SAP Concur for Business Travel Management: Riverdale’s Quick Setup Tips

Business travel has always been complex, fraught with challenges that can hinder productivity and increase stress. From juggling multiple booking platforms to keeping track of receipts and expenses, travelers often find themselves overwhelmed by the administrative aspects of their trips. Beyond wasting valuable time, gaps in business travel continuity sometimes lead to compliance issues and unnecessary costs for organizations.

The common lack of a centralized system makes it difficult for companies to maintain visibility over their travel spending and ensure adherence to corporate policies. Enter SAP Concur, which offers comprehensive travel and expense management solutions to streamline the entire business travel process.

Integrating booking services, expense reporting, and policy compliance into a single platform alleviates many pain points associated with corporate travel. SAP Concur’s various travel products offer the potential to save time, reduce errors, and provide better insights into travel spending. As a trusted partner in business travel management, Riverdale Business Travel recommends and utilizes this innovative technology to help organizations optimize their travel strategies. Partner with our experts to set up a corporate account and learn how to use it effectively!

Whether you have a travel manager/administrator or are unmanaged and want us to manage every aspect of your business travel program, we’re ready to personalize our services to suit your org’s needs. Once your corporate SAP Concur account is set up, our team is also available to educate your business travelers on how to utilize the platform if they prefer to handle their own booking.

Here are quick tips to help you get started and make the most of this powerful tool!

1. Gather Your Company Information

Riverdale Business Travel can create your organization’s corporate SAP Concur account and manage the data analytics and reporting. Having the right information ready will help us streamline the initial setup process.

We’ll need you to collect all necessary company details:

Legal business name
Business address
Tax ID number
Number of employees who will be traveling

2. Choose Your Plan & Level of Service

SAP Concur offers different plans based on company size and needs, as do we at Riverdale Business Travel. A consultation lets you review your options and personalize our services to fit your organization's travel requirements and budget.

3. Provide User Info to Set Up Business Traveler Accounts

Riverdale Business Travel can set up your organization for support and savings in as little as a week! Once we collect your business policies and traveler profiles, we’re ready to set up your account.

This step involves:

Creating an admin account for your organization.
Adding employee profiles one by one or uploading a spreadsheet with their information.
Assigning appropriate access levels (e.g., traveler, travel arranger, approver).

4. Configure Your Travel Policy

This critical step ensures all bookings align with your company’s business travel guidelines.

We’ll work with your existing data to help your team:

Set spending limits for flights, hotels, and meals.
Define approval workflows.
Specify preferred vendors and negotiated rates.

Using this information, we’ll input your company's travel policy into the system.

5. Connect Your Payment Methods

This integration allows for easier expense tracking and reconciliation.

To link your company's payment methods to SAP Concur, we’ll need to:

Add corporate credit card information.
Set up direct billing with preferred vendors if applicable.

Instructions to Provide Business Travelers

Part of the setup process will include educating business travelers on how to use SAP Concur, too. Riverdale Business Travel is happy to help with this!

Also, if your organization prefers to handle setting up user profiles rather than have us do it, that is possible.

Here are simple instructions to pass on to your team if you’d like.

1. Create Your Profile

From the SAP Concur Home page, access your profile information in three clicks:

Select Profile
Profile Settings
Personal Information

Include essential information such as your contact details, preferred travel options (airlines, hotels), and payment methods. This will streamline your booking process and ensure your preferences are saved for future trips.

See the full instructions on setting up user profiles in SAP Concur here.

2. Link to Your Corporate Account

Make sure to connect to your corporate account in SAP Concur.

This allows you to access company-specific travel policies, negotiated rates, and expense management features. It also ensures all bookings comply with your organization's requirements. SAP Concur automatically enforces company travel policies during booking, flagging out-of-policy bookings for review or denial.

Plus, pre-trip approvals ensure management oversight before travel is booked!

3. Download the Mobile App

Download the SAP Concur mobile app for easy access to your travel plans on the go. The app allows you to book travel, manage itineraries, and submit expenses directly from your smartphone, making it convenient for busy travelers.

4. Familiarize Yourself With the Dashboard

Take some time to explore the SAP Concur dashboard. Familiarize yourself with its layout and features, including the trip planner, expense report submission, and approval workflows.

Understanding how to navigate the platform will enhance your efficiency when managing travel!

5. Set Up Notifications

Configure notifications within SAP Concur to stay updated on important travel information, such as flight changes or expense report approvals. This feature helps you remain informed and proactive about any adjustments needed during your travel.

Riverdale’s Business Travel Agents Are Here to Help!

By following these setup tips, beginners can quickly acclimate to SAP Concur and leverage its features effectively for a smoother business travel experience.

Looking for assistance? Remember, our team is here to help you every step of the way! Riverdale Business Travel provides personalized assistance in setting up and optimizing SAP Concur for your specific needs, so don't hesitate to reach out if you need any support.

Call or fill out our contact form to send a message!