T&E Technology and Services: Overcoming Obstacles

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - June 6, 2007) - 435 responding enterprises to the latest Travel and Entertainment (T&E) research survey by Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), identified the average T&E spend was approximately $12 million, with the top-end being over $100 million.

Needless to say, this is a hefty amount and a major priority for enterprises of all sizes is to reduce this spend. One of the key areas of focus is the access to and value of T&E-related data. Data around corporate travel and entertainment is the key to monitoring compliance to policies which, in effect, drives negotiations and better deals with travel suppliers. The challenge is that there are different sources of data -- online booking tools, expense management solutions, corporate card feeds and travel management companies. The higher the level of consolidation and aggregation of data, the more accurate and valuable the resulting intelligence.

It is interesting to see how the actions and strategies that enterprises are implementing, or have already implemented, impact savings around T&E. A majority of respondents, 91%, reported that compliance to travel policies is essential or important to achieve savings. Similarly, 88% had the same sentiment about access to T&E reports and data.

"Companies should consider consolidating or implementing tight integration of T&E data sources to deliver accurate and complete intelligence," said Vishal Patel, senior research analyst, Aberdeen.

Best in Class (BIC) enterprises have effectively utilized T&E technologies and services to earn top-performance status:

--  73% of BIC enterprises have a consolidated T&E program in place,
    compared to 50% of all others
    
--  84% of BIC enterprises have established T&E policies, processes and
    tools across the enterprise

Aberdeen recommends that enterprises:

--  Establish key performance metrics by analyzing and identifying the
    greatest opportunities to generate costs savings.
    
--  Leverage enhanced travel data for negotiations with vendors and to
    ensure compliance.
    
--  Work toward improving reporting and data analytics capabilities with a
    focus on consolidating various sources of T&E data.

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Gelco Expense Management, MasterCard, Spendvision and TRX.

To download a complimentary copy of "Travel and Entertainment (T&E) Technologies and Services," please visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=3986

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information -- Opportunity -- Insight -- Engagement -- Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.

© 2007 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
260 Franklin Street
Boston, Massachusetts  02110-3112
Telephone: (617) 723-7890
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com

Contact Information: Media Contact: Vishal Patel Aberdeen Harte-Hanks (617) 854-5245 vishal.patel@aberdeen.com

T&E Technology and Services: Overcoming Obstacles Through Data Insight