Page 21 - THE Journal, October 2017

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professionals. Applications that only run on desktops now seem out-of-date, kludgy, and unsatisfying. Employees increasingly prefer technology that’s portable, intuitive easy to use and available 24/7. That translates to mobile apps handling tasks such as receipt capture, filing of expenses as soon as they’re made, and handling approval decisions
the moment the request arrives. The best SaaS solution accommodates both web functionality and native mobile operations.
Workforce improvements: In that same survey, government respondents were asked if there were one characteristic they could change about their current spend management system. Not surprisingly, the top choice by 30 percent of the people was to reduce worker frustration, followed by lack of automation (28 percent) and lengthy reimbursement times (22 percent). Accord- ing to the survey, it typically takes more than two weeks for reimbursement of employee expenses, which can quickly manifest into employee dissatisfaction. That length of time may come across to the employee as a lack of caring on the part of the school or district. In other words, there are several frustration
factors with current systems. “From a work- force management perspective, adopting a SaaS solution gives [organizations] flexibility but also increases their productivity and em- ployee satisfaction,” says Gibbons. “[Those things] can really make a big difference in hiring and retention strategies.”
Smart data integration: The old adage that data is king is never truer than now. Having a complete spend management platform that brings together all relevant and critical spend management data into one single platform is the best way for finance professionals to understand every nuance of where and how the spending is happening. Moreover, we live in a world where apps help us do everything from find that parking place in a crowded city, track mileage via GPS, and incorporate VAT taxes correctly. A system that incorporates this app ecosystem as part of a spend management solution brings not just the complete spend picture, but a user- friendly experience. Taking that integration one step further, it makes sense to integrate a spending management solution directly into a district’s enterprise resource or financial planning system to feed relevant data without
having to re-enter manually. “Once you have good insight into specific spending catego- ries, it allows you to go out and negotiate
more powerfully with your vendors associ-
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ated with those exg p: e1n1s0es,” says Gibbons.
b: 146
Cloud advantages: Cloud based SaaS solutions are recognized as offering tremendous value to organizations including affordable cost (both initially and on-going), speed of implementation, continuous innovation and positive user experience. Companies committed to providing cloud- based, SaaS solutions achieve far better results at a lower cost than individual organizations attempting to undertake complex application development and maintenance on their own legacy systems.
While the vast majority of public school districts realize the benefits of adapting
a “cloud first” strategy as well utilizing
SaaS solutions, many are finding the path
to achieving the benefits are a bit more challenging to realize. Your SaaS provider will be more than happy to assist with the navigation process, allowing you to focus on the mission of educating students.
Update Your Spending Management
By updating the processes and technology with which your district handles its employee-initiated spending, you can improve the employee experience and keep them in compliance with policies. Considering the amount of budget money at stake, this approach elevates spend management to the realm of financial and business oversight that it truly warrants. By choosing the right SaaS solution,
you’ll help your school and district avoid unnecessary costs while helping make better decisions.
Join Concur and like-minded education professionals at Fusion Exchange in Washington, DC on November 2nd.
SOURCE: “Modernizing the Tracking of State & Local Employee Initiated Spend.” GovLoop. August 30, 2017. https://www.govloop.com/resources/modernizing-tracking-state-local-employee-initiated-spend/
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Concur for K-12 Spend Management
Employee-initiated spending includes five primary areas, each served by a module within SaaS-based Concur:
Travel: Provides a site for district employees to book and manage all travel and spend, tailored to your travel policies and preferred vendors.
Expense: Lets employees use their mobile devices to capture and attach receipt images to expense line items. Managers can review, approve, and reject expense reports from their smartphones. The business office gains pre-built integration between ERP, CRM, HR, and accounting systems for timely and accurate views of the financials.
Locate: This duty-of-care application helps your district maintain contact with employees traveling in the United States or internationally, if you need to communicate with them due to an emergency or normal course of business.
Invoice: This automates invoice processing, allowing for quick capture of invoices from any format, streamlining of purchase requests, approval automation, and other features.
Mileage: MileIQ tracks mileage and calculates reimbursement.
Register at: go.concur.com/FXDC.html