Driving Change: Modernizing T&E Management in State and Local Government

Imagine a world where expense reports are processed in minutes, not weeks. Where budget oversight happens in real-time, not retroactively. Where employees spend more time serving citizens and less time wrestling with paperwork.

This isn't a far-off future – it's the reality for state and local agencies that have successfully modernized their travel and expense (T&E) management.

But when your employees have been using the same systems for years, change can feel overwhelming. The path to modernization is paved with potential pitfalls: resistance to new technologies, fear of job displacement, and the sheer complexity of government regulations. Yet, the cost of maintaining the status quo is far greater.

This is where effective change management becomes not just beneficial, but critical. It's the bridge that connects your agency's current practices to a more efficient, transparent, and employee-friendly future. Without it, even the most advanced T&E solutions risk becoming expensive shelf-ware, their potential unrealized.

In this post, we'll explore how state and local government agencies can navigate the challenges of T&E modernization. We'll share strategies for overcoming resistance, ensuring compliance, and driving adoption. And we'll show you how to turn what could be a disruptive change into a transformative opportunity for your agency.

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The Need for T&E Modernization

Many state and local government agencies still grapple with outdated T&E management processes characterized by manual processes, outdated systems, and lack of integration. This leads to:

• Excessive paperwork and manual data entry, which can increase error rates in expense reporting
• Inefficient receipt management and delayed reimbursement
• Increased operational costs
• Poor budget visibility and control
• Non-compliance with regulations

Modernizing T&E management combats these challenges by offering many key benefits, such as:

• Cost Efficiency: Automation reduces errors and enhances compliance, leading to significant cost savings.
•  Resource Optimization: Streamlined processes free up staff to focus on higher-value tasks and citizen services.
• Enhanced Transparency: Modern systems provide comprehensive audit trails and real-time reporting, crucial for public sector accountability.
• Employee Satisfaction: User-friendly systems and expedited reimbursements contribute to a more positive work environment.

Unlike private companies, government agencies face unique challenges, such as stricter regulations, budget constraints, and legacy systems that are deeply embedded. Keeping pace with evolving federal and state travel policies requires constant vigilance, fiscal responsibility demands demonstrable ROI for any new system implementation, and transitioning from deeply embedded processes and systems requires careful planning and execution. This makes change management all the more challenging — and all the more necessary.    Next, we’ll outline the key considerations to keep in mind as you implement and train employees on your new T&E solution.

Why Government Travel Regulations and Compliance Are Complex

Travel regulations for state and local government employees can get complex. Managing per diem rates, allowable expenses, approval processes, and reporting requirements is labor-intensive — especially if you are still using paper and manual processes. Staying current on travel policy changes and ensuring compliance across agencies adds to the workload for finance teams, so it’s important to ensure your employees stay informed of any changes to your policy.

Discover the power of digitalization in transforming traditional spend management processes by downloading our whitepaper, The Road to Efficiency for State and Local Government.

How to Promote Transparency and Accountability

The public has a heightened interest in transparency and accountability. As stewards of tax dollars, state and local government agencies also have a responsibility to spend money appropriately. Digital transformation in government services can address this need with near-real-time reporting, clear audit trails, and easy access to spending data.

Helping your staff understand how new T&E solutions achieve these goals can help ease the transition.

How to Mitigate Fraud Risk in State and Local Government Travel

The potential for fraud in government travel programs is high, so implementing safeguards and preventive measures is crucial. A modern T&E management system helps prevent fraud by automatically flagging unusual or non-compliant spending through advanced software. With help from human reviews and approval, it can enforce compliance policies and surface T&E reports that might contain risky expenses or out of policy behavior.

Automated software helps provide clear approval chains and detailed analytics for review, creating easy to follow audit trails.

Streamlining State and Local Government Travel and Expense Management

Most state and local government agencies are dealing with stringent budget constraints. Meeting these restrictions is not easy and often requires a change of approach. A government digital transformation strategy is essential to provide the right tools, data, and leadership needed to drive adoption.

A modern T&E solution can empower agencies with real-time budget tracking, forecasting tools, and spending controls to optimize travel budgets. Finance leaders who are proactive about leading change management initiatives can help ensure these tools are utilized in the best way possible.

Improving Efficiency through Automation

Automation is key to improving efficiency in T&E management. By streamlining travel booking, expense reporting, and approval workflows, state and local government agencies can:

• Reduce manual errors
• Speed up reimbursement processes
• Free up staff time for more strategic tasks

A digital approach to T&E in state and local government agencies can make travel booking, expense reporting, and approval workflows easier for everyone, creating increased efficiency and accuracy. When employees understand the value of your T&E solution, they are more likely to be receptive to change.

Overcoming Resistance to Change

While you may be eager to update or replace your T&E solution, employees are often hesitant to change.  The familiar feels comfortable and safe while change breeds nervousness.

Employees often fear they may struggle with new systems or even lose their jobs to automation. Even subtle resistance can hurt the adoption of new processes. Successfully transitioning to a modern T&E solution requires a comprehensive change management strategy that includes:

1.    Communicating the Benefits of a New T&E System

Communication is the foundation of successful change management. To effectively convey the benefits of new T&E systems:

• Develop a comprehensive communication plan that clearly explains the rationale behind the change and expected benefits of the new solution.
• Use multiple channels to meet your employees where they are.
• Tailor messages to different employee groups, addressing their specific concerns and interests. Anticipate and address potential reservations proactively and transparently.
• Highlight how the new system addresses current frustrations, such as reducing manual data entry or speeding up reimbursement processes.
• Share success stories from other state and local government agencies that have successfully implemented similar changes.

By articulating the benefit of a modernized T&E system clearly, transparently, and effectively, you can overcome user concerns and build enthusiasm — and buy-in — for new processes.

2.    Providing Comprehensive Training and Support

Effective training and ongoing support can significantly ease worries and overcome resistance to change in state and local government agencies. To ensure employees feel confident using new T&E systems:

• Offer a variety of training formats to accommodate different learning styles and schedules.
• Provide opportunities for practical, low-stakes interaction with the new system so employees can gain hands-on experience in a safe environment.
• Create user guides and quick reference materials that employees can easily access when needed.
• Establish a dedicated support team or help desk to address questions and concerns promptly.
• Identify and empower enthusiastic early adopter — or "change champions" — who can provide peer-to-peer support and encouragement.

Comprehensive training and support demonstrate your commitment to helping employees succeed with the new system, reducing anxiety and resistance.

3.    Emphasizing How Automation Supports Rather Than Replaces Employees

One of the primary concerns employees may have about a new T&E system is the fear of job displacement. Address this concern head on and showcase the value of digital transformation in government by:

• Demonstrating how automation will free up time for more strategic, value-added tasks — making their job more valuable to the agency.
• Emphasizing the opportunity to acquire new skills and potential career advancement — both of which come with mastering new technologies.
• Empowering employees to self-identify areas where their expertise can be better utilized once manual tasks are automated.
• Underscoring a commitment to workforce development and continuous learning.

By positioning automation as a tool that helps your staff do their jobs more effectively and efficiently, you can build a more positive attitude about change.

4.    Showcasing the Benefits of Change with an Emphasis on Personalization and Involvement

To gain buy-in from skeptical employees, you need to demonstrate how the new T&E system aligns with both individual and organizational benefits:

• Conduct surveys or meetings to understand frustrations with your current T&E processes and show how the new and improved system addresses these pain points.
• Customize messaging by creating personalized "what's in it for me" (WIIFM) statements for different employee groups, illustrating specific advantages for diferent roles or departments.
• Demonstrate how improved T&E management contributes to broader organizational goals, such as increased transparency, better resource allocation, or improved public services.
• Share metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) that will be used to measure the success of the new system, including those that directly impact your employees' daily work.
• Engage employees in the implementation process, encouraging them to contribute ideas and feedback. This fostes a sense of ownership, control, and commitment.

The Path to T&E Transformation

As state and local government agencies continue to evolve in the digital age, modernizing T&E management presents a significant opportunity for enhancing operational efficiency and transparency, easing the burden of regulatory compliance, increasing budget control and organizational productivity, and improving employee satisfaction. By implementing effective change management strategies, agencies can successfully navigate the transition to an advanced and modernized T&E system, ultimately leading to improved service delivery and resource utilization.

Are you ready to embark on your agency's digital transformation journey? Explore how tailored SAP Concur solutions can support your T&E modernization efforts and drive positive change in your organization.

Learn more about SAP Concur solutions designed specifically for state and local government agencies and begin your T&E transformation today.