Concur Travel Approval Process Guide

Navigating corporate travel can often feel like a complex maze, especially when it comes to approvals. Delays, confusion, and out-of-policy bookings can quickly turn a simple business trip into a logistical headache. But what if there was a way to streamline this entire process, ensuring compliance and efficiency from start to finish? This is where understanding the Concur Travel Approval Process Guide becomes invaluable.

Concur, a leading travel and expense management solution, offers robust features designed to simplify pre-trip approvals, booking, and expense reporting. By automating workflows and providing real-time visibility, Concur helps organizations control costs, enforce policies, and enhance the traveler experience.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the Concur travel approval process, offering actionable steps and insights to help you and your team navigate it with ease. Say goodbye to manual paperwork and hello to a more efficient way to manage business travel.

Understanding the Concur Travel Approval Process

At its core, the Concur travel approval process is a systematic method for companies to manage and control travel expenses by routing travel requests to designated approvers. This digital workflow ensures that all proposed business trips align with company policies and budgets before any expenses are incurred.

Why is this so important? A well-defined travel approval process within Concur offers several key benefits:

• Cost Control: By requiring pre-approval, companies can prevent unauthorized spending and ensure travel plans adhere to budget constraints.
• Policy Compliance: Concur integrates travel policies directly into the booking and approval workflow, making it easier to enforce guidelines and reduce out-of-policy bookings.
• Enhanced Visibility: Managers gain real-time insight into travel spend and itineraries, allowing for better monitoring and data-driven decisions.
• Streamlined Operations: Automated workflows and notifications reduce manual intervention, saving time and effort for both travelers and approvers.
• Duty of Care: For international travel, pre-approval processes can ensure travelers are covered under the company's duty of care system and receive important information like medical and evacuation insurance details.

The Concur Travel Approval Process: A Step-by-Step Guide

The journey of a travel request in Concur typically follows a clear, multi-stage approval flow. While specific steps can vary slightly based on an organization's configured workflows, the general process remains consistent.

Step 1: Traveler Initiates a Travel Request

The process begins with the traveler creating a new travel request in Concur. This is essentially a formal pre-approval request for an upcoming trip.

• Access Concur: Log into your Concur account.
• Start a New Request: Navigate to the "New" button (or similar) and select "Start a Request" or "Travel Pre-Approval."
• Fill Out Request Details:
  • Trip Name: Provide a clear, identifiable name for your trip (e.g., "Last Name - Destination, Dates of Travel").
  • Travel Type: Specify if it's domestic (in-state, out-of-state) or international travel.
  • Business Purpose: Clearly explain the reason for your trip.
  • Main Destination & Dates: Enter the primary city/country and the start and end dates of your travel.
  • Estimated Expenses: Input anticipated costs for airfare, lodging, car rental, and other expenses.
  • Attachments: Attach any necessary supporting documents, such as conference agendas or project approvals.
• Submit Request: Once all details are accurate and complete, submit the request.

Step 2: Manager Review and Initial Approval

After submission, the travel request is automatically routed to the traveler's direct manager or designated supervisor for initial review.

• Notification: Approvers receive an email notification or see an alert on their Concur dashboard indicating pending requests.
• Review Details: The manager reviews the request, checking trip details, estimated expenses, and adherence to company travel policy. They can view the full request information, including attachments and comments.
• Action Options: Managers have several options:
  • Approve: If the request aligns with policy and budget, the manager approves it, moving it to the next step in the workflow or notifying the employee that they can book their travel.
  • Send Back to Employee: If there are issues (e.g., missing information, out-of-policy items), the manager can send the request back with comments explaining the required changes.
  • Reject: In rare cases where the trip is deemed unnecessary or severely out of policy, the request can be rejected. The traveler will receive an email notification if their trip is not approved.

Step 3: Beyond the Manager: Additional Approvers (Optional)

Many organizations have multi-tiered approval workflows, especially for higher-cost trips, international travel, or those impacting specific departmental budgets.

• Configurable Workflows: Concur allows companies to configure automated workflows to route requests to multiple approvers based on various criteria (e.g., employee hierarchy, department, job function, cost object, international travel).
• Types of Additional Approvers: These might include:
  • Cost Object Approvers: Review funding and budget allocation.
  • Finance/Accounting Reviewers: Ensure compliance with financial regulations.
  • International Threat Committee/Global Risk & Security: For international travel, especially to high-risk destinations.
  • User-Added Approvers: Managers can manually add additional approvers to the workflow if extra review is needed.
• Sequential or Parallel: Approvals can be sequential (one after another) or, in some configurations, parallel.
• Auto-Approval: In some instances, if an approver holds multiple roles in the workflow, their approval might be automatically applied at subsequent levels.

Step 4: Notification and Booking

Once the travel request receives all necessary approvals, the traveler is notified.

• Email Notification: The traveler typically receives an email confirming the full approval of their request.
• Booking Permission: At this stage, the traveler is cleared to book their trip. It's crucial to book travel from within the approved Concur request to ensure the booking is linked to the approval.
• Concur Travel Integration: Concur Travel simplifies booking by providing a centralized platform to search for flights, hotels, and car rentals, often with access to negotiated rates. For international trips, the approved Request ID may be required to finalize the reservation.

Tips for a Smooth Concur Travel Approval Experience

Mastering the Concur travel approval process isn't just about following steps; it's about adopting best practices that ensure efficiency and compliance.

For Travelers:

• Complete Your Profile: Ensure your Concur profile is up-to-date with all necessary information, including travel preferences and loyalty numbers.
• Understand Company Policy: Familiarize yourself with your organization's travel and expense policy before creating a request. This prevents common errors and rejections.
• Submit Accurate and Complete Requests: Double-check all details, estimated expenses, and attach any required documentation. The more thorough you are, the less likely your request will be sent back.
• Proactive Communication: If you anticipate any complexities or out-of-policy exceptions, discuss them with your manager before submission.
• Track Your Request: Use the "Request Timeline" feature in Concur to monitor the status of your approval and see who it's pending with.
• Book from Approved Request: Always initiate your travel booking directly from the approved travel request to maintain the link between the two.

For Approvers:

• Timely Review: Make every effort to review and act on pending requests promptly. Delays can lead to missed ticketing deadlines or higher costs.
• Understand Policy: Be thoroughly familiar with your company's travel policies to ensure consistent and compliant approvals.
• Utilize Mobile App: Concur offers a mobile app that allows approvers to review and approve requests on the go, improving responsiveness.
• Use Comments Effectively: When sending a request back, provide clear, concise reasons in the comment field to help the traveler make the necessary adjustments.
• Delegate When Necessary: If you're going to be unavailable, utilize Concur's delegation features to assign approval responsibilities to another employee to avoid delays.

For Administrators/System Owners:

• Configure Clear Workflows: Design approval workflows that accurately reflect your company's hierarchy and policy requirements.
• Regular Training: Provide ongoing training and resources for both travelers and approvers to ensure they understand the system and policies.
• Policy Updates: Regularly review and update your travel policy within Concur to adapt to changing business needs and external factors.
• Leverage Reporting: Use Concur's reporting and analytics features to identify trends, common issues, and areas for further optimization in your approval process.

Conclusion

The Concur Travel Approval Process Guide is more than just a series of steps; it's a strategic framework for efficient, compliant, and cost-effective business travel. By embracing Concur's automated workflows and adhering to best practices, both travelers and organizations can navigate the complexities of corporate travel with confidence. A streamlined approval process means less administrative burden, greater policy adherence, and ultimately, a more productive and positive experience for everyone involved.

Are you fully leveraging Concur for your travel approvals? Share your experiences or tips in the comments below!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How long does Concur travel approval usually take?

The duration of Concur travel approval varies depending on your company's specific workflow and the number of approvers involved. Simple requests with a single manager approval can be processed quickly, often within hours. Requests requiring multiple levels of approval (e.g., manager, cost center, finance, international travel committees) may take longer. Many organizations aim for approvals to be completed within 24-48 hours, but it's essential to check your company's internal guidelines.

What if my Concur travel request is rejected or sent back?

If your Concur travel request is rejected or sent back, you will typically receive a notification, often with comments from the approver explaining the reason. You should review these comments carefully, make the necessary adjustments (e.g., correct information, adjust expenses to meet policy, provide missing attachments), and then resubmit the request for approval.

Can I track the status of my Concur travel approval?

Yes, Concur allows you to track the status of your travel request. You can usually find this information by navigating to the "Requests" section and then looking for a "Request Details" or "Request Timeline" option within your specific request. This timeline will show you the approval flow, indicating who has approved the request and where it is currently pending.

Who sets up the approval workflow in Concur?

The approval workflow in Concur is configured by the company's Concur administrator or system owner. They define the routing rules based on organizational hierarchy, departmental needs, spending limits, and travel policies. This allows for customized multi-tiered approval processes to ensure appropriate oversight for different types of travel requests.