Why Expense Reporting Must Be Simple

For growing companies, keeping up with ever-evolving technology is a core objective. The key to successfully executing on that objective is to ensure that the changes being implemented will be adopted by employees. With computer literacy levels varying dramatically within an organization, driving that adoption is easier said than done.

Expense report approval and reimbursement is one of the processes for which forward-looking businesses have turned to technology in order to cut costs, speed turnaround time, and increase data reportability. Such companies recognize that the process of shuffling paper receipts from desk to desk for approval and allocation is no longer a viable solution. They also recognize that most home-grown systems can't offer all the functionally and analytics offered by vendors that focus exclusively on expense report software.

Recognizing the need for and role of technology in dramatically improving the expense reporting process is a great first step. The daunting task then becomes finding a differentiating factor in the solutions that are available. The key factor to focus on is how much effort it will take to get users to adopt the system. Keep in mind that there are valuable people in an organization who aren't as computer savvy as others.

A good system should not require endless training and support. Users should be shielded from any complexities in categorizing expenses to avoid the subsequent need for corrections. Look for expense management software that enables everyone to feel and be more efficient. There's no need to compromise on technology in order to reach all audiences.