SAP Concur : Enhancements for Operational Excellence

Business Challenges

The client is in digital engineering industry present in 12+ countries and having 6000 employees worldwide. Client struggling with some outdated, manual travel and expense management system that offered minimal control over internal travel expenditure and limited visibility for both approvers and finance teams. Below are the challenges with existing tool.

• Paper based travel request approvals and manual cash advance process disconnected from travel requests
• Per diem calculations were frequently delayed and employees are frustrated with late allowance reimbursements
• No ability to have real time exchange rates in the existing tool which leads to lengthy reimbursement cycles
• Employee spend dashboards were not available to executive team to take informed decisions
• The absence of seamless integration between the travel reimbursement tool and the ERP system is creating bottlenecks and delays in the reimbursement process

Solutions proposed

Our expert team of architects conducted a thorough analysis of the existing systems and processes. Following a detailed review, we submitted a comprehensive solution document to address all identified product and process gaps. Additionally, we clearly identified the process issues and, leveraging the expertise of our dedicated team, provided effective solutions.

In our assessment, we meticulously mapped out each process, highlighting areas of inefficiency and potential risk. Our solution document not only outlines these gaps but also provides step-by-step recommendations for improvement, ensuring a streamlined and effective implementation.

How We Contributed

With an object to increase the operational efficiency and to save costs, we customized a template for reconciling the client’s procured services with and actual services being utilized in the process. Upon documenting the current requirements, a detail design on how to re-engineer the current configuration plan in SAP Concur. Which Includes

• Re-implementing global-level Single Sign-On (SSO) with SAML authentication to prevent any future login issues within the system. This initiative aims to streamline user access across the organization, enhancing security and user experience while reducing administrative overhead. Additionally, it ensures seamless integration with existing authentication mechanisms, promoting efficiency in user management processes.
• Enabled and set up the budget module to facilitate transparent budget planning for each department within the organization. This configuration offers real-time tracking of departmental budgets, empowering department owners with alerts and notifications for better oversight and control.

• Collaborating with the Amex team to integrate employee IDs (unique identification numbers) into the card feed, ensuring that all cards are automatically assigned to the appropriate users upon feed processing. This enhancement streamlines the assignment process and improves accuracy.

• Implementing the standard Integrated Connectivity Solution (ICS) between Concur and ERP has significantly minimized posting issues. This robust integration facilitates smooth data synchronization, enhancing overall system performance and reliability. As a result, our processes are now more efficient, accurate, and streamlined.

• Initiating end-user training on using the SAP Concur mobile application, which includes services like ExpenseIT and Concur Drive for automatic mileage calculation. This training will enable users to leverage the app’s automated solutions, enhancing the overall employee experience.

Tech Stack

SAP Concur

SSO (Add on)

Amex Card integration

Budget (Add on)

Integration concur solutions (ICS)