Robust tool that gets you where you need to go
Updated September 04, 2020
Robust tool that gets you where you need to go
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
Standard
Overall Satisfaction with Concur Travel and Expense
Concur is Notre Dame's expense reporting system. It is used across the organization to manage, track and approve expenses large and small. I'm both a user and someone with managerial responsibilities, so I use Concur Travel and Expense both to submit my own expenses and to approve expenses of my staff. Concur's robust categorization options allow users to almost always find a type for the expense they're submitting. It's especially useful in the case of international travel; Concur includes a built-in currency exchange calculator to immediately see how your foreign expenses translate to US dollars. Recent updates have made it easier to itemize hotel nights as well. Overall, Concur is helping us stay organized and efficient in expense reporting.
- Mobile app: The receipt photo function is a great tool. Connect the mobile app to your account and use your phone camera to capture images of the receipt. They're waiting for you on your desktop when you log in and are ready to submit your expense report.
- Broad categorization: Concur Travel and Expense has a use case for just about every expenditure. From entertainment, to foreign expenses, to itemizations for alcohol, the system really does a great job of thinking through every scenario in which an expense may be incurred.
- Non-reimbursable expenses: With the check of a box, you can indicate that a certain expense should be noted, but is not reimbursable to the employee. It allows our business team to know how much a trip costs on the whole and the employee to know how much they're getting reimbursed, very quickly.
- I still have trouble dividing up restaurant checks in which a spouse is included (and thus not reimbursable). It's possible I'm missing something, but some way to more easily separate restaurant expenses could be beneficial.
- I'm not sure the currency exchange calculator is always up to date. On a recent trip to Israel, I received a much better exchange rate at the airport than I did within Concur Travel and Expense. (And checked online to make sure the better rate was accurate.)
- I've had trouble actually submitting reports from my mobile app. The receipt capture function of the app is great, but I wonder if the app itself could be more robust.
- The approval process has been very efficient.
- Approvers don't have to wade through crumpled receipts; the images are very efficient and high-quality.
- Managers can send reports back with notations asking questions, avoiding awkward face-to-face interactions and improving accountability.
At other (smaller) organizations I've worked at, the standard expense reporting system was a photocopy of receipts and a mileage book filled in manually. While I see why businesses that employ fewer than 50 employees may not think they need something as robust as Concur, there would be immense benefits. Concur's system is built to enhance accuracy in reporting, among other benefits.
TripIt: Provides the ability to book travel as well as updates on changing itineraries. This allows for "one-stop shopping" for users to book travel, monitor travel updates, file receipts for expenses, and submit a final report.
Internal memos and updates provided by our organization are also posted on the Concur home screen upon login.
Internal memos and updates provided by our organization are also posted on the Concur home screen upon login.
As the university becomes more and more global, Concur Travel and Expense has allowed us to avoid the hassle of calculating exchange rates for expenses incurred overseas. Moreover, it is an extremely reliable and flexible system, meaning that as our organization has changed, we've not had to worry about expense reporting software, as Concur has provided a consistent solution.
As noted previously, Concur allows us to compile, manage, and approve expenses with a high level of efficiency. This has allowed users to know exactly where their report is in the approval process and allowed managers to manage their budgets more closely in real-time. In addition, Concur's mobile app has saved hours after trips by allowing for receipt capture during travel.
Product Benefits
- hotel itemization - allows to break the total bill across the length of the stay
- non-reimbursable items - helps track the entire cost of the trip/expense, not just the amount due the employee
- trip it
Allows us to easily track airfare.
The biggest benefit has been uniformity. Everyone uses the same system, and everyone tracks expenses the same way. Also, the wide range of expense categories means there will never be something that has to be handled outside the system. I also appreciate the ease of approvals (one-click in most cases), but also the ability to review employees' reports in an organized manner.
I've only had experience with a "manual" system of expense reporting - that is, tracking mileage with a pen and paper and photocopying receipts. This eliminates some of the margin for error, and allows large organizations a way to bring all their reporting needs together in one platform. It's really great.
I've taken several international trips and Concur has been great for its ease of currency exchange calculation, even though I wonder how up-to-date that calculator may be. Once you learn how to account for things in the system (alcohol, entertainment, etc.) it's really quite easy. Concur also has helpful little icons that pop up during the report to notify you if something needs more documentation before being submitted.
Using Concur Travel and Expense
6 - This is a tricky question, because everyone at my organization (5,000+ employees) would use Concur. I'm answering for my own team of 6 however, which are:
- A data scientist, who analyzes our content performance
- A designer, who designs content across multiple platforms
- A writer
- A social media manager
- A project manager
- A data scientist, who analyzes our content performance
- A designer, who designs content across multiple platforms
- A writer
- A social media manager
- A project manager
- Expense reporting - domestic incidentals
- Travel expenses - meals, airfare, etc.
- Entertainment - team-building expenses
Evaluating Concur Travel and Expense and Competitors
- Product Usability
I am not responsible for selecting this product. But I like it.
Using Concur Travel and Expense
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar | None |
- adding receipts
- calculating exchange rates
- submitting reports from the mobile app
Yes - The mobile interface is great for adding receipts, but I've had trouble submitting final reports from it.