Concur Request

[Lindasisung]

Looking to connect w anyone currently using the "Concur Request" feature for pre-trip approval at time of booking travel in Concur.

Also, interested in the programs capabilities of asking key questions:

1. "Is this essential travel" and "Has your travel been approved by (xxxxx)"? 
2. Can those questions/answers be associated with the respective individuals?
3. Is reporting available to provide line of site to answers by employee?

I can't seem to find specific details about this product online and how it's being used and how it can be configured.

Thank you in advance for any feedback. 

[arek-kowalczyk · Accepted solution]

It's been a while since I've used Concur Request so please confirm my answers with more sources.

1. Could you please expand on this question? I will provide my answer as the last point but I'm not entirely sure what you are asking here so I might miss my shot.
2. They should be, yes.
3. Reporting should work the same way as with Concur Expense.

In general, Concur Request differs very little from Concur Expense. If you are using the latter, a lot of answers will be the same. So ask yourself if something works (and how) in Concur Expense and you should have a good general idea of Request as well.

You can configure Request with custom forms, fields and Audit Rules. Simple custom checkbox "Is this travel essential" can be added to your Request form and will be seen by the approver. Later, you can write Cogos Inteligence Report using this field as a filter.

Concur in this regards gives you a lot of control and possibilities.

[KevinD]

@Lindasisung I think your best option for getting information about Concur Request is to speak with your Customer Success Manager. They should be able to provide you with the information you are looking for. 

[Lindasisung]

This response did not answer the questions.

[Lindasisung]

I can seek from another source, but I thank you Kevin.

[oliverfiedler]

Hi @Lindasisung, I had raised questions on pre-trip approvals in another thread, maybe it helps: https://community.concur.com/t5/Admin-Group-Forums/Experience-on-Request-link-with-Travel/m-p/40849 

As you see there in my original statement, we use Concur Request and if you like I can give you some info about it - the way we use it. Feel free to send me a direct message.

Regards,

Oliver

[arek-kowalczyk · Accepted solution]

It's been a while since I've used Concur Request so please confirm my answers with more sources.

1. Could you please expand on this question? I will provide my answer as the last point but I'm not entirely sure what you are asking here so I might miss my shot.
2. They should be, yes.
3. Reporting should work the same way as with Concur Expense.

In general, Concur Request differs very little from Concur Expense. If you are using the latter, a lot of answers will be the same. So ask yourself if something works (and how) in Concur Expense and you should have a good general idea of Request as well.

You can configure Request with custom forms, fields and Audit Rules. Simple custom checkbox "Is this travel essential" can be added to your Request form and will be seen by the approver. Later, you can write Cogos Inteligence Report using this field as a filter.

Concur in this regards gives you a lot of control and possibilities.

[e078952 · Accepted solution]

Hi Linda,

I've added some high level answers to your questions below.  

1. "Is this essential travel" and "Has your travel been approved by (xxxxx)"?  -- Concur Request is setup similar to an expense report with forms and custom fields.  You can ask the questions the Request Header Form.  Fields can be setup for use a checkbox, dropdown list, or free form text.  I don't believe you will be able to add dynamic data in the question text; however you can have conditional fields...so if there are only a few options for (xxxxx) and you have data to build a rule you may be able to show the question differently based on specific groups.  Ex.  Group A "Has your travel been approved by Jane Smith?" and Group B "Has your travel been approved by Bob Jones?".  Concur Request also utilizes Concur Workflow where rules can be setup for approval routing.  The approval workflow for Request is separate from Expense Report Workflows; so you can have a completely different process for request (ex. route Requests to a Finance Leader for approval instead of the employee's Manager).
2. Can those questions/answers be associated with the respective individuals? -- Concur has the capability of creating Conditional Fields on forms that allows you to display the field based on specific criteria.  If the individuals are part of a specific group and the data is available to build a rule, Conditional Fields may work.  
3. Is reporting available to provide line of site to answers by employee? -- Yes, Request details are available in Concur Reporting.

Concur Request has multiple configuration options available and can only be configured/updated by SAP Concur; which means you will need to work with your Customer Success Manager to initiate a billable project if you want Concur Request enabled.

There are also many nuances and caveats when setting up Concur Request.  Each option has pros and cons. 

The simplest option is to use Concur Request as a stand-alone feature; not integrated with travel booking.  The approved Request can be associated with an Expense Report and you will be able to report on Requests in the system.  However, it does not prevent travel booking without approval.  

Integrating Travel with Request allows you to prevent travel booking without approval.  Travel Integration can be done pre-booking (can't start the booking process until Request is approved) or post-booking (at the end of the booking process the Request is sent for approval and travel is not finalized/ticketed until approved).

For Pre-Booking Integration, SAP Concur recommends turning off the travel search feature.  That means employees will not be able to use Concur Travel Search to determine estimated costs.  If you leave travel search turned on, they can attempt to book at the end and there could be confusion since nothing will actually be finalized/ticketed. 

For Post-Booking Integration there are time limits for approval before automatic cancellation.  The time limit is typically less than 24 hours; which can create issues if the approvers are not diligent in checking for pending Requests.  If you utilize low-cost or instant ticketing airlines, those will be ticketed automatically without approval.

Concur Mobile Travel Booking will no longer be available if you integration Travel and Request; all users will have to use the online version.

Any changes to travel after initial approval will require a new Request; for example adding a hotel after air travel has already been approved and ticketed.

Due to the many variations and options available for Concur Request, you will need to have a detailed conversation with SAP Concur to determine what will work best for your specific situation.   Be sure to ask a lot of questions, review all the available documentation (SAP Concur can provide the Service Guides if you don't have access in the Support Portal), and search this forum for other posts related to Request.

Hope this helps.

Thanks

Scott

[KLM]

Hello Linda

we no longer use Request however we did implement at the start of the pandemic and then turned it off in March 2022. We used a Stand Alone implementation, thus it was tied to the booking tool (manager didn't have to approve in the tool and then the OBT would issue the already selected travel) There were concerns we had in using this model (it was also more complex and time consuming to implement).

Our logic to use pre-travel approval wasn't budgetary but duty of care; thus the other reason we didn't want it tied to the issuance of the reservation(s). 

Request sits in the Expense side of Concur, uses the 305 record as the employee detail and reporting hierarchy. We had a 2 step approval process that mirrored what we have for Expense. Direct team leader then to VP. You may have a different configuration. 

Traveler provided reason for trip and to/from destinations, dates. cost was optional. Upon approval the employee received a workflow notification with the Request ID. In the booking tool and with our global offline agency teams it was configured to have a required field/data collection of the ID in order to book the trip. 

We set up weekly reports for all approved travel and this was shared with Global Security 

I'm sure your Concur Customer Success Executive could share more details and set up a call with an SME.