Expense management ➔
Munsey feels that suppliers of expense management technology have also diversified their offering to appeal more to smaller companies. He says the Hillgate client base broadly divides into two categories – those that use an Excel spreadsheet for their expenses and those customers that have developed some sort of in-house system. “Five years ago you could develop your
own but that has changed now,” he says. “Compliance and legislative elements are part of what they do now and to get a proprietary system to do those would require substantial investment.” While Hillgate has chosen to go down
the partnership route other companies such as Click Travel and Egencia-owned Traveldoo, have developed their own expense management modules. This is largely driven by the desire to present a fully-integrated system from booking tool to expense management. The Traveldoo system, like others in the
market, allows travellers to create their expense report at any time. It aims to take into account offline and online bookings and bring the information into the Traveldoo platform. Its UK director Julian Mills says, “The
idea is to make reconciliation and the ability to reimburse as seamless as possible. It also shows up non-compliant expenses and enables companies to start to create policies based on reports.” A further element, Traveldoo Expense Checkout, enables travellers on a mobile device to find the restaurant they are in
WHAT’S NEW IN THE MARKETPLACE
• Click Travel launched Expense Cloud last June. It enables companies to sign up online within 30 seconds and have access to a cost-effective integrated travel booking and expense management system.
• Concur has launched a travel and expense compliance service in the UK aimed at companies employing up to 750 people.
• Meridian Global Services is a provider of expense management technology, as well as a receipt audit and VAT reclaim service. Its service is based around open technology.
• Traveldoo launched its expense management technology in Europe last year but is now promoting the technology here in the UK too.
• HRG-owned Spendvision has enhanced its travel module, enabling bookings to be imported from any TMC/online booking tool. Both HRG and Spendvision are working towards the release of an integrated booking and expense management system.
• Hillgate Travel has signed a partnership with Concur adding an expense management facility, which works via TripIt, to its online travel portal, GateWay.
using geo-location, enter the amount they have spent and then quickly upload it to their expense report. Mobile initiatives like this are likely to be
increasingly popular as corporates and travellers look for ways to make the process more efficient. Mobile and mobile applications are already accepted as a means to drive down costs. An Aberdeen study from June 2012
showed that users of mobile applications had seen almost 40 per cent lower expense- processing costs, a 22 per cent higher rate of policy compliance and a 20 per cent higher rate of spend being managed. Spendvision is taking a slightly different
approach by making its expense module easier to integrate with whatever booking tool a company is using. The company's chief executive, Shane Bruhns, says, “We can’t determine which TMC or online booking tool customers use so we’re building more of an interface to the market to enable them to choose.” Ultimately the HRG-owned company
is working with the TMC arm to develop a fully-integrated system but it also recognises that each market has its own local needs, culture, online booking tools and methods of payment which creates the needs for systems based on open technology. Bruhns adds that it not necessarily the
technology but the above complexities of each market and individual company that are holding back the idea of calculating the total cost of travel. “It comes down to each organisation’s
preferred method of payment. Some mandate a travel and expense card for all expenditure. There are times when cash is used and there are claim backs and there are credit cards and lodge cards. “If all of these were navigated into an
expense management system we could hypothetically get the total cost of travel but we know how diverse the industry travel industry is. There is no standard- isation and it creates a real conundrum for the travel manager.” manager.”
“ Users of mobile applications had seen almost 40 per cent lower
expense processing costs, a 22 per cent higher rate of policy compliance and a 20 per cent higher rate of spend being managed
” C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
64 THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE
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