Page 11 - THE Journal Innovation in Education, October 2021

mobile app or computer application. Approvers can be added or removed from the workflow list as staffing or delegation needs change. Those who sit on approvals too long can be notified that the clock is running. Likewise, managers can be alerted when people on their team try to shove payments through without adequate controls or documentation in place.
As a result, the right invoices are paid on time, without incurring penalties or losing out on possible rebates offered by the vendors. Any physical space dedicated to holding onto paper documentation can be dedicated to other purposes.
On the expense side, schools can eliminate adult arts-and- crafts. No more having to collect expenses and tape them onto a sheet to share with accounting. Now, with an app like SAP Concur’s Expense, the spender can capture of an image of the receipt with a smartphone and have the app collect
all the data from the receipt. Then the software can analyze the contents to categorize it and apply artificial intelligence to understand what the expense is for. It will also identify patterns in spending and suggest areas for savings or areas for concerns, such as fraudulent or mistaken behavior.
Relief Funding Requires Oversight
Right now, many districts are awash with federal and state
relief dollars. The primary purpose is to secure the safe return of students to class and to address specific areas such as learning loss and social and emotional needs. A lot fits under that umbrella — cleaning supplies and HVAC gear, professional development for teachers, new curriculum, new hires in strategic roles, hardware and hotspots, and the list goes on.
However, the funding comes with an obligation: Schools and districts are expected to spend it responsibly. The use of a program like Concur SAS for expense management makes the work of spend reporting effortless. The ability to provide audit trails is immediate and as granular or consolidated as the auditor needs.
There’s a lot going on in K-12 right now, and how people spend their days is important. It’s time to replace paper-based processes with digital solutions so schools can continue experiencing amazing transformation — and be ready for whatever happens next.
Jim McClurkin serves as senior director for state and local government at SAP Concur, with national perspective on the needs of K-12. He specializes in being able to clearly articulate a product or solution’s value and the positive impact it will have on a client’s operations and bottom line.
AUTOMATING EXPENSE MANAGEMENT PROCESSES WILL HELP YOU:
A. Stretch budget dollars B. Comply with regulations C. Help students succeed D. All the above
concur.com/k12
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