A SAP Concur blog post cites an Oxford Economics report finding that 74% of small and midsize businesses said emerging technology is increasing the finance function's complexity, compared with 58% of larger companies. It outlines three ways emerging technology benefits finance leadership: scaling, replacing legacy systems and improving collaboration and visibility.
SAP Concur and Oxford Economics surveyed 500 IT and finance decision-makers at organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees globally. The survey found nearly 6 in 10 IT leaders report spending more time on manual processes than automation since the pandemic; nearly two-thirds say aligning growth strategy with executive leadership is a challenge; only 52% say they work effectively with finance; and just 36% say their organization has the financial visibility and data needed for decision-making, budgeting, and forecasting. Among companies that have digitalized key finance processes, nearly half report increased agility, collaboration, productivity, and spend visibility.
A survey commissioned by SAP Concur of 500 US state and local government finance and administration decision-makers found remote work poses productivity challenges for these departments. Only 11% of respondents said they have a fully automated platform allowing employees to track travel and expenses, and 39% said they have made no investments in expense and travel-related technology at all. 67% of decision-makers are managing three or more additional work tasks due to COVID-19, and 55% of governments have the added responsibility of redirecting funds for essential services such as public health and safety. 75% of respondents said COVID-19 accelerated their department's decision to invest in…
A SAP Concur blog cites a Wakefield survey of 500 state and local government finance and administrative departments. 67% of staff took on three or more new responsibilities; 88% cited accessing information and tools as the top remote-work challenge; 89% lack a fully automated platform to track travel and/or expenses; and predicted average budget shortfalls for the upcoming fiscal year are 24%. 75% said the pandemic accelerated their decision to invest in cloud-based budget management solutions.
The article explores the potential of AI and blockchain in accounting. Blockchain as a secure distributed ledger speeds up monthly reconciliations and prevents tampering; AI handles large data tasks, reducing weeks of work to days or hours. A survey shows 86% of accountants welcome technology to make admin tasks invisible.
SAP Concur published an article citing World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) data that the global travel and tourism sector contributed a record US$8.8 trillion and 319 million jobs. The article notes that business travel in Asia is growing at double the pace of the rest of the world, China has become the world's largest business travel market, and ASEAN business travel spend has grown 35.2% since 2014. It also discusses mobile-first culture, bleisure travel trends, and duty of care.
The article highlights SMB contributions to the U.S. economy: between 1993 and 2011, small businesses accounted for 64% of new jobs created; high-patenting small firms had 16 times more patents per employee than larger counterparts; locally owned businesses boost community economies more than national chains; and the share of women-, Latino-, African-American-, and Asian-owned businesses increased. It calls for celebrating SMBs on Small Business Saturday and every day.
In recognition of International Women's Day, SAP Concur President Mike Eberhard and Vice President of People Connection Jenn McColly discuss how to create more gender balance in the workforce. McColly cites McKinsey research that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 21% more likely to experience above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile. The post describes SAP Concur's workforce composition: 46% female, 39% of leaders are women, and 24% of employees in technology roles are female. It also notes SAP Concur's Corporate Social Responsibility partner CARE works to eradicate poverty and supports economic empowerment of women and…
A SAP Concur flash trend report found field activity is 75% higher than the week of April 5, 2020, with average business mileage during WorkForward rising to 70% of pre-pandemic levels. The South and Western U.S. show the highest activity at about 72% of pre-pandemic levels, the Midwest 70% and the Northeast 64%. Recovery varies widely by sector: Business Services at 102%, Food & Beverage at 86% and Manufacturing at 49%.
A SAP Concur survey shows 76% of U.S. travel managers say their company has updated travel guidelines or policies in the past 12 months to focus more on sustainability. 89% of business travelers consider sustainability important to their company, and 88% are willing to take steps to reduce their environmental impact, including taking fewer but longer trips (40%), staying in a greener hotel (40%), using public transportation (33%), and more. Gen Z and millennials are especially willing. SAP Concur has partnered with Thrust Carbon to help companies calculate travel emissions and set carbon budgets.
SAP Concur published a guest article discussing how people analytics can help organizations gain new business insights. The article debunks three common myths: people analytics involves more than one type of analytics, does not require expensive technology, and is not only for HR. It notes applications in workspace planning, work design, and automation and employee experience, and highlights that analyzing employee spend data (such as travel expenses) can optimize budgets and improve employee experience.
SAP Concur published an article examining the hidden costs of manual, paper-based expense management. It provides a formula for calculating cost per expense report and cites multiple data points: 81% of finance leaders admit to blind spots in travel, expense, and invoice spend; automation can reduce AP data entry time by 37% and invoicing errors by 33%; the typical organization loses 5% of annual revenue to fraud. The article also notes that organizations creating exceptional employee experiences see 17% higher productivity, 21% higher profitability, and 24% lower turnover.
A SAP Concur blog post discusses intersectionality as a corporate strength during Pride month. It defines intersectionality as the systemic oppression and discrimination arising from overlapping social identities such as race, gender, sexuality, and class. The author, a first-generation immigrant with Latino, Central Native American, and European background, an LGBTQ+ community member, and child of a U.S. military veteran, explains how an intersectional perspective fosters empathy, self-awareness of bias, and identification of planning blind spots. The article recommends storytelling in interviews to let candidates present their authentic selves and stresses recognizing conscious and uncons…
SAP Concur research shows 69% of U.S. companies are not confident in reclaiming VAT from U.S. travelers going overseas. Cost containment is the leading reason for re-evaluating processes. Automation and cloud technology can simplify VAT reclaim, with a case study showing a 75% increase in reclaimable VAT.
SAP Concur podcast conversation with Thrust Carbon co-founder Kit Brennan discusses measuring carbon impact of travel and spend to set sustainability goals. Topics include carbon emission definitions, measurement methodologies, Scope 3 emissions, reporting standards (GHG Protocol, DEFRA, EPA), and the difference between carbon neutral and net zero. It emphasizes centralized data management and introduces SAP Concur's integration with Thrust Carbon, which automatically calculates carbon emissions from travel and expense data, including leakage.
A survey by SAP Concur and Kelton Global of 313 financial decision makers in state, city, and local government and higher education found that 59% believe their financial tools and systems are error-prone, and 68% report making decisions without full visibility into necessary information. Two-thirds admit fraud, waste, and abuse are current challenges, more than one in four say their vulnerability to fraud risk increased in the past year, and about one-third report an increase in inaccurate expense reports and invoices. About one-quarter unintentionally reported incorrect budget data due to inaccuracies.
A SAP Concur blog post summarizes a July 16 webinar with the CDC and customers. Matthew Dahm, PhD, MPH, Research Industrial Hygienist at the CDC, outlined three basic pandemic safety tenets: wear a cloth face mask in public, maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet, and have guidelines for when 6 feet cannot be maintained. Among finance, travel, HR, risk, and security professionals from Fortune 500 companies, 39% have already updated their plans, 27% are in the process, and 18% are planning to do so; only 6% are not updating policies. 50% of companies are evaluating employee spend before it happens with a pre-spend process, more than 90% are considering a pre-trip approval process, and…
A SAP Concur blog post describes a global survey of 1,500 finance executives by Oxford Economics and SAP examining what separates leading finance leaders from followers, compiled into the report Effective Spending Management Boosts Performance. The report lists six traits of top finance leaders, including strong influence beyond finance, driving strategic growth, improving efficiency with automation, effectiveness at core finance processes, collaboration with business units and handling regulatory change. The post says 95% of CFOs consider cloud-based applications critically or very important to financial performance.
Digital natives (Millennials and Gen Z) make up 38% of the workforce, projected to rise to 58% in the next decade. Growing up in a 'risk society,' they are untethering from traditional social structures, leading to increased loneliness and anxiety. Employers can adapt by offering remote work, flexible communication, wellness benefits, and growth opportunities to retain talent and boost productivity.
IDC analyst Kevin Permenter writes on the SAP Concur blog that financial services firms are shifting from cost control to optimizing travel spend. The article emphasizes capabilities like advanced analytics, better reporting, APIs, and data visualization to understand business travel outcomes and drive smarter decisions.
A SAP Concur blog post cites a 2019 IDC survey of 800+ global executives. The survey found that for most companies, 40% to 45% of revenue goes toward spend; 90% of respondents reported room to improve spend control; 95% said they were likely to invest in intelligent spend management platforms in the next two years; and 60% were already talking with a technology vendor.
A SAP Concur blog post states that responsible return to travel is revealing a new twist: the traveler community's voice is growing stronger and may significantly impact managed travel programs. Before the pandemic, there was already a focus on end-user travel experience, personalization, and booking choice empowerment. Post-pandemic surveys show travelers want to travel only when they feel safe, prioritize health and safety, and want to choose suppliers that meet their business needs. An EY & SAP Concur whitepaper cites the EY Work Reimagined Employee Survey 2021: nine in ten respondents want flexibility in where and when they work, and 54% of employees are likely to quit if they aren't of…
A SAP Concur blog post cites the Edelman Trust Barometer finding that governments became the world's most trusted institutions for the first time in 20 years, with trust rising 11 points since January to 63% and trust in government leaders up 13 points. Business and NGOs each scored 62%, while news media rose to 55%. The survey recommends business leaders fortify trust by putting employees first, clarifying mission and making leadership visible.
A SAP Concur-commissioned survey of 500 finance leaders found 91% say the finance team plays a vital role in achieving growth objectives; 79% say financial insights are important for driving growth strategy; and 96% say the role will become even more important. However, 60% of the finance team's time is taken up by day-to-day tasks, and one in five respondents want more visibility into finance data. 98% say automation would benefit their organization, and 93% agree that connecting expense, travel, and invoice processes is important to achieving growth objectives.
SAP Concur published a blog post introducing SAP's Climate 21 program, which aims to help enterprise customers understand and minimize the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of their operations. The article notes that business travel can account for more than half of a non-manufacturing organization's carbon footprint and provides a method for calculating travel emissions by multiplying EPA emission factors by distance traveled. It also cites the Paris Agreement goal for European countries to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 and a survey finding that 94% of Generation Z consider a company's social purpose when deciding where to work.
A SAP Concur blog post notes that employee expectations about jobs and workplace experiences have dramatically changed. A survey by Oxford Economics and SAP Concur found that 60% of U.S. employees say the pandemic caused them to reevaluate what they value in a workplace; an Accenture survey found 78% of employees believe employers are responsible for their job satisfaction and well-being. The article offers four tips to improve employee experience: improve onboarding and training, empower employees to work from anywhere, streamline and simplify the technology stack, and improve software application experiences. Gallup data shows only 12% of employees feel their organization does a great job…
This article highlights the value of SAP Concur data, including increasing VAT recovery, identifying spending trends, benchmarking, and budget control. With Taxback International's VATConnect, clients can increase VAT reclaim by up to 50% on average. Data can also be used to identify non-compliant spend and strengthen negotiation positions.
A SAP Concur blog post cites an Oxford Economics survey in which 81% of leaders say they would benefit from concentrating more on efficiency and cost control. The post offers four recommendations: emphasize cash flow early, facilitate internal collaboration, focus on cost visibility and efficiency, and consider automating spend management. The study notes that a clear view of costs can limit waste and redundancy, free up executives and employees, and improve flexibility and resource allocation.
A SAP Concur blog post cites an EMEA-focused study finding that 98% of organizations said they are prepared to commit additional funds to sustainable travel over and above their current travel management budget. However, one-third of corporate travel decision-makers say it is difficult to put their sustainability aspirations into practice, and 28% say they are aware of the issues but unsure how to effect change.
Concur analyzed $36 billion in travel expenses processed between Q1 2015 and Q1 2017, revealing spending differences between millennials (ages 22-35) and older employees (ages 36-65). The data shows that older employees' total expenses per employee are 66% higher than millennials', but millennials spend slightly more on hotel-related expenses. The article also explores industry and regional differences and suggests companies adapt travel policies to meet millennials' demand for a seamless experience.
A SAP Concur blog post cites a Vanson Bourne survey of 500 UK finance leaders on growth strategies amid Brexit. 96% of surveyed businesses plan to grow, and uncertainty is not seen as a barrier. The top five barriers for the business overall are IT/finance infrastructure (43%), staff productivity (41%), growing customer base (40%), profits for investment (39%), and cash flow (38%). Lack of efficiency in finance systems causes problems for 92% of finance leaders. 53% of travel booking processes, 45% of expense processes, and 38% of invoice processes are not automated. 67% of finance leaders are not confident their systems will scale. 98% say automation would benefit their organization, and 9…
A SAP Concur blog post cites a survey finding that 59% of corporate travel decision-makers feel passionately about greener travel programs but find it difficult or are unsure how to implement them. It also cites the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment of 2022 saying climate change will soon cost the UK economy £26 billion per year, and notes COP26 announced that businesses of a certain size must publish net-zero plans.
An SAP Concur podcast conversation with EY discusses the complexities of 'work from anywhere.' EY research surveying 16,000 employees in 16 countries found that nine in 10 employees want flexibility in where or when they work; employees expect to work two or three days remotely; and more than half (54%) are likely to quit if they aren't offered the flexibility they want, with Millennials almost twice as likely to quit as Baby Boomers. The post notes that varying definitions of hybrid work confuse companies developing policies, and that employees living in other states or countries could affect reporting and withholding obligations, while reimbursing remote employees for business expenses su…
SAP Concur releases 20 predictions for 2020, covering trends in economics, technology, travel, environment, and more. Predictions include small businesses tightening budgets, rising AI demand, super apps gaining traction in Southeast Asia, and traveler safety becoming a focus.
A SAP Concur podcast features TCG's Sally Crotty discussing corporate sustainability. The article divides ESG into social, economic, and environmental dimensions. Business travel can account for more than half of a company's carbon footprint. Travel represents 5% of global emissions, of which corporate travel makes up 30%, meaning roughly 1.5% of all global emissions is directly related to corporate travel. Sustainability goals have become key to attracting and retaining talent. Organizations like CDP and science-based targets can help companies disclose environmental impact and set emission reduction paths.
Employee-initiated spend includes not only travel and expense but also other operational spend. Timely expense recognition is critical for financial health. According to GBTA, 37% of hotel reservations and 15% of air bookings are made outside corporate channels, creating 'invisible spend.' SAP Concur's Triplink tool helps capture this spend, improving visibility and control.
SAP Concur and GBTA researched business traveler booking behavior. The study found that two-thirds of travelers with mandated policies book through alternative channels. 40% expect to use OTAs more, and 37% expect to book directly more. Additionally, 24-37% expect the organization to be responsible for their safety on leisure days.
A global survey of 1,500 finance executives by Oxford Economics reveals that over 90% of finance leaders consider big data, cloud, and security platforms essential for meeting their goals. The report emphasizes collaboration and automation for improving financial performance.
Data privacy is a major concern, with IBM reporting 78% of consumers believe a company's ability to keep data private is very important. Machine learning requires data, but methods like limiting personal data collection, k-anonymity, and differential privacy can balance privacy and accuracy. CIOs must see privacy as a sliding scale, not an on/off switch.
AMI Partners surveyed more than 400 financial decision makers at small and medium-sized businesses across five industries, identifying four common spend management pain points: 69% found manual expense, travel, and invoice processes inefficient and laborious; 60% struggled to track spending trends; 56% faced missing documentation; and more than half reported protracted approval and reimbursement cycles. The research found that businesses adopting automated expense, travel, and invoice management had the highest employee satisfaction, saved key roles hundreds of hours, and reduced costs by thousands of dollars per year.