How Salesforce simplifies business travel, engages employees, and reduces costs
INDUSTRY | TECH
Challenge
Improve travel convenience and satisfaction for a younger workforce. Reduce costs and complexity and enable travelers to focus on business, not travel logistics.
Solution
Lyft Business simplifies ground transportation thanks to convenient and reliable rides plus automated expensing. Real-time tracking aids duty of care. Business Rewards enhance engagement and compliance.
Impact
- Reduces ground transportation costs industry-wide by 30% or more
- Ensures ease and convenience, and decreases uncertainty for younger travelers
- Traveler-centric solution builds satisfaction and provides personal rewards
Software leader partners with Lyft to enhance employee productivity and improve the traveler experience.
Salesforce is the world’s leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform. More than 150,000 companies use Salesforce CRM solutions to grow their business by connecting with customers in completely new ways.
The Challenge
Salesforce’s U.S. travel program serves approximately 15,000 employees. Employees travel to close sales, help customers implement their solutions and improve sales effectiveness, deliver on-site support, and attend conferences or other events.
Since 2015, Salesforce has doubled its workforce — with many younger employees sharing the company’s business travel with veteran “road warriors.” These newer team members are busy, stressed, and often, multitasking. With a continuing challenge to attract and retain the best talent, Salesforce wanted an improved travel experience — one that’s engaging, easy to manage, and lets the company track where employees are on the road at all times.
“We wanted to simplify the process for all travelers, but especially for our younger employees — enabling people to be as productive as possible,” says Dorian Stonie, director of global travel for Salesforce. “Ridesharing services such as Lyft eliminate uncertainty and apprehension and let travelers focus on business.”
“We have a responsibility to get people to their destinations safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively. Lyft gives us the opportunity to offer alternative ground transportation for travelers.”
— Ryan Pierce
Senior Travel Manager for the Americas, Salesforce
The Opportunity
Salesforce and Lyft are collaborating on next-generation ground transportation solutions to engage business travelers and ensure duty of care — in ways that drive their business forward while rewarding employees and improving travel management.
“Partnering with Lyft lets us deliver a better traveler experience, while receiving real-time feedback about what’s working and what we can improve,” Stonie explains.
In addition, Salesforce — whose industry-leading 1-1-1 philanthropic model commits 1% of its employees’ time, products, and financial resources to support communities in need worldwide — chose Lyft because of the companies’ shared commitment to environmental concerns and giving back for common good.
The Solution
Salesforce relies on Lyft Business for ground transportation, using Lyft’s Business Profiles to simplify payment and expensing for frequent travelers. Travelers are also excited about the Lyft Business Rewards program, which offers $5 in personal Lyft credit for every five business rides taken.
Plus, in keeping with Salesforce’s Ohana “family” culture, the corporate travel team can reliably track employees when they travel — ensuring their care and support, and providing assistance if needed.
“We’re living in a crazy world right now, so the responsibility of knowing travelers are safe has never been more important — that’s our Ohana.”
—Ryan Pierce, Senior Travel Manager for the Americas, Salesforce
TOP BENEFITS INCLUDE
Substantial cost savings
Salesforce has experienced a clear shift from traditional options to traveler-centric ground transportation, with a positive impact on the company’s bottom line.
“With partners such as Lyft, we’re seeing an industry-wide reduction in ground transportation costs of 30% or more,” comments Pierce.
Increased trust and convenience
Lyft is a trusted and preferred provider. In addition to ease and convenience, Salesforce travelers enjoy the reassurance of knowing who’s picking them up, the car they’ll be riding in, and the route to their destination.
“Our people have one less thing to worry about — which can be especially helpful when traveling to places they’ve never been to before,” Stonie notes.
Responding to traveler demands
When Salesforce uses chat to promote Lyft to employees, it receives positive feedback with hashtags such as #wow, #cool, or #awesome, according to Stonie.
“Lyft provides a service that really resonates with our people,” remarks Stonie.
Looking ahead
Lyft and Salesforce look forward to extending the boundaries of ground transportation with groundbreaking ridesharing solutions and new ideas such as scooters and bikes. “We’re excited about what we’ll be able to create together down the road,” Stonie concludes.
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