The New Rules of Travel Support: Powering Exceptional Service in the Age of AI

When travel plans go sideways, we all know the drill: endless hold times, emergency texts with the travel manager, and a growing sense of helplessness as options slip away. The T&E industry’s traditional response? Just add more call center agents. But in today’s world of constant, unpredictable disruptions, that approach feels like fighting a flood with more mops.

At Navan, we’re working to revolutionize travel support. Our global network of experienced travel agents is available 24/7, backed by proprietary technology that gives them superpowers — which all help to make them faster, smarter, and more effective than traditional travel agents. From travelers receiving real-time assistance to companies benefiting from designated account managers who fine-tune travel programs, our approach delivers comprehensive support at every level. This powerful combination resolves issues swiftly and seamlessly, helping give everyone involved peace of mind.

Here’s how we’re shattering old myths and setting a new standard for what travelers should expect — and what they deserve — with travel support.

Myth 1: Exceptional Service = Long Wait Times

We’ve all been there: hearing an incomprehensibly long hold time despite knowing a large network of agents exists somewhere. Of course, it doesn’t really matter how many agents are out there; travelers care about getting their problem solved quickly and effectively.

At Navan, we’ve engineered something different. Our foundation is our global team of travel agents with deep industry expertise, operating on a “follow-the-sun” model, designed to provide personalized assistance 24/7. What truly differentiates our agents is our proprietary TravelXen technology, which arms them with comprehensive contextual information before conversations begin. When you contact Navan, our agents already understand your itinerary, preferences, and company policies — helping eliminate the frustrating process of repeating information.

Working alongside our expert agents is Ava, our virtual assistant powered by Navan Cognition — a brain-inspired, multi-agent architecture that has handled an average of 136,000 chats per month over the past six months. This isn’t your typical frustrating chatbot experience. It’s an intelligent system designed to understand the nuances of travel — changing flights, applying airline and company policies, and managing disruptions with the expertise of a seasoned agent. Ava is built to deliver fast, efficient solutions for nearly half of all support requests that come through, freeing up our experienced human agents to handle complex situations.

Above: The Summer 2025 G2 Grid for the Travel Management Software category, in which Navan ranks No. 1 overall, No. 1 in satisfaction, and No. 1 across all company sizes (enterprise, mid-market, and small business).

The numbers speak for themselves: In the latest G2 rankings based on real user reviews, Navan earned a perfect 100/100 customer satisfaction score in the Travel Management Software category. Navan also remains the No. 1 solution — a position it has now held in that G2 category for four consecutive years.

These numbers aren’t just impressive — they prove our blend of expert travel agents and intelligent automation delivers superior results.

Myth 2: Enterprise Travel Is Too Complex for Automation

Here’s something I hear all the time: “Enterprise travel is too complex for automation.” The assumption is that only an army of human agents can handle the intricate demands of corporate travel programs. After all, how could technology possibly navigate the maze of corporate policies, traveler preferences, and airline rules?

But here’s what I believe enterprise travel really needs: specialized travel expertise enhanced by intelligent systems that never sleep.

Traditional TMCs can trap your program in a painful cycle of inefficiency: fragmented systems that don’t communicate, endless phone transfers between specialized departments, and the dreaded "I’ll need to escalate this” response that leaves travelers stranded. Even worse, every support interaction can trigger those surprise service fees that balloon your budget without warning.

Navan helps break this outdated model. We aim to hire top-tier travel agents and elite account managers, and then arm them with industry-leading training. Our travel agents master a wide array of content sources, from NDC to GDS to low-cost carriers, while account managers work directly with companies to build and refine a travel program that balances cost control with traveler satisfaction.

The result? Seamless travel support from day one, with account managers driving program success through custom implementations and data-driven refinements. And we’ve eliminated unpredictable service fees in favor of transparent, predictable pricing that lets you scale confidently. With Navan, your travelers can have immediate, expert support, and your travel program is set up to scale long term.

Myth 3: AI or Human Touch? You Can’t Have Both

We’ve all been trapped in an endless loop with a chatbot that can’t understand basic requests, desperately tapping “0” to reach a human agent. That frustration has led many to believe you must choose between efficient technology or the human touch of a skilled travel agent. But I believe that Navan's approach proves this is a false choice.

At its core, Navan is built on a foundation of expert human travel agents with years of industry experience. These seasoned professionals remain the backbone of our service, ready to handle complex situations with the judgment, empathy, and creativity that only humans can provide. But unlike traditional travel agencies, our agents aren’t bogged down by routine tasks that slow response times.

Our AI systems are designed to enhance — not replace — human expertise, handling routine inquiries that would otherwise consume our agents’ valuable time. When technology manages the predictable tasks, our human agents can focus their expertise on complex scenarios where their experience truly matters. This isn’t about replacing humans with machines; it’s about giving our travel experts superpowers.

This partnership shines brightest during travel disruptions. While AI proactively monitors situations, applies airline waivers, and handles straightforward rebookings, our human agents can dedicate their full attention to complex challenges — navigating limited seat availability, negotiating with airlines, and creating creative solutions for stranded travelers. The outcome? Travelers experience both the efficiency of technology and the reassurance of knowing a skilled human agent is available whenever needed.

Myth 4: Travel Managers Must Be Crisis Managers

Every travel manager knows that dreaded late-night call or flood of urgent emails: flights cancelled, stranded employees, mounting frustration. It’s exhausting, inefficient, and all too common.

At Navan, we’ve reimagined the support ecosystem so that travel managers no longer get caught in the crossfire of every disruption. Our proactive system actively monitors travel events and automatically sends alerts to both travelers and company administrators. With our live traveler map, admins can instantly see where their employees are, enabling them to send targeted or mass notifications that preempt concerns before they become crises.

By automating the application of airline waivers and streamlining booking changes through our AI-powered self-service platform, we help travelers resolve issues quickly and autonomously. This proactive model lifts the operational burden off travel managers, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives rather than firefighting daily disruptions.

The Navan Difference

Flight cancellations, strikes, bad weather, tech outages — disruptions are an inevitable part of the travel experience. Time and again, these crises have tested our resolve and our technology. It’s in these challenging moments that our support ecosystem shines brightest. We got here because we aren’t afraid to be bold. We aren’t afraid to innovate. And we aren’t content with following outdated practices simply because they’re familiar.

Through our intelligent blend of AI-driven support, targeted human intervention, and ongoing support as you optimize and scale, Navan consistently delivers top-tier customer satisfaction scores while protecting both the traveler and the travel manager from the fallout of unexpected disruptions.

In a world where travel disruptions are all too common, our approach is a game-changer. We operate with urgency and precision to help ensure that our support remains unwavering, even when everything else is in chaos. We didn’t just make a technical upgrade — we created a fundamental shift in how to deliver travel support.

A Call to Embrace the Future

To all the travel managers, enterprise leaders, and industry skeptics out there: It’s time to reconsider what excellent travel support really means. More agents won’t solve problems when the root cause is inefficiency and outdated processes. The future is about intelligent automation, proactive solutions, and fearless innovation.

I invite you to join us at Navan, where we’re not just debunking myths — we’re working to re-write the rulebook for travel support. Let’s embrace a future where technology and human expertise work in tandem to offer support that’s not only reactive but impeccably proactive. When disruptions strike, be confident that with Navan, support is the springboard to keeping your business on track.

Welcome to the future of travel support. Welcome to Navan.