Emburse Certify vs. SAP Concur

Certify is not well suited for multi-dimensional ERPs. Although Certify 'offers' general ledger dimensions GLD, the use of them is extremely limited. Filtering on any GLD can only be done once. There is not the possibility for creating hierarchies with the dimensions. The only method of exporting is via a flat file or the open API, which I understand is quite limited. This software is for a smaller scaled business that is not trying to track across dimensions or create hierarchies. Data flow is one directional. I cannot emphasize enough the shortcomings of the reporting. The parameters are mostly based on expense dates rather than expense reports. There are entirely too many of them, and some of them perform the function!

Incentivized

SAP Concur is great for large organizations because of it's built in approval process functions. It is great tool for expense reports and any company where employees need to book travel. I imagine that the tool would be more tricky to use for those who are less technically savvy since there are many tabs and it is sometimes tricky to navigate.

Incentivized

• Integration with Amtrav or other travel booking systems. Certify has a tight integration with travel systems that makes it feel nearly like one cohesive tool.
• Easy expense options. Use OCR on receipts, import from credit cards and merge items, approve and inquire about expenses. Track your submissions.
• Easy UI. Friendly and easy to navigate without getting lost.

Incentivized

• Self service and easy to navigate
• Available on all mobile devices
• Provides travel options such as airlines for the destination with several options
• Automatically define check in and check out dates and time for hotels
• Reminds users to book other travel related activities

Incentivized

• Reporting: I would like to see more chart availability from the program. We include various data points from Certify in our monthly financial statement package. Currently, we export data from the program and create our own pivot tables to create charts.
• Dashboard feature: It would be nice to be able to use the data for a specific date and then be able to print that information.
• Can't think of another one. As stated before, they listen to their customers so prior issues have been addressed and implemented.

Incentivized

• For a new user of SAP Concur, it becomes difficult to file the first reimbursement as that person is new to the application and probably, one needs to to go through the instructions to get used to it. So, user interface can be improved and could be tried to make more interactive. Other than that, it's all good to go.

Incentivized

Now that we are fully on Concur, switching is not an option. Concur has become ingrained in our expense reporting process. Furthermore, Concur continues to improve its offering. Each month, they release updates and changes, many of which were client requested. Concur's constant evolution means it is adapting with my business

Incentivized

If the integrations with our card programs had succeeded, I expect [Emburse] Certify would have worked well for expense submitters and approvers. During the short time that the American Express Business integration was active, transactions flowed smoothly, and the expense reporting and receipt matching functions were quite good. The [Emburse] Certify mobile app was particularly powerful and easy to use.

Incentivized

I think it is very easy to use, especially once you are acquainted with it. I think the UX could be improved so some things, like accessing old reports, are more intuitive once you learn it though it is not difficult to replicate.

Incentivized

In prior years I would have given them a 9.5 for availability. Unfortunately in 2015 so far this rating has dropped to a 7 overall.
We have experienced far too many interruptions - from admins to employees who rely on it for day to day booking of travel and submission of expense reports. Server errors, slow system response time and spinning wheels are too common place. Those things should be a rare occurrence, not a daily interruption.

While Conur still has great product offerings overall, they are currently not offering world class or best in class product (and customer service) availability. Remaining hopeful they step up and get their A game going again soon.

Incentivized

Performance-wise, it's good, loads pages quickly, and reports are highly accurate and easy to understand. Also, we can generate custom reports as needed, and we have integrated with a few other apps, and we have not seen any downgrade in performance.

Incentivized

The measure of support is how well they respond when you really need them, like when the system is not performing correctly. We have been on the platform less than a year, and there have been at least 2 instances, where the platform was down. The 2nd time was the day before out fiscal year end. And they need a development website. When they are making changes to your LIVE instance, and things go wrong, the client is the first to know about it! I've come to understand that Certify has tiers of support. Those in tier 1, barely know more about the software than the users. I sent a request for a report that shows expense reports currently pending approval and after 5 days of back and forth I was told to build it myself.

Incentivized

I have never had to use customer support when using Concur Expense - the UX could be a bit nicer on the eyes or easier to understand, but there have never been any problems when using Concur Expense that I have had to ask or reach out to customer support to help me with anything.

Incentivized

My Seniors were the ones who taught me about Concur. Concur Support team has sent me training links and answered me in their tickets too. Usually they are helpful and knows their stuff. There are times when webex meetings is conducted for reporting training. They were very patient and took down all the details from me.

Incentivized

I can use it after that training, so it fits the purpose.

Incentivized

There are different implementation teams for each module of the product you purchase, so implementation is not a 'one size fits all' environment. Also, the different implementation teams have different ways of doing things, so Concur could stand some standardization and streamlining in this area. A Project Manager can make or break an implementation so don't be scared to ask for a new one if things are rocky.

Incentivized

Before Certify, there was only manual expense reports entered for our company. This took too much time for employees too finish and caused a delay of efficiency. With Certify, it is easier to access and finish each report with the right amount of effectiveness and efficiency it needs. Certify is really helpful in saving a lot of time for employees that do not have time.

Incentivized

Expensify and Zoho Expense work for small and mid-size businesses. Big multinationals do not receive benefits from the apps. Coupa is good as a solution for organizations with non-SAP leading systems. If you plan to use SAP ERP as the main/lending system then SAP Concur is the best solution, mainly for its native integration with SAP ecosystem.

Incentivized

This program has been very helpful, user friendly and has been a great asset to use to assist with time management. Not only are leadership involved with using this program but all staff as well. This is also a great way to hold each accountable. Easy startup with not many means for hands on training

Incentivized

• The organization and automatic flow of the expense report to approvers and then AP saves time for all. The user has agreed that it is easier and quicker to prepare the expense report and the managers and AP department finds the automated process to be quicker and more efficient. Time saved is money saved.
• Certify can recognize if a duplicate expense is submitted or if an expense is submitted too late to be reimbursed according to our policies. This prevents us from reimbursing an expense in error.
• We use a customized report to track a specific type of expense that gets submitted by our sales team. There is a limit on what can be spent on specific expenses that fall into an entertainment category and the report helps us to stay within the limits. Previously, without this tool, we had spent so much more time manually tracking these expenses and had gone over the limits, creating a deficiency in our processes.

Incentivized

• Concur's automation has produced impressive efficiency improvements, which have decreased the time and effort required for expense management.
• Manual errors and policy violations have decreased, which has led to cost savings.
• We now adhere to corporate regulations better, which lowers risks thanks to Concur's policy compliance checker.

Incentivized