Concur System Improvements

Concur recently introduced enhancements and improvements to its mobile application. Recording and updating per diem is part of the new functionality offered. In addition, updating allocations is now available (initially for iPhone only). Enhancements include an updated home screen for Android users and improvements to the way receipts are captured and displayed.

Concur continues to improve the usability of Concur Travel so that you can find what you want faster and more easily. Enhancements include:  

Concur is improving the usability, efficiency, and accessibility of Concur Travel so that you can find what you want faster and more easily. The process is the same, but the look and feel of the user interface (UI) will be enhanced to give you a simpler, more efficient and consistent experience.  These enhancements are simple and intuitive — additional training is not necessary.

  For more information, please read Concur Travel Enhancements June 2016 Release.

In our continuous effort to improve the Concur user experience, Procurement Services has been working on additional system improvements.  The following enhancements will be made available to Concur users on August 25, 2015:

• Addition of Business Purpose Category:  Depending on category chosen, users will receive guidance to assist in meeting business purpose requirements

• Addition of “Delegate Reviewed” field:  Allows the user to indicate when an expense line has been completed by the delegate.

• Cash Advance Documentation and Recall:  Cash advance requesters can now attach support documentation to a cash advance request.  In addition, the requester can now recall a cash advance request.

The upcoming enhancements were communicated on August 19, 2015.

For more information, please read Concur Enhancement Summer 2015 Release.

New mobile apps for Concur

University travelers can now use a Concur mobile app to take pictures of receipts, check on expense reports, book a flight, arrange for ground transportation, and perform a variety of other key travel functions.

Another Concur app--TripIt Pro--can also be downloaded by employees.  The app automatically creates master itineraries, monitors flights, seats, fares, and travel points, and sends alerts for delays or cancellations, among other things.  It's like having a personal travel assistant!

TripIt Pro also lets travelers forward reservation information to Concur to automatically create an itinerary for expense reporting when it's necessary to book outside of Concur (e.g., through a conference website).

Learn more about the new Concur mobile apps, including how to download them.

If you have any questions, please contact us at procurement.services@umich.edu or (734) 764-8212, opt. 2.

User interface on travel and expense system has been upgraded

Concur, the university's travel and expense system, has a new upgraded user interface as of January 26. The new interface offers easier and more intuitive navigation to employees creating or approving expense reports and includes the following upgrades:

Home page.

• The home page now has a 'dashboard' design for easier and faster use.
• Key actions are highlighted at the top of the screen.
• Users now have the capability to "know at a glance" what work needs to be done.
• All approvals are located in one area for easier and faster access.
• The booking process is simplified through detailed steps that are logically organized.
• The trip summary clearly shows users where they are in the process.

Expense landing page.

• Key actions and notifications are clear and easy to find.
• Everything users need to manage expenses (i.e., active reports, available expenses, and available receipts) is located on a single screen, which allows faster report creation.
• Expenses can now be easily moved to a report with a drag-and-drop feature.
• Receipts and related details appear on the same page, allowing more efficient matching to reports.

To learn more details about the new Concur user interface, please see this reference guide.

Procurement Services has been collaborating with a variety of Concur users across the university over the past several months to get their feedback on the system. The input they provided was invaluable in our ongoing effort to improve the user experience by making Concur easier and faster to use.

Following enhancements were made available to Concur users on September 22:

• Addition of a Second Default Approver (optional):  Users can save up to two default approvers in their profiles.

• Attendee Look Up:  A drop-down menu with employee names is available to help users complete the attendee portion of the expense report faster and more accurately.  The employee information is imported from HR.

• Google Mileage Calculator:  Users can enter a starting and ending address to calculate mileage.  This is in addition to the mileage functionality already available in Concur so users now have two options to report mileage.

• Field Copy Changes:  It is no longer required to provide a business purpose at the Report Header field, so it’s not necessary for users to default the business purpose to all expense lines.  In addition, a copy feature for the Domestic/Foreign field is also available.

• Field Updates by Approvers:  A number of fields in the Concur expense system can be updated by expense approvers, including date, department reference, and allocation.

• Saving Allocations as Favorites:  Users can save frequently used allocations as a favorite, so expense reports can be completed more quickly.

This enhancement release was communicated to BAG, Fin UL and M-Pathways Department Managers on September 16.  Feedback since the communication has been very positive. Including statements related to improving the user experience as well as appreciation for addressing areas of concern.

You can learn more about the enhancements by reading this fact sheet.