper’s finance team, because invoicing processes are automated rather than done manually. And travelers themselves have everything at hand directly within the software, without having to upload additional documents.

“For us, it’s mainly about saving time and processes. It’s a modern solution, and I don’t think we would go with anything different than that.”

Andrea Herrera- Global Workplace Operations Manager at Beekeeper

An autonomous booking process for travelers

Beekeeper allows travelers to book transport and hotels freely, as long as the options are within policy. If they are out of policy, the traveler’s manager will get a notification for approval.

Andrea finds this process straightforward and appreciates the flexibility of it. Travelers also like having the freedom to book the options they prefer.

“Giving people flexibility is part of our company values. We have the value of being open, and that’s how we embody it. We trust our people to make conscious decisions about budget.”

Andrea Herrera- Global Workplace Operations Manager at Beekeeper

A friendly, supportive relationship with the account management team

Over the time that Beekeeper has been using TravelPerk, the team has developed strong relationships with their account managers. Andrea meets biweekly with her account manager, Tanguy, to address questions and troubleshoot any issues.

At times, TravelPerk’s account managers have gone above and beyond to make sure travelers at Beekeeper have a great experience. For example, there was a case where there was some confusion around a flight booked for the wrong time of day, and TravelPerk resolved the problem and covered the cost. Andrea also says Tanguy takes care to inform her of updates in a timely manner, such as changes to the reporting tool.

“We were very lucky to have fantastic customer support from formerly Miriam, and now Tanguy. Now we’ve established a personal relationship with them, which for me is everything, since I’m a people person. Having that relationship has made all the difference.”

Andrea Herrera- Global Workplace Operations Manager at Beekeeper

Valuable reporting insights

The Beekeeper team also appreciates the many features that TravelPerk provides. For example, the reporting tool is essential for Beekeeper’s forecasting. They use TravelPerk data to make informed decisions about travel and events.

Andrea likes that she can easily get the figures she needs on a daily basis, without having to export a spreadsheet every time.

“For me, the reporting tool is everything. That’s where I base my insurance policies, my forecasts for next year, and what I need to budget in terms of travel. It’s super important for us to have a good reporting tool.”

Andrea Herrera- Global Workplace Operations Manager at Beekeeper

Overall, Beekeeper looks forward to a continued close relationship with the TravelPerk team to help them get the most from the software.

What TravelPerk provided

Flexible travel management reporting

Easy integrations

Automated travel policies and in-app approvals

Industry-leading inventory

24/7 support and assistance

Speak to a travel expert

Want to know how we can take your business travel to the next level? Schedule a live, personalised demo with a TravelPerk expert to find out.

Train Plane Travel

Want to hear more customer stories?