SAP Concur blog post highlights that fraud threatens all businesses, with typical organizations losing 5% of annual revenues to fraud each year. It recommends proactive steps including preapproval systems, audit rules, mandatory corporate card programs, and leveraging data sharing and trend identification to spot red flags.
A SAP Concur blog post cites an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey of 552 senior executives in 11 countries: 91% say technology-driven expense management systems are key to meeting spend policies and protocols, and 95% agree that real-time data analytics has helped keep spending and operations in line with company goals. The post notes the pandemic is accelerating adoption of cloud, AI, machine learning, and automation to achieve spend visibility, consistency, and compliance.
The SAP Concur blog notes that many corporate travel and expense policies are too vague or outdated, leading to duplicate claims, questionable spending, and occasional fraud, while burdening finance teams. It recommends policies be concise, easy to find, and cover specific scenarios such as reimbursement requirements, who pays when multiple employees are present, and preferred suppliers and booking methods. It also promotes its expense policy template and builder tool.
SAP Concur gives three reasons to automate invoice processing: saving time and money, improving vendor relationships, and gaining better financial visibility. AIIM found companies using invoice automation see a 29.2% reduction in processing costs. Ardent Partners research shows 40% of finance executives prioritize improving payables reporting and analytics.
SAP Concur blog discusses how AI can automate accounts payable processes to reduce costs, errors, and improve compliance. It notes the average cost to manually process a single supplier invoice is £9, while AI can automatically capture invoices, provide dashboard views, and flag issues. Businesses using Concur Invoice reported an 18% increase in policy compliance and a 46% improvement in staff productivity.
SAP Concur cites a Kelton Global survey of 162 financial decision-makers in state, city, and local government, highlighting transparency and compliance challenges in government expense management. The survey found that one in three respondents frequently spot errors in expense reports and invoice processing, and three in ten say the problem has worsened over the past 12 months. 73% of decision-makers admit maintaining compliance is a regular struggle. The article states automation can improve efficiency, citing data that full automation can reduce fraud, waste, and abuse by 38% and increase budget management efficiency by 40%.
SAP Concur blog emphasizes that small businesses need year-round financial visibility, not just at year-end. It highlights common pitfalls: neglecting cash flow, not chasing late payments, assuming data accuracy, failing to review prices, and compliance risks. Automating financial processes reduces errors, improves compliance, and enhances cash flow management.
A SAP Concur blog post discusses how to maximize visibility of low-level (tail) spend and travel spend by focusing on spend channels. It notes that travel and expense spend is often one of the largest for organizations, typically second behind payroll. Tail spend generally accounts for 20% of a company's total spend but is spread across 80% of suppliers. By using digital technologies to track across all spend channels, companies can create a complete map of committed spend, improving forecasting, cost savings, and compliance.
A SAP Concur blog post notes that business travel decisions are typically optimized for cost and time efficiency, not environmental sustainability, and many organizations still use paper-based booking and expense processes. IOFM found the average business receives 63% of invoices as paper, and 62% manually handle over 75% of paper invoices. APQC research shows finance workers spend 49% of their time processing transactions. The article recommends digitalization and automation to reduce environmental impact, citing NEC's case: reduced T&E management time by 40% and saved about $1.8 million annually with SAP Concur.
A SAP Concur blog post reminds companies that travel and expense is the second largest annual budget item after payroll, and a significant portion may be recoverable through Value Added Tax (VAT) reclaims. VAT recovery is possible in more than 40 countries, but the process is complex and time-consuming. An OECD survey found that over 70% of businesses found reclaim procedures difficult to navigate, and 20% were unable to recover any VAT. The article recommends simplifying the process through integrated solutions in the SAP Concur App Center.
SAP Concur blog introduces the FAVR (Fixed and Variable Rate) mileage reimbursement model as an alternative to traditional cents-per-mile, car allowance, and fleet vehicles. Designed for employees driving at least 5,000 miles annually, FAVR includes fixed costs (license, taxes/depreciation, insurance) and variable costs (maintenance, fuel, tire wear), calculated based on actual costs, more equitable and IRS-compliant with no tax burden. SAP Concur FAVR by Motus automates calculations and integrates with Concur Expense.
An SAP Concur blog post explores how companies can retain critical talent by incorporating employee experience into spend management strategies amid the Great Resignation. Citing Marchelle Klippenstein, Vice President of Value Experience Group at SAP Concur, the article notes that in the post-pandemic environment, companies cannot maintain legacy T&E expectations and must balance serving employees with financial needs. Five recommendations are offered: broaden employee engagement, monitor sentiment data like KPIs, treat T&E as an emotional business process, communicate changes to employees, and accept that things will never be the same.
The article notes that travel and expense (T&E) questions and complaints, expense report approvals, and monitoring of accounts payable processes are often caused by outdated, confusing, or non-existent policies. Growing businesses can change greatly in short periods, leaving policies outdated or even obsolete. It recommends reviewing and updating expense and AP policies at least once a year and after every relevant large change to the organization's business, because these policies govern how employees get reimbursed, how money flows through the company, and what will be paid or denied. Policy check-up points include: be clear and to the point, avoiding legalese and corporate jargon; ensure…
SAP Concur published a guide for selecting expense and travel management solutions, advising businesses to evaluate providers on product capabilities, provider experience and support levels, and long-term strategic planning. The article also cites the IDC MarketScape 2018 Vendor Assessment, in which SAP Concur was positioned as a leader.
This SAP Concur blog post argues that innovation is often hindered by manual expense and travel processes. It recommends leveraging automation, gaining full financial visibility, and fostering a supportive environment to free employees for creative work. It cites a PwC survey where 93% of executives believe innovation drives revenue growth, and notes that 55% of small business owners see current tech as a hindrance to adopting new technologies.
SAP Concur blog highlights that businesses must continuously reinvent their processes to keep up with change. Using spend management as an example, the article recommends integrating corporate cards, personal cards, purchasing cards, and cash into a single digital process, and introducing pre-purchase approval and AI/machine learning to control spending before it occurs and ensure compliance.
A SAP Concur blog post notes that while organizations want to review 100% of expense reports to catch mistakes and fraud, auditing is time-consuming and expensive, so many avoid it. The article argues that skipping audits risks compliance fines, costs from human error and greed, and falling behind amid continuous change. It recommends combining intelligent technology with expert review and embedding intelligent spending reviews into expense processes to improve efficiency and support continuous improvement.
A SAP Concur blog post states that organizations with high mileage spend up to 10.6% of their travel budget on mileage-related expenses. A quarter of drivers understate their annual mileage by 6,000 miles or more, causing U.S. organizations $5.4 billion in losses annually. Enterprise organizations using SAP Concur solutions report that mileage spend averages 3.7% of total expensed spend. The article recommends optimizing mileage spend through automated mileage tracking, reviewing T&E policies, educating employees on tracking tools, and considering Concur FAVR.
SAP Concur published a blog post emphasizing the importance of digitalizing travel and expense (T&E) processes. The article notes that the financial services industry still relies on paper processes and manual expense reports, leading to delayed data, poor budget visibility, and negative impacts on employee satisfaction and talent recruitment. By automating T&E processes, companies can collect and connect spending data in real time, improve compliance, and enhance the employee experience. The article also covers digital features like mobile experience, e-receipts, and brand choice.
SAP Concur App Center partner Pivot Payables has launched a Bottom Line Improvement Calculator to help professional services organizations assess expense recovery losses from manual project billing. According to Pivot Payables CEO Cher Pearsall, manual project billing accounts for 35% to 50% of disputed transactions between organizations and their clients, and a significant percentage of billable expenses are omitted during the manual process. The PivotPrime solution integrates with Concur Expense and Concur Invoice to automatically identify AP data and generate billing statements. Client Cardno saved more than 500 hours per month in its client billing process after switching from manual bi…
SAP Concur cites AMI-Partners research showing that SMBs using Concur Expense save an average of $39,000 annually, and outlines the current state of SMBs still relying on spreadsheets and handwritten records to manage expenses and the associated costs.
SAP Concur states that managing cash flow is about clear visibility into where money goes. By automating expense and invoice processes, organizations can reduce manual errors, improve accuracy, and make more informed spending decisions. The post recommends automating expense management for near real-time spend visibility, eliminating manual entry, human error, and compliance blind spots; and automating expense audits and invoice-to-PO validation to control spend before money leaves accounts. SAP Concur says its cloud solutions connect spending data from suppliers and credit providers, automatically audit transactions, apply spending controls, check for duplicate invoices, and provide detail…
SAP Concur and Brex have launched an integration that automatically flows Brex card transactions into Concur Expense expense reports within 24 hours, reducing data entry errors, providing more granular spend reporting, and enabling automatic reconciliation across multiple systems.
SAP Concur blog summarizes an Aberdeen webinar where analyst Bryan Ball said mobile is back and return to travel will be robust. The article notes mobile expense management improves spend visibility, reporting speed, and accuracy. Among best-in-class companies (top 20%), 53% photograph and digitally attach receipts, 52% enter expenses on mobile, 44% submit reports on mobile, 39% use mobile categorization, and 27% approve on mobile. The article also lists KPIs for best-in-class companies.
A SAP Concur blog post describes how mobile expense and invoice management can boost productivity. The SAP Concur smartphone app lets employees submit expenses from anywhere, managers review and approve, and employees photograph receipts to automatically create itemized expense claims. TripIt Pro organizes all travel details into a single digital itinerary and provides real-time alerts on flight delays and cancellations. The article says cloud tools support remote work and virtual offices.
A SAP Concur blog post cites a CFO paper stating that successful growth requires a strategic and smart approach rather than a scattershot one. Dr. Christian Campagna, senior managing director for CFO and enterprise value at Accenture Strategy, says it is a delicate balancing act of reallocating spending to fund the new business while maintaining the established business. Citing Aberdeen Group's 2018 T&E Expense Trends and Benchmarking Spending report, the article says 60% of small and midsize businesses still use spreadsheets and other manual systems to track spending, leaving most finance leaders without the real-time visibility, insights, and controls they need. It recommends a unified sy…
The SAP Concur blog discusses challenges in county budget management post-pandemic, emphasizing zero-based budgeting, detailed expense categorization, and data-driven decision-making. Citing McKinsey and Brookings reports, it notes sales tax declines and recommends counties refine budget categories, update policies, and use data to forecast and approve spending.
A SAP Concur blog post offers four expense-compliance tips for the highly regulated life sciences industry: monitor and audit expense reports, use automated controls to catch errors and fight fraud, use accumulated data to drive policy changes, and move away from manual spend processes. It cites figures including almost 20% of travel and expense spending falling outside policy, 89% of fraud cases involving asset misappropriation, and 42% of respondents still spending about 76 hours or more per month auditing expense reports. It also notes civil monetary penalties of up to $1 million for failing to report Open Payments in a timely manner.
SAP Concur published an article explaining the Value Added Tax (VAT) reclaim process. It notes that due to complex and country-specific rules, companies often do not claim entitled VAT refunds, with 54% of VAT going unclaimed. The article recommends solutions that automatically identify eligible transactions, enrich transaction data, and confirm recoverable amounts, while warning that manual processes can lead to significant regulatory and financial penalties.
SAP Concur notes that paper-, email-, and spreadsheet-based travel and expense (T&E) management processes have always been inefficient, time-consuming, and error-prone, and are unworkable with offices closed. The article recommends automating T&E processes to save time and lower costs. IDC recently conducted a study of worldwide SaaS cloud-enabled T&E management solutions and provided a vendor selection guide. SAP Concur was named a leader in SMB global T&E management by IDC MarketScape.
This article discusses key factors in selecting travel and expense management tools, emphasizing the importance of user experience. It notes that modern tools should auto-fill expense reports, incorporate AI, sync with ERP, and support safe, sustainable travel. Tools must also provide real-time spend visibility and adapt to evolving payment methods and user needs.
A SAP Concur blog post notes that as more employees travel for business, expense reports are vulnerable to fake claims. It offers three tips: know common fraud schemes (such as profitable per-diems, mileage padding, and double dipping); institute a corporate credit card program to improve monitoring; and use automated expense reporting systems like Concur Expense and Concur Detect, which use AI to analyze receipts, credit card transactions, and travel bookings to identify fraud, compliance issues, and errors.
SAP Concur blog cites an Oxford Economics survey showing 81% of leaders would benefit from focusing more on efficiency and cost control. It recommends emphasizing cash flow, facilitating internal collaboration, focusing on cost visibility, and automating spend management to handle expansion costs like headcount, facilities, systems, and foreign tax compliance.
A SAP Concur blog Q&A with Connie Hoen, who has over 30 years of audit and compliance experience, discusses how companies can control employee spend during uncertainty. The article identifies global travel and expense policies, expense report audit programs, and reporting and analysis requirements as three impacted areas. It recommends assessing work-from-home expense policies, creating 'at home' expense types in expense software, re-evaluating receipt requirements, and training first-time expense submitters and approvers.
Deloitte announced the upcoming release of the Deloitte - Travel Ready app in the SAP Concur App Center, an extension of the SAP-Deloitte partnership. The app connects the Deloitte platform with Concur Request, Concur Travel and Concur Expense, and aims to ease compliance for cross-border business travelers and remote workers by creating a consolidated approval, travel booking and compliance assessment process. It supports compliance with travel restrictions, visa and work permits, income tax, EU cross-border posted worker rules, social security, payroll taxes, corporate taxes and entity establishment risk. Craig Muir, Deloitte Global GES lead partner, and Pete Elmgren, senior vice presiden…
A SAP Concur blog post outlines three key steps for businesses to improve cash flow: evaluate finances to improve cash flow visibility, including reviewing AR and AP processes and 30-, 60-, and 90-day projections; diversify revenue streams to strengthen cash flow stability; and manage vendor payments through accounts payable automation. The article notes that a healthy business is not just about profits but about maintaining steady, predictable cash flow, without which bills go unpaid, payroll gets delayed, and growth grinds to a halt.
SAP Concur has released a series of travel management resources for its customers to address the challenges of traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic. These tools include the TripIt Traveler Resource Center, a booking switch feature that allows self-booking based on destination risk, Air Reassurance displaying airline COVID-19 measures, unused ticket credits visibility, Amadeus Ticket Changer self-service, and Concur FAVR by Motus for mileage reimbursement. Additionally, the company offers approval policies, customized messaging, and an expanded duty of care partner network, aiming to help companies resume travel safely and compliantly.
SAP Concur published an article on improving employee satisfaction by simplifying technology, gathering feedback, providing the right applications, promoting corporate cards, and adopting best practices. It suggests surveying employee needs, offering tools for travel booking and expense reimbursement, promoting corporate cards to reduce out-of-pocket expenses, and using automation, mobile apps, and training to improve compliance and satisfaction.
An SAP Concur blog post notes that accounts payable (AP) teams still face many manual processes, such as tracking receipts, reviewing expense reports, and digging through paperwork. It cites a TechRepublic survey indicating that as much as 38% of the workforce plans to leave their current job in the next few months, meaning the 'Great Resignation' continues. The article recommends digitizing expense reports and AP processes to reduce processing time, increase efficiency, and improve accuracy, freeing finance and AP teams to focus on more strategic work such as monitoring broader spend strategy and reclaiming eligible value-added tax.
SAP Concur published an article on how charter schools can use automated invoicing and expense management to address cost pressures from enrollment growth. It cites data: 1.2 million students enrolled in U.S. charter schools in 2006-07, over 6,900 schools in 2016, and over 3.1 million students in 2017. Automated invoice processes can help schools improve cash flow, control spend, and expand enrollment without adding staff.