Has anyone been able to add instructions for turning off Request Assistant if it's not needed?

[knaimoli]

We use Request for both travel and non travel related expenses, so not everyone needs the assistant. I know you can toggle it off and we tell people countless time how to do so. But it would be incredibly helpful if there was somewhere on the screen to add the instruction that's clear and not just a tool tip added somewhere. Has anyone been able to add guidance anywhere? 

[samasuraj]

Hi @knaimoli 

Topic: Has anyone been able to add instructions for turning off Request Assistant if it's not needed?

Please see the below. Hope this helps. 
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SAP Concur Request – Adding Instructions for Request Assistant

If Request Assistant is optional for certain travel and non-travel requests, consider the following approaches:

1. Custom Instructions: Check whether your Request configuration supports instructional text on the relevant form.
2. Help Text: Add guidance to a suitable field, if configurable.
3. Request Types: Consider separate travel and non-travel request configurations, if supported.
4. User Guidance: Provide a short instruction with a screenshot showing how to disable Request Assistant.
5. SAP Concur Support: Confirm whether a prominent, administrator-configurable instruction banner is supported in your version.

For Non-Travel requests, please turn off Request Assistant, if it is not required before proceeding.

A dedicated instruction banner beside Request Assistant is not a confirmed Standard Configuration option.

SAP Concur Support can verify available customization options or accept an enhancement request.

Thanks & Regards

—

Samantha Prathikantam

SF_EC & ECP / SAP Concur Consultant

[knaimoli]

We have a dedicated consultant from Concur that we meet with bi weekly and there has been no relevant or helpful solution to add to the tool for instructions.

• We would either need to add an unnecessary field to add a tool tip to that would still require the users to hover or click on something.
• Users are already submitting separate requests, but still require the guidance on how to turn off the function when not needed.
• We have guidance posted elsewhere on how to do this, but it's still not as helpful as if there could be clear instructions on the actual Request screen that says if you do not need the Assistant it can be toggled off. 

I was really looking to see how this is affecting other users if they are getting the same level of feedback from end-users about how not intuitive it is. 

[PoojaKumatkar]

Hi @knaimoli ,

Unfortunately, the Request Assistant section available on the Request Header form is not customizable. Therefore, adding tooltip messages or additional guidance for users is not feasible.

Option 1:

The only option I can think of is to create two separate policies to achieve the desired functionality:

• Travel Request Policy – Enable the Request Assistant feature.
• Non-Travel Request Policy – Disable the Request Assistant feature.

Note: If you decide to proceed with two separate policies, some minor configuration changes may be required. For example, you may need to disable non-travel-related segments/expenses in the Travel Request Policy and vice versa. Any other configurations associated with these policies may also need to be reviewed and adjusted accordingly.

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Option 2:

If the above configuration changes seem too extensive, the last possible workaround would be to add a custom field with the Text data type and set it as Read-Only for all users and approvers. A default message related to this setting can then be configured in the field, making it visible to all users by default.

Additionally, place this custom field immediately after the Comment field (the last field in the form). This will ensure that users can easily see the guidance message before interacting with the Request Assistant toggle button.

Note: Ensure that the default message does not exceed 48 characters.

Article Number	000095268
Title	How do I increase the character limit of Custom Fields?
Details	I would like to know if it is possible to increase the character limit for Custom Fields.
Resolution/Answer	Character limits for Custom Fields are hard coded into the system and cannot be increased. Below are the maximum number of characters: The maximum length of a Custom Field is 48 characters The maximum length of an Item Name is 64 characters The maximum length of Item Code is 32 characters

If this answers your query, then please mark solution as accepted!

[knaimoli]

Unfortunately, we already have several policies based on the type of funding or projects that the expenses tie to, so creating additional policies is not really feasible. 

Turning off the functionality seems like it's going to end up being the answer even though we have had several folks like it so they don't have to estimate their trip in another screen. But the troubles seem to outweigh the helpfullness. 

[PoojaKumatkar]

Then you can think about Option 2.

[samasuraj]

Hi @knaimoli 

Topic: Has anyone been able to add instructions for turning off Request Assistant if it's not needed?

Please see the below. Hope this helps. 
——-  

Since creating additional policies is not feasible and existing guidance has proven ineffective, the available options are limited.

SAP Concur does not appear to provide a standard configuration option for displaying persistent instructions directly on the Request Assistant screen.

Action:

1. Add brief instructions with a screenshot showing how to disable Request Assistant to your existing Request guidance and share them with employees.
2. Submit an SAP Concur Enhancement Request for configurable, on-screen instructions explaining how to disable Request Assistant when not required.

Thanks & Regards

—

Samantha Prathikantam

SF_EC & ECP / SAP Concur Consultant