This SAP Concur blog post emphasizes the importance of data integration in travel risk management. It notes that TMCs are primary external TRM partners, but direct bookings create data gaps. Companies need to centrally aggregate internal and external data to pinpoint traveler locations and ensure compliance.
A SAP Concur blog post notes corporate travel spend is getting harder to manage: travelers book via mobile apps and supplier websites, and new distribution channels fragment booking and cost data. GBTA data shows 77% of businesses are not completely confident they can quickly and accurately locate business travelers in an emergency. Compared with five years ago, experienced travel managers spend 66% more time on data and analysis reporting, 66% more on evaluating or implementing new technology, 60% more on traveler safety and duty of care, and 52% more on cross-department meetings or collaboration. The article recommends finance and travel program leaders work together to deploy solutions t…
SAP Concur notes that employees now book directly through dozens of travel sites and suppliers, often bypassing corporate booking tools, leaving companies unaware of where staff are, where they are going, how they travel, or what they spend. It suggests checking three things: whether the travel solution connects to existing systems, to supplier data, and to third-party applications. Combining travel and expense programs gives a more accurate spend view and supports supplier negotiations, policy enforcement, and more effective duty of care.
An SAP Concur blog post discusses how travel managers can leverage business intelligence (BI) to keep up with technological change. It highlights SAP Concur's partnership with TMC partner Travel Incorporated, developing automated solutions on the Compleat platform, such as Seat Finder, automated schedule change processing, and Traveler Self-Service, to improve efficiency and data transparency. Travel Inc. also shares its practices of using real-time data and predictive BI to enhance traveler tracking and duty of care.
SAP Concur published an article citing IDC that the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of digital transformation for staying agile. The article argues that too many platforms and tools can lead to data silos, onerous reporting, and departments using non-standardized tools, hampering business agility. It recommends evaluating the current mix of spend management platforms and vendors to consider consolidation for business resiliency.
A SAP Concur blog post looks at how intelligent technology will affect travel and expense management: trips that book themselves, expense reports that write themselves, and data that analyzes itself. It cites data: 80% of business travelers rely on their phone to conduct business and 88% believe technology makes travel easier to navigate; 63% of business travel managers feel travelers' risk has increased and 52% fear it will rise more in the next year; 88% of CFOs point to T&E costs as a way to optimize working capital; and 49% of today's jobs will be affected by automation.
Citing a GBTA Foundation survey, SAP Concur says 57% of business travelers agree that 'nowadays, any destination could be high risk.' The post identifies risk-management gaps: 58% of travelers said they would call their supervisor, 60% of travel managers rely on travelers to reach out when they need help, and 31% of travel managers say they are unable to support travelers who book outside their system. It recommends reviewing employee awareness and education, infrastructure and data integration to meet duty of care.
An SAP Concur blog post discusses the role of data in implementing a travel risk management (TRM) program. According to a 2017 Business Travel News report, companies are trending toward a 'team approach' integrating internal and external stakeholders for TRM. The survey shows 66% of companies use itinerary data and employee contact information to support TRM, and 46% use market-specific threat information. The article emphasizes that integrated data is the heart of a successful TRM program, and organizations need to leverage technology to collect travel and spend data from various channels to keep employees safe and compliant.
A SAP Concur blog post states that travel directors face external pressures including the shared economy, supplier direct bookings, traveler satisfaction, and duty of care. Employees are spending across more categories and using more payment methods—credit cards, ghost cards, checks, cash, and P-cards—often managed by disconnected systems, making a single source of truth difficult. A GBTA Foundation report found only 47% of travel managers report their online booking and expense tools are integrated; only 20% use technology to capture bookings made outside the travel program, while 42% of North American travelers prefer booking directly on supplier websites. An Oxford Economics survey of 1,…
An SAP Concur blog post argues that expense data is the true single source for travel spend truth, as it captures all spend not going onto corporate credit cards and all supplier-direct spend, and is tied back to the company's General Ledger data. GL information is used by the CFO for monthly and quarterly earnings reporting, making expense data more credible than TMC or supplier data. The article advises travel managers to work closely with expense management teams, understand how expense data can be dissected, align with finance analysts on GL spend categories, and restructure travel reports to align with GL categories.
A SAP Concur blog post discusses the problems caused by disconnected employee spend data. Employee spending (travel expenses, POs, non-PO invoices, p-cards, corporate cards, etc.) typically falls into the bottom 20% of overall spend yet involves the majority of vendors and department time. Data spread across multiple systems or paper-based processes leads to a lack of accurate and timely data, difficulty staying on top of payment due dates resulting in late fees, and limited insights to maximize working capital. The article recommends an integrated, cloud-based, single solution to connect all spend data for strategic decision-making.
SAP Concur published an article explaining how the 'Intelligent Enterprise' concept applies to travel and expense management. It states that by collecting, normalizing, enriching, and connecting previously siloed data, companies can improve visibility, focus, and agility in spend control. Finance teams gain better control over spending, while HR, travel managers, and security officers can improve the employee travel and duty of care experience. The article emphasizes that bringing travel, expense, and invoice management systems together eliminates complex user experiences and accelerates value creation.
A SAP Concur blog post discusses traveler tracking and duty of care challenges. It cites GBTA data showing 42% of travelers prefer to book directly on a supplier's website. It also notes one-third of travelers in the UK, Germany, and France still book directly with suppliers at least once a year despite having access to company online booking tools, and 40% of travelers who used an OBT in the past year also booked directly with a supplier at least once in the same period. It states that if travelers don't book through company channels, employers can't get itinerary information in time, affecting duty of care.