Assistance Required for Pending Training Claim Approval

[Paperplane]

I am currently awaiting the first approval (routing manually via email) for a claim related to a training I attended. I have followed up a few times with both my branch HR and the first approver, after initially waiting for one to two weeks. On several occasions, I was informed by the first approver that the claim would be reviewed, but I have not received any further update or approval for one week. I was subsequently advised by my branch HR to wait for the approval.

However, the first approval is still pending, and the submission deadline is in two working days. A second-level approval is also required after the first approval. May I know what I should do in this situation to ensure that the claim can be submitted before the deadline?

[samasuraj · Accepted solution]

Hi  @Paperplane 

Topic: Assistance Required for Pending Training Claim Approval

Please check the below. Hope this helps.

——-

SAP Concur – Training Claim Approval Pending

Since the submission deadline is only two working days away, immediate escalation is recommended.

Actions:

1. Urgent Follow-Up: Email the first approver requesting immediate approval.
2. Alternative Approver: Ask HR whether a delegated or alternate approver can authorize the claim.
3. Deadline Extension: Request written confirmation of an extension or exception if approvals cannot be completed in time.
4. Documentation: Retain all follow-up emails as evidence of timely action.
5. Escalation: Copy Branch HR, the second-level approver, and the Finance/Claims team.

Since approval is being routed manually by email, the approval process may be governed by your organization's internal policy rather than Concur workflow settings.

Thanks & Regards

—

Samantha Prathikantam

SF_EC & ECP / SAP Concur Consultant

[PoojaKumatkar]

Hi @Paperplane ,

I would recommend reaching out to your local Concur administrator for further assistance, as they would be best positioned to follow up with the approver and ensure your expense report is approved before the deadline.

If you are unsure who your company's local Concur administrator is, then Kevin can provide you POC details.

@KevinD  - Can you please help here.

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

[samasuraj · Accepted solution]

Hi  @Paperplane 

Topic: Assistance Required for Pending Training Claim Approval

Please check the below. Hope this helps.

——-

SAP Concur – Training Claim Approval Pending

Since the submission deadline is only two working days away, immediate escalation is recommended.

Actions:

1. Urgent Follow-Up: Email the first approver requesting immediate approval.
2. Alternative Approver: Ask HR whether a delegated or alternate approver can authorize the claim.
3. Deadline Extension: Request written confirmation of an extension or exception if approvals cannot be completed in time.
4. Documentation: Retain all follow-up emails as evidence of timely action.
5. Escalation: Copy Branch HR, the second-level approver, and the Finance/Claims team.

Since approval is being routed manually by email, the approval process may be governed by your organization's internal policy rather than Concur workflow settings.

Thanks & Regards

—

Samantha Prathikantam

SF_EC & ECP / SAP Concur Consultant

[Paperplane]

Dear @samasuraj 

Thank you so much for the advice.

May I know how to request for a deadline extension? Where and who should I make the request to? 

Regards,

Paperplane

[samasuraj · Accepted solution]

Hi  @Paperplane 

Topic: Assistance Required for Pending Training Claim Approval

Please check the below. Hope this helps.

——-

Since your training claim deadline is approaching, submit the deadline extension request by email.

1. To: Branch HR and the Finance/Claims Processing Team responsible for the submission deadline.
2. CC: First-level approver and second-level approver.
3. Request: Ask for an extension because the mandatory approvals are still pending.
4. Evidence: Attach the claim details and previous follow-up emails.
5. Confirmation: Request written approval of the extension and the revised deadline.

Your Branch HR or Finance/Claims Team should confirm who has authority to grant an extension. SAP Concur Support generally cannot override your organization's internal claim deadlines.

Thanks & Regards

—

Samantha Prathikantam

SF_EC & ECP / SAP Concur Consultant

[samasuraj]

Hi   @Paperplane 

Topic: Assistance Required for Pending Training Claim Approval

Thank you for marking my response as an Accepted Solution!

I am glad the information was helpful in resolving your issue.

Happy to help! 🙂

Thanks & Regards

--

Samantha Prathikantam

SF_EC & ECP / SAP Concur Consultant

[KevinD]

@Paperplane I just proxied into your SAP Concur account. The issue is you have not submitted the report. That's why it appears to be pending, but you must submit the report to get the approval workflow started. Sign in, open the report then click Submit. As you can see in the screenshot, I have highlighted the Submit button. If the report was in a submitted status, this button would say Recall. 

So, the issue isn't the approvers, unfortunately, the hold up is on your end by not submitting the report. 

[Paperplane]

Dear @KevinD , thank you for the clarification.

I have not submitted the report yet because my understanding was that, since I am routing the approvals manually via email, I should first obtain all the required approvals, attach the approval emails to the report, and then submit it in Concur.

May I confirm whether I should submit the report now, before the manual email approvals are completed? I just want to make sure I’m following the correct process for this claim.

Thank you.

Regards,

Paperplane

[KevinD]

@Paperplane the process of getting approvals via email is not the way companies usually handle things since by submitting your report, your manager will need to approve it in the Concur system. 

Now, I don't know what your company's policy is regarding approvals, but having employees get approval via email pretty much defeats the purpose of using SAP Concur. When you submit your report, it will likely go to the same person you emailed for approval. This means managers are essentially doing two approvals for every report. 

My suggestion is to speak with your direct manager to confirm whether you need to email them first before submitting. My guess is they will say no. However, all companies are different and maybe yours does require you to send an email first. I doubt it, but you will need to ask to make sure.

If the answer is no, then submit the report. Lastly, submitting your report also triggers an email to your manager to let them know the report is in their approval queue. I am sure they don't want to get two emails about each report. 🙂

Let me know what your manager says. I am curious to know your company's process. 

[Paperplane]

Dear @KevinD , thanks for your advice.

I double-checked with our branch HR, and she confirmed that for our company, we do need to obtain all the required approvals via email before submitting the report in Concur. So my manager is actually following our company policy by asking us to get the email approvals first.

Normally, for engagement-related claims, this is not much of an issue because the manager and partner are usually quite fast in responding to approval requests. However, for training-related claims, we need to obtain approval from the HQ Learning & Development team.

This is where the challenge comes in, as the team is often very busy and it can be difficult to get a response within the required timeframe, even after several follow-ups. So unfortunately, in my case, I’m unable to proceed with the Concur submission until all the required email approvals are obtained.

I guess you were right that every company has a different process. Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice!

Regards,

Paperplane