What is the online booking tool?
How do I get my airline ticket for travel?
If my plans change or I need to cancel my trip, how do I do this?
How do I communicate with Travel if I have compliments/issues/concerns?
What do I do if I find a lower fare on the Internet?
How do I download my itinerary to my Outlook Calendar?
How do I download my itinerary to my PDA?
Why Book Hotels Through ServiceMaster Travel?
How do I avoid long lines at check in?
How can I obtain a credit for future travel on non-refundable tickets?
Why book travel arrangements early?
Can I book
vacation travel through ServiceMaster travel?
What is the
ServiceMaster relocation policy?
Who should I call after-hours?
If I am involved in an accident in a rental car, who should I contact?
How do I sign up for Hertz Gold service?
Can I book travel without a corporate Pcard?
How do I build a profile on www.svmtravelonline.com?
Can I book travel without a cost center and employee number?
Who are the ServiceMaster preferred suppliers?
How do I get a locally negotiated hotel rate on the booking tool?
What happens to my ticket when it is cancelled?
What can I take aboard the aircraft in carry on baggage?
In order to make business travel reservations, you must have a ServiceMaster issued purchasing card (Pcard), or have your employee number and cost center information before contacting the travel agent. The next step is to access www.svmtravelonline.com and build your traveler profile by clicking on the “First Time Traveler” link. Once your profile has been completed, you can proceed with booking business travel online. You can click on the link entitled “Reference Guide” for assistance, or, if you experience extreme difficulty during this process, you can also call 1-800-842-9306 and choose option 2 for online assistance. It is recommended that you also have your travel membership numbers available for air, hotel, and car programs for entry into your profile.
· Request a copy of the company travel policy from:
- Manager
- SVM People
- Travel and Transport
· When accessing the travel policy from www.svmtravelonline.com follow these steps:
- Log in
- Click “go” on the welcome page
- See the link to the policy at the top right hand corner of your screen
· A summary of the policy is in ServiceMaster’s profile with our travel agency, Travel and Transport. Your travel consultant can advise you of the highlights.
What is the online booking tool?
It is ServiceMaster’s policy that the online booking tool is the preferred method of booking travel. The online booking tool refers to the website: www.svmtravelonline.com. This is where you can research airline schedules, potential hotels, etc. When you are ready to book your trip, the site will allow you to purchase the selections you’ve made. Utilization of this online resource saves the company a great deal of money versus the traditional method of calling a live agent.
How do I get my airline ticket for travel?
It is ServiceMaster’s policy to use e-tickets for travel. What this means is that you will receive an itinerary via email (to the address listed in your profile) showing your travel information (flight numbers, departure and arrival times, hotel confirmation numbers and car reservation numbers). In order to use your e-ticket, simply present a government-issued picture ID at the time of check in for the confirmed flight.
If my plans change or I need to cancel my trip, how do I do this?
At this time, the only way to cancel or change confirmed travel is to contact ServiceMaster’s travel agency, Travel & Transport at 1-800-842-9306. For changes to an online reservation, choose Option 2. For cancellation of the travel reservation, choose Option 3.
How do I communicate with Travel if I have compliments/issues/concerns?
There are a number of ways to communicate with Travel. Whenever possible, please communicate issues and compliments directly to your travel consultant. If necessary, it is appropriate to ask for the travel consultant’s supervisor. Other points of contact:
· Wendy McDonald - wmcdonald@tandt.com
· Stephanie Laughlin - stephanie.laughlin@servicemaster.com
In addition, ServiceMaster utilizes a survey to solicit your comments regarding your travel experience. Each survey received is reviewed by ServiceMaster Strategic Sourcing and Travel and Transport. This is a terrific way to communicate. Travel and Transport has service level commitments to ServiceMaster that are measured by the survey scores received.
What do I do if I find a lower fare on the Internet?
Contact your Travel Consultant immediately. The consultants have access to various resources that can be utilized to possibly obtain a fare match with a Preferred Supplier. Under no circumstances is it permissible to book company travel outside of ServiceMaster’s travel program (i.e. directly with an airline or via the Internet). There are numerous reasons for this policy. If you would like clarification or details around this policy, please contact Stephanie Laughlin at stephanie.laughlin@servicemaster.com for more information.
How do I download my itinerary to my Outlook Calendar?
Download your itinerary to your desktop calendar in just one easy step. This feature is available if you utilize one of the following mail programs: Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, Act! or the Palm OS. You can save time and easily maintain your Virtually There trip plans with the “Add To Calendar” feature. With a few easy steps, your trip plans are delivered automatically to your calendar.
You can access your itinerary online by an email link sent to you by your travel consultant or follow these steps:
· Go to www.virtuallythere.com.
· Click on Quick Link in upper left hand corner.
· Enter your confirmation number and last name.
· Click the home page tab.
· Enter your active travel reservation code and last name.
· Once your reservation is displayed, you may access this feature.
How do I download my itinerary to my PDA?
Get your itinerary in the palm of your hand! With Virtually There, you can download and browse your travel itinerary on any Palm™, Pocket PC or Windows CE handheld device via desktop synchronization. If this is your first time to download you will be required to sign up for the free AvantGo service and download the software.
You can access your itinerary online by an email link sent to you by your Travel Consultant or follow these steps:
· Go to www.virtuallythere.com.
· Click on Quick Link in upper left hand corner.
· Enter your confirmation number and last name.
Why Book Hotels Through ServiceMaster Travel?
· Take advantage of ServiceMaster’s partnership. We have partnered with Travel & Transport who has a relationship with the largest hotel consortium program worldwide, Radius. This program provides these preferred rates to our travelers.
· One stop shopping - travelers submit one request to book air, car and hotel.
· One complete itinerary for your entire trip
· Complete information for traveler location tracking enroute in the event of an emergency
· 24-hour reservation assistance
· Additional leverage with suppliers. Bookings made outside of ServiceMaster Travel are not tracked and can’t be utilized when negotiating rates with hotels each year. This weakens ServiceMaster’s position considerably.
How do I avoid long lines at check in?
· Arrive early - give yourself extra time (2 hours prior to flight time).
· Have proper identification ready – ie: valid drivers license, passport, or government issued ID, and / or a credit card.
· Be aware of hazardous or unacceptable items in your luggage and carry-on.
· Follow the airline restrictions on size, weight, and pieces of luggage allowed per traveler. Check in online prior to arriving at the airport and print your boarding pass.
· Utilize curbside check in and kiosks at the airport.
· Sign up for mobile or PDA alerts (via airline websites)
How can I obtain a credit for future travel on non-refundable tickets?
If you need to cancel a non-refundable e-ticket, please contact your travel consultant directly. Please remember if you are traveling on a non-refundable ticket, you must cancel your reservation prior to flight time or you will lose the value of the non-refundable ticket. Once the reservation is canceled, the travel consultant will add the unused e-ticket to your personal profile. If you are traveling on a paper ticket, please return to your travel consultant. The amount of your unused non-refundable ticket could then be applied towards future travel on that airline.
Advanced booking provides more availability on desired flights.
Consider time of travel and does it coincide with a holiday?
Seat assignment availability is closed out when 40% of a flight is booked.
The remaining 60% of seat assignments are done at airport check in.
Advance ticket purchase also provides more assurance that the traveler gets his/her seat preference.
ServiceMaster Travel consults with customers and recommends Preferred Airline Agreements which result in Cost Savings.
You may contact a special department established just for your vacation travel needs in three ways:
· Phone: 1-888-299-7459
· e-mail: LRMail@TANDT.com
· www.tandtvacations.com/servicemaster
Relocation travel must be paid for with a personal credit card for tax purposes. You are not allowed to use the ServiceMaster ghost cards or your Pcard for relocation travel. If you have questions, contact Janet Palmer (janet.palmer@servicemaster.com) or call at
901-766-1459.
For any assistance that is needed after-hours, you can contact the same telephone number you use during the day 800-842-9306.
Stephanie Laughlin in ServiceMaster Strategic Sourcing at stephanie.laughlin@servicemaster.com or 901-766-1183. Please have accident details available.
You can access the link on www.svmtravelonline.com or visit the link directly at
Enter the Company Name: ServiceMaster
Enter the CDP #: 383597
Enter the assigned Promo Code #: 6331
Yes, you can book travel without a corporate Pcard. You must have available your employee and cost center number to book travel under this program. Please see “Getting Started” at the top of this page for detailed instructions on how to set up a travel profile. If you have difficulties, please contact 1-800-842-9306, choose Option 3 and identify yourself as a “ghost card” traveler.
Click on First time User icon on the home page and it will walk you through setting up an account.
If I need to cancel my flight can the credit be utilized for someone else in my department?
Airline tickets in general are non transferable. ServiceMaster does have ability to do name changes on any American Airlines tickets and Northwest Airlines tickets between Memphis and Chicago specifically.
No. If you do not have a company-issued Pcard, you MUST have your employee number and cost center to book travel.
You can access the group request site by clicking on the “Group Travel Request Form” link at www.svmtravelonline.com. You may also contact Velvet Graham at velvet.graham@servicemaster.com or call 901-766-1147.
ServiceMaster has two preferred airlines. Travel will be booked on these airlines when they offer the best value. They are: Northwest Airlines and American Airlines. To maximize cost savings for the company, the following cost-minimizing actions should be followed for all airline reservations:
· Employees should choose the lowest airfare available on any airline/carrier.
· If it is an option, the designated corporate preferred airlines will be used. It is imperative we maintain the volume of business with our preferred airlines or we will lose the benefits we have negotiated for the travel program. In addition, they offer us considerable benefits such as extending the time we can utilize unused tickets. In some markets we can change names on unused tickets, as well as many other benefits they provide to the company.
· Reservations should be made between 14 and 21 days in advance of departure date to take advantage of discount pricing.
· When 10 or more people have been approved to travel together to the same location, it is considered group travel. If you are planning a group event, review the meetings and events policy here: Meetings & Events Policy.
Hotel
ServiceMaster has negotiated rates for select markets. For a listing of the preferred hotels, please refer to the “Preferred Hotel” link on the login page of www.svmtravelonline.com The online booking tool will flag preferred hotels for your use when requesting travel information.
ServiceMaster has car rental agreements with Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Hertz that include insurance coverage for business travel. Employees should ONLY use one of these two rental agencies for business travel. Note: Hertz coverage excludes Alaska and Hawaii. In these two states, Enterprise should be used. Due to the negotiated insurance coverage with Hertz and Enterprise, all employees should refuse the optional insurance offered when picking up a rental car.
To get the lowest pricing for the company, the following should be implemented for all car rental reservations:
· Employees should rent mid-size cars for business travel. The ONLY exception to this is when more than two employees are traveling together and use the same vehicle.
· Vehicle must be refueled prior to returning to car rental agency.
· When possible, employees should share vehicles.
Contact Stephanie Laughlin at stephanie.laughlin@servicemaster.com or Wendy McDonald at wmcdonald@tandt.com
What happens to my ticket when it is cancelled?
If your ticket is refundable, a refund will be requested via the carrier and a credit will be posted to your credit card account within 6 to 8 weeks. If your ticket is nonrefundable, it will be entered into your traveler profile and will be automatically used towards the purchase of any new tickets you reserve that would apply. However, if you do not use the cancelled ticket after 200 days of being on hold it will be automatically applied to any company travel.