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There remains a lingering perception among employees that company travel and expense (T&E) solutions slow things down.

In the first SAP »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ Global Business Travel Survey, published in 2019, we asked business travelers from around the world whether they would rather have a cavity filled or fill out an expense report. Nearly one in four (24%) said they¡¯d rather endure dental discomfort than itemize expenses and tally receipts.

In 2023, we asked business travelers globally what the most stressful stage of business travel is, and 43% said beforehand, including planning, booking, and organizing the trip. Nearly a quarter (24%) said after the trip, including the process of filing expense reports.

But the curious thing is, according to our 2023 survey, the majority of business travelers (64%) said they weren¡¯t using a company tool to book travel. What benefits are business travelers¡ªand their organizations, in turn¡ªmissing out on by opting to use alternate booking methods under the assumption that they¡¯re quicker and easier?

Research suggests that T&E tools enhance productivity, giving employees time back to focus on other work. An IDC analysis of select SAP »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ customers found that the time needed to book a trip was reduced by 54% when using SAP »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ solutions like »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ Travel. Employees were able to complete their expense reports 43% faster after »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ Expense was made available, and reimbursement time was cut in half.

T&E tools improve the travel manager experience, too. In our 2024 SAP »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ Global Business Travel Survey, 38% of travel managers said that employees not booking or updating their travel plans using company tools will make their job more challenging in the next 12 months. Thirty-seven percent said that supporting traveler duty of care without visibility into all travel is making it difficult for them to be successful in their role. Using company T&E tools boosts not just business traveler productivity but that of travel and finance teams as well.

Productivity is a top consideration associated with the integration of generative AI technology into tools and workflows, and T&E is no exception. Our 2024 survey found that 64% of travel managers globally would like to see AI used to automate at least some of their responsibilities. Ninety-five percent of business travelers would consider using AI-powered automation to support their tasks, including:

• Providing guidance on wellbeing and safety (37%).
• Visa and documentation support (37%).
• Capturing and reporting expenses (37%).
• Finding sustainable travel options (37%).
• Compliance with their organization¡¯s travel policy (35%).
• Shopping the options and making a booking (35%).
• Making cancellations or sourcing rebooking recommendations (34%).

SAP »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ is already incorporating generative AI into its solutions. For example, one recent addition¡ªRequest Assistant in »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ Request¡ªsaves employees time and effort by providing intelligent cost estimates for a trip.

Additionally, many of the top features that surveyed business travelers say are critical in a booking tool are readily available in SAP »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ solutions and are increasingly becoming standard¡ªeasy rebooking or changes due to cancellations or delays, the ability to use desktop or mobile to book or update travel, the ability to compare all available travel options in a single booking tool, integrations with other workplace tools to make administrative work like expense reports easier, and more.

All up, according to the organizations interviewed in IDC¡¯s study, there was a 48% reduction in user time costs associated with travel booking and expense report preparation after adopting SAP »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ solutions. The enhancements to employee productivity ultimately saved these organizations around $777,000 annually in travel- and expense-related costs.

So, how can organizations empower employees to seize the productivity benefits of company T&E tools, understanding that nearly two-thirds of them currently are not?

1. Ensure that employees are comfortable using them. As AI adoption increases, for example, almost two in five business travelers in our 2024 survey (38%) expressed interest in company-provided training on how to use AI-enabled options for booking business travel.
2. Remind employees of helpful features included within the company¡¯s T&E tools, including mobile applications and time-saving options like Request Assistant.
3. Provide employees with company-approved options, like using »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ TripLink when a trip warrants booking directly on a supplier¡¯s website.

To learn more about SAP »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ T&E solutions and their business benefits, click here.