Government employees are mandated by the Federal Travel Regulations to use an E-Gov Travel Service when made available by their agency. Most government travelers are familiar with on-line booking engines such as Expedia, Travelocity, etc. when making reservations for personal travel. However, the E-Gov travel systems may not be as user friendly since travel regulations are integrated with the system. Travelers often find that they need assistance when preparing their travel documents in the system and making reservations.
At my agency, we provide travel help desk support to other government agencies. This support ranges from assisting travelers with system functionality on a small scale to training infrequent travelers on how to use the system. When appropriate we also provide FTR guidance and credit card assistance to travelers.
In additional to help desk support via telephone, we also provide travel system training in a formal classroom environment to groups of travelers. We can provide a training facility in the DC area or train at the customer location assuming adequate facilities exist. Participants of these training sessions have an opportunity to get hands on experience in using the system as well as get their questions answered first hand. On-line or remote training is also an option for travelers who can’t attend a formal training session. On-line training materials are also available to assist travelers.
By providing several different training and support resources, the traveler can feel comfortable in completing their travel plans and documents promptly and have more time to focus on their agency’s mission.
by Julie Gilchrist
“The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.