2024 Recap: How SAP Concur Solutions Are Making Travel and Expense Management Easier

In 2024, businesses were tested like never before. Economic pressures intensified, budgets tightened, and expectations for responsive digital experiences soared. And at the center of it all, travel and expense (T&E) management evolved from a back-office function to a critical source of efficiency and growth.

SAP Concur solutions stepped up to the challenge with impactful updates introduced throughout the year. From AI-driven automation to intuitive tools, each enhancement further streamlined T&E management and allowed administrative teams to work smarter and faster.

Let’s recap the most significant updates of 2024 and how they are helping you navigate complexity with confidence.

Enhanced user experiences

Your feedback was instrumental in driving several updates that made workflows more intuitive, modernized interfaces, and improved accessibility across platforms. Highlights include:

• Integration with SAP Cloud Identity Services: Unified user management across SAP systems gives you a simpler, smarter way to keep teams connected and productive, addressing your need for more seamless integrations. Visit the SAP Road Map Explorer tool for a complete list of 2024 integration enhancements.
• SAP Fiori user experience with a horizon theme: A modernized interface with updated fonts, icons, and navigation improves accessibility and consistency across SAP solutions.
• Home page redesign: A streamlined and modern home page experience aligned with SAP’s design standards enhances navigation and efficiency.
• Updated experience within the Concur Invoice solution: A refreshed interface— informed by user feedback—prioritizes efficiency, system performance, and accessibility.
• Expansion of the new Concur Travel solution for standard edition: Eligible users now enjoy a consumer-like booking experience with upgraded access to air, hotel, and car rental content. Visit SAP Road Map Explorer and the travel resource center for a complete list of 2024 updates.

Streamlined processes and approvals

To reduce friction and enhance productivity, updates also focused on streamlining workflows and simplifying approvals:

• Generative AI-enabled request assistant: In seconds, travel requests can be created using AI-generated cost estimates. Based on your feedback, we understand the need for more comprehensive and modern AI functionalities. Visit SAP Road Map Explorer for a complete list of 2024 AI updates.
• Quick request to capture total spend: A simplified pre-spend approval process with a one-total-amount approach helps employees focus on their trips instead of tedious forms.
• Hotel itemization in the ExpenseIt solution: Generative AI transforms hotel receipts into organized expense entries, eliminating manual itemization to save time and boost accuracy.
• Invoice payment manager with virtual cards: Vendor payments were streamlined with secure virtual cards available in U.S. and Canadian dollars.
• Trainline added to the hub for the Concur TripLink cloud service: Rail bookings and expenses flow smoothly into SAP Concur solutions through integration with the Trainline platform.

Strengthened security and data insights

We’re aware that data security is at the forefront for our customers, especially as AI becomes a bigger part of everything we do. With that in mind, security and data insights took center stage with updates aimed at increasing data integrity and empowering you with actionable analytics—for example:

• PGP key replacement for file transfers: A dynamic “pretty good privacy” (PGP) key strengthens file transfer security, helping ensure uninterrupted and protected data uploads.
• Data templates for data delivery service: Five preconfigured templates for data from Concur Expense in the SAP Analytics Cloud solution simplify reporting and insight generation for eligible customers.
• Enhanced interface to IBM Cognos, version 11.2.4: The interface upgrade advances the user experience and data analysis capabilities with automatically applied notifications.
• New reports for Concur TripLink: Four detailed reports for flights, hotels, car rentals, and rail in the cloud service provide key data such as pricing, booking sources, and traveler details.

Deepened travel integration and management

Businesses are realizing significant improvements in travel connectivity, adoption, and experience through updates in travel integration and management capabilities—ultimately easing your workload as an admin:

• Hub for Concur TripLink: A centralized hub for managing travel connections simplifies integrations and gives users fast access to partner programs, including a free subscription to the TripIt Pro cloud service.
• Amtrak integration for Concur TripLink: Itineraries and receipts from Amtrak rail bookings can be synchronized in SAP Concur solutions to help keep budgets on track.
• Risk alerts for TripIt Pro: Proactive alerts keep travelers informed, so they can plan ahead and stay safe.
• Custom trip images in the TripIt mobile app: Personalized travel itineraries with custom images turn trip details into visually engaging experiences.
• Travel guidance for TripIt Pro: Find current and accurate rules for international travel and stay up to date on ever-changing regulations, all in one place.

Improved support and accessibility

Your feedback highlighted the need for enhanced support services and better access to essential resources. In response, SAP Concur solutions introduced:  

• Support portal enhancements: The launch of generative AI search solutioning is making self-service support for SAP Concur solutions even faster. As early as the first search, users can find the tools and information they need. Going forward, the home page of SAP Support Portal will prominently feature generative AI search capabilities, allowing admins to find answers in fewer clicks and with a more intuitive and efficient experience.
• Product documentation on the SAP Help Portal site: Product documentation centralized on SAP Help Portal improves search capabilities—with setup guides, user guides, and fact sheets now exclusively available there.

A look ahead to 2025 and beyond

Each of these updates highlights SAP Concur’s commitment to empowering T&E admins to navigate change, maximize efficiency, and lead with confidence using SAP Concur solutions.

We have been—and will continue—listening to your feedback and working to create solutions that meet your needs. As 2025 unfolds, expect even more innovations designed to simplify T&E management, streamline processes, and enhance the overall experience for admins and users alike.

Stay informed about solution updates, enhancements, and new features by visiting the “What’s New in Product” section on SAP Concur Community and reviewing the quarterly “Release Highlights Digest.”