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.
SAP Concur partnered with Education Dive to explore how universities use technology to improve back-office efficiency. The article notes that the pandemic has tightened budgets, prompting universities to turn to technology to cut costs. Three benefits include: employees empowered to work efficiently from anywhere, compliance supported, and improved cash flow. Savings from automating expense, travel, and invoice processes go beyond initial technology costs.
SAP Concur cites AMI-Partners research showing automated spend management improves cash flow, compliance, and efficiency. The survey shows 67% of businesses lack cash flow visibility, while automated solutions save time and improve compliance.
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.
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 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.
A SAP Concur blog post, citing Vanson Bourne research, reports that businesses leave 54% of eligible value added tax (VAT/GST/HST) unclaimed, amounting to millions or billions of dollars. It lists five reasons: businesses do not realize VAT can be recovered, regulations keep shifting, expenses are hard to track and validate, organizations lack time and expertise, and technology and processes are outdated. The pandemic added compliance challenges as governments rapidly changed VAT rules and deferred deadlines, then shifted focus toward audits to recover lost revenue. The article recommends modernizing VAT programs with intelligent technology, optimized data, and automated recovery processes…
A SAP Concur blog post explores the workplace characteristics of Generation Z (born mid-1990s to mid-2000s). They value job security and advancement opportunities, and are more motivated by purpose than money. Gen Z wants meaningful work, avoids repetitive tasks, and expects automation of tedious processes. The article advises companies to attract and retain Gen Z through automation and career development.
SAP Concur released a self-guided Concur Expense demo allowing potential customers to quickly experience the expense management process. The demo simulates a business conference trip, showing how to automatically import an Uber receipt, use machine learning to parse receipt details, create and submit an expense report, and have a manager approve via mobile app. The article highlights integrations with hotels, car rental companies, and airlines that reduce manual entry and improve compliance and spend visibility.
SAP Concur blog shares two customer cases: The Tech Interactive, a San Jose science museum, used Concur Expense and Concur Invoice to automate approval workflows, saving manual processing time and improving spend visibility; Wisconsin manufacturer WB Manufacturing, anticipating doubling sales in three years, deployed Concur Travel and Concur Expense in under three months, with sales team submitting expense reports after one day of training.
A SAP Concur blog post discusses how higher education institutions are adapting to hybrid work models. It cites Future Forum's Remote Employee Experience Index data: 83% of employees across all industries no longer want to work in-person five days a week, and 20% indicated they wanted to work remotely full-time. The article suggests institutions rethink staffing for online and in-person instruction, parking policies, technology tools, and more, while managing campus expectations. It mentions task forces at UCLA, Boston University, and Duke, and automation cases at the University of Alabama and Penn State University. Penn State processes more than 240,000 expense reports a year and saw no ba…
SAP Concur offers Concur Invoice to help state and local governments automate accounts payable processes, reduce manual work, stabilize operations, and provide spend visibility during uncertain times. The solution uses SAP Leonardo machine learning for a touchless process, supports remote vendor invoice capture, mobile approval, and near real-time visibility, and provides audit trails and secure cloud storage.
A SAP Concur blog post notes that in an environment of declining budgets and tight finances, businesses first think of cutting or controlling costs, but many lack a complete picture of their expenses. Too much spending is hidden, on personal credit cards, with too little oversight, and remote work has made it messier. The article recommends using tools to govern spending, capture every expense of every employee, automate invoices and auditing, and see finances in real time. It also offers a counterintuitive point: during cost control, make it easier for employees to spend, direct them to corporate cards and correct payment processes, making compliance the easiest and fastest option to obtai…
A SAP Concur blog post for SMB finance leaders discusses spend management best practices for maintaining business resilience in uncertain economic conditions. Citing an Oxford Economics survey of small businesses, it notes many SMBs adopted some form of digitization, but some remain on manual paper processes or partial automation, leading to workflow roadblocks, spend visibility gaps, and compliance issues. Suggested building blocks of resilience include streamlined processes, clear policies, up-to-date spend visibility, employee support, and cost control. The post states automating expense and AP processes can deliver real-time spend views, eliminate paper receipts, auto-populate expense r…
SAP Concur blog offers tips to help finance teams handle the year-end expense report peak. According to Concur data, around December 19 is the peak for expense report submissions. Recommendations include reviewing processes early, minimizing steps, adopting mobile automation, and ensuring approval backups to reduce stress.
In a SAP Concur podcast, Oversight's Mike Eberhard and Chris Juneau discuss how AI and machine learning help finance teams identify spending patterns. SAP Concur's Jeanne Dion says SaaS lets finance professionals implement technology quickly with a lighter IT lift, positioning them as more strategic partners. Juneau notes humans aren't ideally suited for pattern matching across vast data, and AI could be liberating for finance professionals. Dion points out that without AI, identifying fraudulent behavior can take up to 14 months. Eberhard sees back-office processes like expenses or payables as a perfect spot to automate, ignored for 20 years.
SAP Concur explores the evolving role of CFOs, emphasizing the importance of tech skills, multitasking, strategic advisory skills, and soft skills. Finance leaders will be more involved in company strategy and data analysis, leveraging technologies such as cloud computing, big data, machine learning, and AI.
SAP Concur blog notes post-pandemic employees expect flexible work locations and efficient tools. Finance and IT must collaborate on digital spend management to maintain employee satisfaction and support growth. An Oxford Economics study shows organizations that have digitalized expense or invoice management see increases in spend visibility (37%), organizational agility (47%), cross-functional collaboration (36%), and employee productivity (43%).
SAP Concur blog notes that state and local government finance departments face pressure from reduced funding, increased service demand, and fewer staff. It recommends automating, integrating, and digitizing AP processes to address remote work challenges and improve financial discipline.
SAP Concur blog cites IDC research showing that cloud-based accounts payable and invoice management solutions can significantly improve efficiency, compliance, and visibility. IDC study found organizations using Concur Invoice achieved average benefits of $2.75 million over five years, with a 505% ROI.
SAP Concur blog post discusses VAT recovery on corporate travel expenses. It cites GBTA data that over 480 million business trips are taken annually and notes a €137 billion VAT gap in the EU. The article recommends using automation and digitalization to improve VAT compliance and recovery efficiency, citing examples of Electrolux and Citrix Systems achieving significant VAT recovery increases through automation.
This SAP Concur blog post offers tips for small business spend management. It cites Concur data showing small businesses receive an average of six duplicate invoices totaling over $12,000 each month. It recommends tracking all spending in real-time and automating AP processes to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
SAP Concur cites a global Oxford Economics survey with SAP and Concur of 1,500 finance executives, summarizing six traits distinguishing top financial performers: strong influence beyond finance, driving strategic growth initiatives, improving efficiency with automation, being very effective at core finance processes, collaborating regularly with business units, and working closely with governance, risk and compliance to handle regulatory change. The survey shows companies with 5-10% revenue growth are twice as likely as slower-growing companies to strongly agree automation improves finance function efficiency, and more than twice as likely to rate themselves 'very effective' at T&E expense…
AMI Partners surveyed over 400 SMBs and found that businesses automating expense, travel, and invoice management saw the greatest performance boost. Key trends include mobile workforce, multi-supplier invoice processing, and cost reduction pressures. Automation reduces invoice processing time and frees finance staff. 64% of businesses cite reducing operating expenses as a strategic goal.
A SAP Concur blog emphasizes the responsibility of the public sector in travel, expense, and invoice management, noting that manual processes and siloed data hinder fraud and compliance management. It recommends automated solutions using AI and machine learning to spot anomalies, and OCR and three-way matching for accuracy, to help public sector meet higher fiscal responsibility.
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 cites an Oxford Economics study: cost-conscious SMB finance leaders achieve better outcomes while keeping expansion costs in line. The study reports 93% of cost-conscious SMB executives agree they have the right platforms and systems to adapt to their growing organization, versus 79% of less cost-conscious executives. The post notes that as companies grow, discretionary expenses such as travel, expenses, marketing, and office supplies can add up quickly, and intelligent automated technologies can help finance leaders proactively control costs and optimize cash flow.
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.
A SAP Concur blog post describes how the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Mass., closed in mid-March during COVID-19 and needed to offer a museum experience online. PEM's decision three years earlier to digitize back-office operations using SAP Concur solutions for travel, expense, and invoice processes reduced administrative burdens and made vendor onboarding and payment faster and easier. Valerie Blatt, who heads SAP Concur global SMB, said that without automated processes and data visibility, organizations cannot pinpoint discount or cost-saving opportunities. She noted that more SMBs are turning to automation software to protect cash flow, improve efficiency, and control costs.
SAP Concur blog post discusses the challenges of expense management in a hybrid work environment and provides a checklist to help businesses assess whether their expense management processes meet remote work demands. It recommends automating expense management from data capture to reporting and analytics, and paying attention to new spending categories, approval times, and employee feedback.
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.
SAP Concur blog discusses challenges in K-12 school employee spending management. A 2018 New York Times article citing a Federal Department of Education survey states 94% of public school teachers reported spending an average of $479 of their own money on classroom supplies, with 7% spending more than $1,000. An audit of Denver Public Schools found $92 million worth of Visa transactions over two and a half years, with $2 million in purchases that appeared to contradict school policy but were approved. The article recommends automating travel, expense, and invoice processes to improve efficiency, compliance, and budget visibility.
SAP Concur published an accounts payable (AP) guide explaining that AP refers to money a business owes its creditors, with a typical process covering invoice delivery, review, approval, and payment. Citing a survey of 420 businesses across five countries, it notes 69% of respondents cited inefficiency of manual processes and 56% reported missing documentation. AP automation digitizes vendor invoicing; AIIM research shows an average 29.2% reduction in invoice processing costs, with nearly one-third of businesses cutting costs by 50% or more.
This SAP Concur blog post emphasizes the importance of automated expense reporting for small businesses. Manual reports pass through many hands and often face delays due to missing receipts or errors. Automated systems like Concur Expense allow employees to photograph receipts, reducing errors and speeding up approval and reimbursement. Cloud technology makes reports accessible anytime.
This SAP Concur blog explores AI applications in travel and expense management. AI analyzes data, provides insights, automates processes, reduces errors, and enables predictive analytics. For example, AI can detect fraud patterns and optimize budget negotiations. IDC predicts AI-powered enterprises will see 100% increase in knowledge worker productivity by 2025. SAP Concur invests in AI to help customers improve efficiency.
A SAP Concur blog case study describes how RXBAR, a whole-food protein bar company, needed more transparent expense data to support agile decisions during rapid growth. RXBAR implemented Concur Expense, a cloud-based automated employee expense solution. Kelsey Letizia, VP of Finance & Global Controller, said the tool makes it easy for employees and finance to track spending and includes a mobile app for on-the-go expense tracking. Better expense visibility let her make more informed business decisions quickly.
SAP Concur's 'Let's automate that' campaign collects employee-shared finance hacks. The article highlights the drawbacks of manual processes and suggests automating spend management to improve efficiency and reduce errors.
Citing research by Oxford Economics with SAP Concur, the blog notes that 1 in 3 employees who expect a seamless technology experience do not get one. Poor travel and expense technology can lower compliance, efficiency, and retention. Mobile receipt capture, automated approvals, embedded policy prompts, and integrated itinerary and safety information can improve employee experience while raising compliance and efficiency.