Call centres, hubs, local teams
Which corporate travel service model is right for you?

Types of corporate travel service models

Most travel management companies offer one of three primary service approaches: call centres, hubs, and local teams. Each has distinct structures, staffing approaches, and service philosophies.

A personal touch or speed of service?

The fundamental difference in any TMC service model comparison comes down to familiarity, specialisation, and how your travellers are supported.

Which model is more flexible?

Corporate travel programs need agility. The ability to adapt quickly to policy changes, traveller feedback, or market shifts can determine program success. Depending on where this all falls in your priorities for your program, it can determine what kind of service model you’ll prefer.

Local or hub teams are dedicated to specific industries, segments, or clients. Making it much easier to adapt to changes, traveller needs, or program feedback. For example, if you update your policy, your local personalised travel team can apply those changes immediately. Real-time feedback loops work both ways. If consultants hear repeated complaints or mitigate the same problems consistently, it can be escalated to your travel manager right away. These teams also typically consist of experienced consultants rather than entry-level consultants, bringing informed judgment to complex situations or industry related quirks.

It’s similar in a hub environment. The only change is that the travel consultants support travellers from more than one country. Here’s an example. You’re an organisation with an office in South Africa, and you also have team members based in Mozambique, Nigeria, and Kenya. Instead of using a local team in each of those countries where you may only have a few travellers, they can all be “hubbed” and supported through South Africa. They can still book, and invoice as if they were based in the origin country, and even pay in local currency. 

Call centres serving many clients at scale can't turn on a dime. Policy updates require broader approvals and implementation across multiple teams. Individual traveller preferences or feedback get lost in the volume. Change happens incrementally rather than responsively. This may also sound harsh, but to call centre consultants, your travellers’ calls are just another checkbox in their day. This is the result of a high-volume framework. No one this is necessarily bad if your program values standardisation over flexibility, and speed over culture. But for programs needing nimble responses and who prioritise relationships, it's a limitation.

Which model is more scalable?

Another important consideration when choosing your support model is how it scales with your organisation's needs and costs. The right business travel management model should be able to scale with your organisation without sacrificing the level of service your travellers need.

Call centres have numbers on their side. Hundreds if not thousands of consultants, often supplemented by remote workers, mean capacity to handle massive call volumes. This means when the next major disruption hits, someone, somewhere will be available to pick up the phone. Call centres can also scale quickly at lower costs, making them appealing when budget is the primary driver. These are all good things. But you can't expect the same level of white-glove service you get from a local of hub team. The agent who handled your booking today, will likely never hear from you again. 

The common misconception is that personalised (local or hub) teams can't scale. When really, well-structured personalised teams can include up to 40-50 consultants assigned to one client, industry, or traveller segment. That's substantial capacity while maintaining consistency and expertise.

Building relationships and navigating nuances

How important is it that your travellers feel connected to the people servicing their bookings? 

Another main difference between a consultant from a call centre and a personalised local or hub team is how well they will understand your travellers and program. Even on a personalised team of 40 people, it is statistically likely that a traveller will work with the same travel consultant time and time again. 

Compare these scenarios:

Scenario A: Your road warrior calls to book a complex itinerary. They explain their preferences, seat requirements, and frequent hotel choices. Next time they call, they start from scratch with a different agent.

Scenario B: Your road warrior calls. The consultant recognises them, remembers their favourites and gives them two choices based on their preferences without needing reminders.

How to choose the right corporate travel service model for you

It all comes down to preferences, priorities, and needs. During your request for proposal (RFP) process, make sure to include questions that unpack how a travel management company (TMC) handles servicing. Ask for:

• How do you structure your service teams?
• What's the average experience level of consultants supporting our type of program?
• How do you handle policy updates and communicate changes to consultants?
• Can you provide customer testimonials from similar-sized programs?
• Walk me through how you'd handle [specific scenario relevant to your program
• What's your approach to managing disruptions or crises?
• How do you measure and maintain service quality?

To be transparent, FCM uses corporate travel service model that combines personalised team models combining local teams and hubs. We've found this delivers the support and human connection our clients value most. It's an investment, but the results speak for themselves and at FCM, we value our people and their expertise.

Frequently Asked Questions