A SAP Concur blog post notes that according to a J.P. Morgan study, company travel and expense (T&E) is the second largest expense behind payroll. Travel management companies (TMCs) can help companies optimize travel programs through service, savings, and visibility, including 24/7 support, policy enforcement, unused ticket management, and comprehensive reporting tools.
SAP Concur announced the expansion of its duty of care partner network in the App Center, adding Healix International, International SOS, Terra Dotta, and WorldAware. Concurrently, Concur Locate and Active Monitoring will be retired effective September 1, 2021. SAP Concur will provide consolidated travel data via its Itinerary API to help organizations fulfill duty of care commitments.
A SAP Concur blog post discusses finance leaders' concerns about travel management. Citing a 2019 online survey of 50 CFOs conducted by BTN Group Content Solutions and sponsored by SAP Concur, it reports: traveler safety and well-being was the top concern for the largest share of respondents (44%), including 54% of CEOs and COOs; traveler satisfaction was also a top concern for CEOs/COOs (39%), HR leaders (33%), procurement executives (26%), and finance leaders (24%); controlling costs to align with budgets was a top concern for finance executives (44%), HR leaders (49%), and procurement executives (50%); and 34% of finance executives cited travel policy compliance as a high-priority concer…
A SAP Concur blog post reviews its annual event, SAP Concur Fusion 2019, where more than 3,200 customers, partners, and employees gathered in San Diego for four days of networking, learning sessions, and micro-forums. It highlights Innovation Award winners: Alteryx eliminated manual processes and applied analytics to travel and expenses; Discovery used Concur Expense and TripLink to connect travel and expense and integrated Uber and Airbnb to let employees book directly with suppliers while staying in policy; and George Washington University moved from a paper-based system to Concur Expense for improved controls and traceability, and uses Concur Locate to protect student safety. The article…
A SAP Concur blog post describes Concur Labs joining Fusion Exchange Tokyo to showcase emerging technologies including virtual reality and machine learning. The event had roughly 2,000 attendees and 40 partners. It says Japan is one of Concur's fastest-growing markets. Concur Labs explores the future of travel and expense, with latest initiatives involving connected cars, conversational and voice-based interfaces, IoT integrations, machine learning, and virtual reality. It mentions a proof of concept called Project ARC created with the Concur Mobile team to improve mobile app usability for people with visual impairment, and announced Concur for Slack now supports Japanese. Concur Labs and C…
A SAP Concur blog post shares the experience of creating two online video advertisements during the COVID-19 pandemic. To adhere to health guidelines, the team hired a real family to minimize contact. The production team used digital communication tools like Zoom to collaborate across continents, and director Dave Laden enabled virtual collaboration during the eight-hour shoot. The article aims to show how SAP Concur solutions simplify the remote work environment and share experiences overcoming pandemic challenges.
SAP Concur published an article discussing the growth trend of supplier-direct bookings (SDBs) in the post-COVID world. It notes that pre-pandemic, SDBs were growing due to travel personalization, with suppliers offering 'book direct low-price guarantees' and applying extra fees for not booking directly. Post-pandemic, travelers prioritize flexibility and health safety, and SDBs are expected to continue increasing. The article emphasizes that transparency equals compliance, and SAP Concur solutions like Concur TripLink provide end-to-end transparency to help travel managers manage SDBs and improve travel program compliance.
SAP Concur held the Spike Global Hackathon finals on January 30, 2018, where 12 teams from around the world out of over 100 competed. Projects ranged from visualization tools using machine learning to predict expense and travel trends, to bot assistants that speed up expense processes. To date, internal hackathons at SAP Concur have generated over 200 hacks, some of which have been integrated into internal toolchains and customer products. Team Constructors won with an event-based batch job approach, achieving 50% less instance utilization.
SAP Concur published an article noting that small and midsize businesses, despite limited budgets, can achieve travel management through appropriate technology. It describes a seven-step process: employees book freely, the system captures itinerary details, data flows into the system, expense reports auto-populate with categorized charges, employees avoid receipts and reports, and businesses gain spend visibility and employee location information. The article emphasizes savings in work hours, reduced paperwork, and lower hard costs.
A SAP Concur blog post announces the 2019 Partner Growth and Innovation Awards, recognizing four partners who leverage digital innovation to help customers run at their best, plus thirteen Distinguished Partner Awards. Winners include CWT, which used its RoomIt division to build a solution integrating with Concur Travel to expand lodging choices; Delta Air Lines, which launched its TripLink solution in January 2019 serving over 500,000 travelers, recognizing corporate travelers and giving them their corporate discount; Deloitte Consulting as a longtime implementation partner; and WIPFLi as an App Center partner adding an average of 200+ new SAP Concur customers annually.
SAP Concur published an article interviewing Chad Minnick, leader of the Pride@SAP PNW chapter, on four ways employee network groups (ENGs) benefit companies: supporting employees to be their authentic selves, providing education and advocacy opportunities, driving policy change to improve engagement and retention, and promoting diversity for business success. The chapter currently has 50 members and has fought against Washington state bills affecting the trans community.
SAP Concur announced it was named a G2 leader for summer 2019 in Travel Management, Expense Management, and Travel and Expense categories, with more than 4,000 users ranking it #1. G2 Market Research Director Kara Kennedy said SAP Concur earned its Leader position by demonstrating a large market presence and receiving high satisfaction ratings, with users especially appreciating its receipt capture, employee reimbursement, and bank/credit card integration features.
Fortune 500 engineering firm Illinois Tool Works (ITW) adopted SAP Concur's integrated travel and expense solutions. Previously, ITW spent $3 million annually to serve only U.S. employees; after implementing SAP Concur, costs were reduced by $1 million and services expanded to 33 countries. Cathy Sharpe, Director of the Global Travel and Expense Group at ITW, noted that SAP Concur helped achieve significant cost savings and global reach.
A SAP Concur podcast with Acquis Consulting Group discusses post-pandemic travel management. As business travel resumes, organizations are giving employees greater autonomy to use their best judgment and comfort levels to decide when, where, and how to meet clients and team members. Hansini Sharma, Practice Lead of Corporate Travel for Acquis Consulting Group, notes that travel personalization is at an unprecedented level, with employees offered more choices. The discussion also covers duty of care, trust, compliance, NDC technology, direct connect, and allowing employees to book personal travel through TMC accounts. Sharma emphasizes that the travel industry requires collaboration, with al…
A SAP Concur blog post cites an EY/SAP Concur whitepaper on the return to corporate travel after the pandemic. The 2021 Global Business Traveler Study found that 38% of travelers worried that not traveling would make it difficult to build new client relationships, 45% were concerned about maintaining business connections, and 54% wanted to travel to make personal connections. The whitepaper suggests companies need to provide more pre-trip details, safety protocols, and consider sustainability.
A SAP Concur blog post discusses how technology is changing traveler behavior in corporate travel and the relationship between booking channels and safety. Citing a GBTA study, it notes that 80% of travel buyers do not use technology to capture outside bookings, and nearly half of business travelers say their organization only knows where they traveled through expense reporting. Technology can enhance traveler safety in four areas: reporting, awareness, behavior guidance, and direct contributions.
SAP Concur announced the appointment of Jim Lucier as president, effective July 1, 2019. Lucier, previously Chief Revenue Officer for North America and Chief Services Officer, will succeed retiring Mike Eberhard. Eberhard, president since October 2016, will serve as an advisor after the transition. Christal Bemont was promoted to Chief Revenue Officer for global sales. Barry Padgett, president of SAP Intelligent Spend Group, will oversee supplier spending across Ariba, Fieldglass, and Concur.
SAP Concur blog discusses challenges in modern business travel management. It cites GBTA predicting global business travel spend will reach $1.7 trillion by 2022. A 2018 GBTA report shows travel managers spend as much as 66% more time on data analysis, evaluating technology, and traveler safety. The article says traditional travel solutions cannot keep up with modern demands and recommends connecting data from suppliers, corporate cards, ERP, GDS, and TMC partners for near-real-time sharing.
SAP Concur published a podcast conversation in which Scott Daube of American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) shared how the company delivers a consistent online booking experience for global clients. Amex GBT has over 4,500 global clients using Concur; the project launched in 16 countries, built 130 customer sites, and involved 35 multinational customers. Amex GBT received a 2020 SAP Concur Partner Innovation Award for this initiative.
SAP Concur announced it has terminated its relationship with the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) at national and international levels, citing allegations of misogyny in its workplace, incendiary comments by its CEO, and reports of a hostile work environment. SAP Concur also announced it will host its inaugural SAP Concur Travel Industry Summit on September 17, 2020, free to attend.
A SAP Concur blog post cites a Wakefield Research survey of 800 travel managers across eight markets, listing near-term changes such as mandatory health screenings, travel-safety training, pre-trip approval, teleconferencing alternatives and restrictions on at-risk regions; long-term changes include faster rebooking, tighter itinerary monitoring, real-time risk updates, new duty-of-care policies and easier access to PPE. The survey says 96% of companies were not fully prepared to manage travel in the wake of COVID.
SAP Concur executive Jenn McColly argues that millennials are driving a shift towards purpose-driven workplaces. Citing Cone Communications research, 64% of millennials won't accept a job without strong CSR values, and 75% are willing to take a pay cut to work for a values-driven company. The article emphasizes the importance of purpose for attracting and retaining talent.
The article explores the rise of bleisure travel (business + leisure), with a market size of $692.7 billion and projected CAGR of 17.8%. 83% of workers have taken bleisure trips, and 22% would decline a business trip without extension options. Companies need policies to manage costs, compliance, and employee well-being.
A SAP Concur blog post explores how Asian businesses' reliance on high-touch customer service when adopting SaaS platforms can slow deployment and ROI. It notes that 3 in 4 consumers in Asia think customer service should be every company's top priority, leading businesses to prefer dedicated reps guiding implementation step by step. However, self-service models can accelerate deployment; one of SAP Concur's largest customers rolled out its platform to seven markets in just seven weeks. The post suggests shorter but more frequent contact points between sales teams and customers.
SAP Concur and TripIt provide a guide for travelers attending conferences in Orlando or on bleisure trips. Orlando International Airport (MCO) is one of the top-15 busiest U.S. airports, with one main terminal and four airside concourses. Orlando is the world's largest rental car market, with major agencies on-airport and off-airport options via complimentary shuttle. Public transit includes SunRail commuter rail and LYNX bus, with a single ride at $2.00 and an all-day pass at $4.50. Recommended accommodations include Westgate Lakes Resort & Spa near the Orange County Convention Center, Marriott Orlando Downtown, and Hyatt Regency inside MCO.
SAP Concur Senior Vice President Nick Evered told BBC News how digital solutions help companies cut costs and protect travelers. The article notes business trips are expected to grow 3% this year, making it more important than ever for businesses to streamline T&E management. A fully automated digital T&E solution unites data in one place, delivering cost savings through reduced management time, detection of expense-report errors and visibility into employee spend, while knowing where travelers are at all times helps fulfill duty-of-care obligations.
A SAP Concur blog post states that the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted companies to re-examine their Total Risk Management (TRM) and Duty of Care programs. Increased travel risks have elevated Duty of Care from a governance afterthought to a potentially life-saving necessity, driving adoption of agile, cloud-based solutions. The article emphasizes that modern Duty of Care requires 24/7 awareness of employee locations and relies on a cloud ecosystem of integrated partners for real-time security, travel safety, and medical information plus rapid-response assistance.
SAP Concur published a blog post discussing how travel managers can embrace change with agility. The article notes that organizations face frequent changes in business standards, the economy, and political environments, requiring a flexible mindset. Travel and expense management needs to adapt to digital disruption, adopt traveler-centric programs, and leverage technology to improve employee safety and satisfaction. The article also interviews John Coovert, VP of Global Physical Security at SAP, on how SAP uses tools like Concur Travel & Expense, TripLink, and TripIt to monitor global employee travel.
A SAP Concur blog post shares insights from the ProcureCon Travel Conference: 36% of hiring managers report candidates asking for a copy of the company travel policy; 75% of business travelers took a bleisure trip last year, but many travel managers do not address it in policy; 79% of travelers prefer ride-sharing, and while home-sharing carries risks like key/access processes, some companies are taking baby steps.
In an SAP Concur podcast conversation, Marchelle Klippenstein, VP of the Value Experience Group at SAP Concur, and Katheryn Nolfo, Consulting Director at Huron, discussed the recovery of business travel post-pandemic. Experts emphasized that communication is key, requiring employees to understand travel requirements and vaccination requirements; duty of care has become a central element of travel approval; organizations should develop contingency plans and leverage pandemic data to prepare for the next disruption; pre-approvals are seen as the 'secret sauce' to an innovative hybrid program, simplifying processes and improving efficiency.
In a SAP Concur podcast conversation, Danny Smout, Principal Solution Consultant at SAP Concur, and Hansini Sharma, Practice Lead for Corporate Travel at Acquis Consulting Group, discussed how business travel is changing after the pandemic. Sharma said virtual meetings heightened appreciation for in-person interaction and that she is seeing the most personalization of travel ever, with employees given more choices. She noted that pre-pandemic compliance was the priority, while companies now value duty of care most, asking whether employees are safe when they travel.
SAP Concur blog discusses how business travel programs can help attract and retain talent. It recommends simplifying travel policy language, clarifying stances on sharing economy and bleisure, soliciting employee feedback, and investing in employee experience. Solutions like Tripkicks can reward cost-conscious travel decisions.
SAP SE announced that companies worldwide are adopting its end-to-end network and total spend management cloud solutions. In Q3 2018, SAP's cloud revenue surged 41% year-over-year at constant currencies, and new cloud bookings grew 37%. Companies including KIO Networks, Delivery Hero, iLoLay, and Grupo Energía Bogotá adopted SAP Ariba, SAP Concur, and SAP Fieldglass solutions. Ariba Network connects over 3.6 million companies with more than US$2.28 trillion in annual commerce. SAP Concur solutions processed over 258 million transactions in the past four quarters, and Concur TripLink covers more than 7.5 million travelers.
SAP Concur hosted its first Seattle Girl Geek Dinner (event #71), drawing 130 RSVPs, using a format of 12 discussion topics facilitated by 24 tech leaders. The event aims to provide a community where women in tech can network, share best practices, and empower each other.
SAP Concur announced its 2022 Partner Growth and Innovation Awards, recognizing four winning partners and 20 Distinguished Partners. Innovation Award winner Zylo helped a customer uncover a single employee who expensed more than $160,000 in application subscriptions on a credit card; Transfermate's PaymentsHub saw transaction volumes rise by over 800% in 2021. Growth Award winner Blue dot's tax compliance solution was deployed by hundreds of customers; Flexso helped customers integrate Concur, SuccessFactors, and SAP systems, supporting a project spanning 17 countries with over 6,000 employees.
A SAP Concur blog post discusses how colleges and universities can establish travel programs with strong duty of care principles. It reviews the historical evolution of duty of care, including the impact of the UK's Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act of 2007. Four optimization areas are proposed: establishing travel approval and booking processes, optimizing traveler communication, encouraging campus-wide engagement, and using technology to mitigate foreseeable risk. SAP Concur has moved to providing all itinerary services from Concur Request, Concur Travel, Concur TripIt, and Concur TripLink for outside bookings via API automation to university-based DOC providers.
A SAP Concur blog post notes that safety, risk, sustainability, and control of spend are common topics at the moment. As travel managers assess these challenges, they may ask how to prove their value when travel is reduced and budgets are lower. The article argues that successful travel managers should evolve from tacticians to strategizers, from doers to thinkers, and from second fiddle to the orchestra's conductor. It advises travel managers to understand how colleagues feel about getting back on the road and articulate the value of travel itself to the organization, and to look to travel management companies (TMCs) and technology to do the heavy lifting of booking, expensing, invoicing,…
A SAP Concur blog post cites a GBTA survey saying the travel manager role has evolved over the past five years to deliver more value. Travel managers with at least 15 years of experience spend more time on new responsibilities: 65% more time managing data, analysis, and reporting, 70% more time evaluating new technologies, and 64% more time managing traveler safety and communications. The GBTA report Lost in Translation cites drivers including: two out of five hotel bookings are made outside corporate channels, identical between companies with strict and flexible travel policies; in an emergency employees expect companies to reach out quickly, sometimes in under an hour; and companies react…
SAP Concur announced expanded traveler safety capabilities, including an Uber for Business partnership, TripLink expansion, and new TripIt Pro features. Concur Locate added API support allowing partners like Uber for Business to share traveler location data. TripLink now has 6.9 million registered users and 28 airlines, hotels, and ground transportation providers. Concur Locate messaging is now integrated into the SAP Concur mobile app. TripIt Pro added safety scores for neighborhoods worldwide and international information for 180 countries. Concur Locate's customer base grew 122% year over year in the first half of the year.
Lyft Business integrates with SAP Concur's Concur Expense to help travel managers reduce ground transportation costs and improve traveler satisfaction. The integration automates expense reporting, and travelers can earn rewards with Lyft's airline and hospitality partners. Currently available only in the U.S., it has already enabled over 20,000 end-users. Lyft Business can result in 30% savings on company-wide travel spend, and travelers earn $5 in personal ride credit for every 5 business rides.