Concur Launches Advisor Program to Simplify Expense Reporting

Advisor Program members have access to courses focused on the setup, integration and application of travel and expense (T&E) management.

Integrated travel and expense management services provider Concur launched the Concur Advisor Program, designed to provide accountants in public practice and SMB consultants with solutions, training and support to better serve their clients. The program taps into the network of financial professionals that SMBs look to for advice, enabling them to leverage Concur and more effectively counsel their clients on expense policies and processes.

Through the Advisor Program, accountants and SMB consultants can become expense reporting experts and better serve their clients using a variety of Concur solutions, including Breeze, the expense reporting solution designed specifically for small businesses. Benefits for members include unlimited support from the Concur Breeze Relationship Team, based in the United States; integration with QuickBooks and other accounting software; and a free subscription to Breeze for up to two users.

In addition, Advisor Program members have access to courses focused on the setup, integration and application of travel and expense (T&E) management rules and best practices. These trainings are designed not only to better familiarize members with Concur solutions but to help them to understand the intricacies associated with T&E expense management-an area of controllable spend second only to payroll for most companies.

"Concur Breeze is a highly valued asset for my clients," Sharon Martin, president at Profit Strategies, said. "Traditionally, automated expense reporting solutions have been viewed as only available for larger businesses. Most of my clients fall into the small business category, and Concur Breeze gives them access to a low-cost and effective expense reporting solution."

According to a recent study, filing expense reports was among the least popular tasks on the daily to-do lists of small businesses, with many noting how time-consuming the process can be. Through the Concur Advisor Program, accountants and SMB consultants can help their clients navigate and see results from automated expense reporting, including streamlined processes. Additionally, automated systems provide SMBs with improved visibility around employee spend and reduced fraud risk, the company said.

"The company no longer struggles with paper receipts and spreadsheets," said Sara Barrington, senior vice president of finance and administration at Exosome Diagnostics.  "Looking back, the time we used to spend manually processing expense reports seems extreme. Now that we manage all of our expenses online with Concur Breeze, I spend a fraction of the time managing this process, and the employees are thrilled with the convenience."

Elena Donio, executive vice president and general manager of small and midsize businesses at Concur, called the advisor program an innovative solution that with just a few clicks allows accountants and SMB consultants to register for and instantly begin receiving valuable information to help their small business clients.

"The Advisor Program enables SMBs to fully leverage a powerful combination of Concur's unrivaled expense management expertise in conjunction with the advisors and processes that they already trust," Donio said. "The anticipated network effect means that literally millions of SMBs now have unprecedented access to expense reporting experts that can help eliminate a significant headache for small businesses by allowing them to focus on what's most important-growing and managing their business."