It is very interesting how different agencies interact with their Travel Management Center. My first experience as a travel administrator was while working for a bureau at the Department of State. It’s there that I initially learned the relationship between the TMC, the administrators, and travelers. We had our TMC actually on-site, located on the first floor. If travelers had problems with their tickets, or making reservations, they could just walk into the TMC office and get immediate assistance. This was a very convenient arrangement as a travel administrator. With travelers going directly to the TMC for reservation issues, more of my time as an administrator could be focused on solving problems travelers were incurring using the ETS system.
My experience at other agencies has been different. The TMC is not on-site and is mostly reached by phone or email. The level of service is still efficient and very helpful, but it is a different experience, especially on the administrator side. As an administrator I tend to have to become more involved in the ticketing process. When the ETS system isn’t functioning properly on a certain day, we must have the travel authorization manually approved and then send it to the TMC. So there is a lot more hands-on interaction. The downside is that more time is spent resolving reservation issues with the TMC. On the other hand, a lot of experience can be gained from working with TMCs on a regular basis. It gives a much broader outlook on the Government travel, and it certainly helps increase knowledge on the travel process.
By: Kelvin Dawson