Scattered Travel Records
Travel information was scattered across different emails and spreadsheets. It was quite challenging for the teams to collect this information in order to analyze each request.
Case Study
Travel and Expense Management Software for
CNC Machine Manufacturer
How SpendMantra Helped a CNC Machine Manufacturing Industry to Streamline Travel Requests and Employee Expenses
Client Overview
01Our Client is a leading CNC machine manufacturing company. Its business operations are supported by teams from different locations. Employees work in different offices, production units, and customer locations. They often travel to attend business meetings and to provide machine installation services. They also travel for service work, meetings with suppliers, and customer support.
The old process involved a lot of manual work. Employees relied on emails, spreadsheets, paper bills, and follow-ups to get the job done. Thus, the CNC machine manufacturing company required appropriate Travel and Expense management software for CNC machine manufacturers.
SpendMantra provided a single platform to manage company's travel requests, the approval process, spending, local transportation, relocation claims, and reimbursement.
02
Client Requirements
The client needed reliable travel expense tracking software for CNC manufacturing business operations. The company wanted a structured way to manage the travel request process via one digital system. Employees wanted a simple way to create, send and track travel requests. Furthermore, the solution should support the travel requirements of teams across different offices, manufacturing units, and customer sites.
Along with that, the system needed to manage travel details, required services, approvals, and status tracking. It also had to give approvers a clear view of all pending requests. Whereas employees required to submit and track claims with bills. And, finance team required to review and approve it. As a result, the organization reached out to Enaviya to implement a Travel and Expense Management Software solution.
The key requirements were:
TRAVEL REQUEST
01
Support in processing domestic and international travel requests.
02
Allow requests for Self, Group, or Visitor. Also, allow users to choose the purpose of travel.
03
Capture the details of the travel start date & time along with the end date & time.
04
Support travel requests for transport, accommodation, cabs, and Travel Advances.
05
Include a question about the possibility of a virtual meeting.
06
Allow the user to choose the appropriate cost centre.
TRAVEL OPTIONS
06
Support for air, train, and bus travelling options.
07
Support one-way, round trips, and multiple-city travelling options.
08
Record departure and arrival points along with the date and time, respectively.
09
Allow the user to choose their preferred class of travel.
EXPENSE
10
Link expense claims with travel requests.
11
Support ticket, accommodation, and local conveyance claims by uploading bills.
12
Allow employees to track their claim status and approval progress.
EXPENSE CLAIMS
13
Link expense claims with travel requests.
14
Support ticket, accommodation, and local conveyance claims by uploading bills.
15
Allow employees to track their claim status and approval progress.
BOOKING
16
Users should be able to add, save, and modify travel services before submitting.
17
All travel services must be visible in the Booking Overview for a final check.
18
The option of Reviewing, Submit, and Confirm must be provided.
FINANCE
19
Allow authorised finance users to review claims, assign expenses to the correct department or project, and adjust approved amounts with reasons.
20
Support final finance approval, rejection, and clarification, with claim updates and resubmission when required.
APPROVAL & TRACKING
21
Each request should be forwarded to the appropriate approver and generate a unique reference number.
22
Display the submitted requests, details of the service, along with the status of approval under the Travel Statement Tab.
23
Display the entire approval procedure with the pending approvers, actions taken, dates, and comments.
24
Provide users with access to documents, activity logs, approver’s comments, and policy violations information.
25
Display all requests pending for approval on the Approver Dashboard.
26
Enable the approver to approve, reject, or ask for clarification.
03
Project Summary
Enaviya implemented SpendMantra as expense management software for CNC manufacturers. It has integrated travel requests and expense claims into a single platform. It also supports the finance review and final approval process.
Workers have the authority to make requests for both domestic and international travel. They can create requests for themselves or for other colleagues. In addition, they also have an option to request for the group or for guests/visitors. Each request can be related to tickets, hotel accommodation, transportation arrangements, etc. Employees can modify the request details before they submit it for approval. After submission, the request will be sent to the person responsible for approving it.
Travel Request
Approval
Booking
Expense
Reimbursement
This system connects expense claims with travel requests. Users can enter expenses for tickets, hotel stays, and local transportation. They can upload bills/invoices, obtain the final amount, and save drafts before submitting an expense claim request.
Approvers have the authority to approve, reject, or seek further clarification if necessary. The finance personnel will review the claims and allocate costs to the appropriate department. They can also adjust approved amounts with reasons before final approval.
Our SpendMantra Solution made it easy for the workers to track their claims. Moreover, the solution simplified employee expense tracking in the CNC machine manufacturing industry. Now, they have the ability to view claim status & pending approvals via a single dashboard.
04
Challenges
Before using SpendMantra, the client’s teams worked at different locations and found it difficult to track employee expenses and travel requests manually. As such, the travel claim request, approval, booking, billing and submission process was quite complex. The organisation also had little visibility of pending tasks and travel costs. These challenges made travel expense tracking in the CNC Machine manufacturing company more complex.
Slow Approval Process
Expense claims and travel requests must be approved in a timely manner by directing it through right approver. But manual follow-ups were time-consuming and led to a slow approval process.
Paper-based expense claims
Employees were required to gather and provide hard copies of expenses. Finance team was needed to match every expense with the claim. This process consumed too much time.
Poor Request Tracking
Employees were unable to track their request status during the approval process. They needed to reach out to other departments to find out if their requests had been approved or bookings has been made
Time Consuming Policy Checks.
Finance teams had to check whether each claim followed company policy. This added review work and made policy checks time-consuming.
Limited Control Over Bills and Claims
Submitting bills/invoices was not an easy task for employees. Moreover, approvers also needed to have clear information in order to review some claims.
05
Solution Implemented
Enaviya deployed SpendMantra to enhance travel and expense (T&E) management for CNC machine manufacturing company. The solution integrated requests for travel, approvals, bookings, advances, invoices, and expense claims in one platform. It allowed employees to simplify travel-related tasks. Managers were able to monitor pending requests and take action accordingly. This resulted in a structured and simple travel expense process across the organization.
06
How the Solution Works
Employees submit travel requests and expense claims via SpendMantra Travel & Expense Tracking Software. The system forwards travel requests to the designated approvers. Upon approval, travel arrangements can be made. After the trip, employees submit their expenses and receipts for approval. They can track their request and claims in the same software.
07
Core Modules Implemented
SpendMantra combines key travel and expense tasks into a centralized system. As Expense Tracking Software for CNC Machine Manufacturing companies, it includes modules for travel requests, bookings, approvals, bills, and claims. It also supports international travel and relocation costs. Employees can submit details and track their requests. Approves can review claims and ask for more information. Each module handles a specific task and keeps the process easy to follow.
Employees can submit travel requests themselves or for other employees. Each request contains trip details and a unique tracking number.
Employees can select ticket and accommodation options. The module supports one-way, round-trip, and multi-city travel.
Employees can also submit requests for travel abroad. They can include passport information and travel documents as part of the request.
Requests are submitted in accordance with the company's policies. Approvers have the ability to accept, reject, or request additional information if necessary.
Employees can obtain reimbursement for daily expenses, personal expenses, and costs for laundry. Expense claims are linked to the travel request. Thus, it is easier to review the details and approve accordingly.
Employees can be reimbursed for cab, bus, or other private vehicle expenses. Depending on the distance travelled, vehicle expenses are reimbursed at the applicable rates.
Employees may submit relocation and joining costs for reimbursement. This includes transportation costs, lodging costs, and moving costs.
Through OCR, amounts, dates, vendor names, and GST details are captured directly from bills/receipts/invoices. This reduces the effort for manual entries.
Employees are able to preview expenses before submitting them. They can follow up on the status of their reimbursement claims.
08
Result
SpendMantra brings together travel requests, bookings, invoices, and claims in one place. It provided a clear process to deal with each task. Employees could see progress and take action. This solution helped travel and expense (T&E) management in a manufacturing company.
Centralized Record
Travel Request and expense claims were handled in one location. Employees can easily view submitted details and check their status
Digital Bill Submission
Employees able to attach bills to their existing claim requests. They can view their attached documents before final submission.
Less Manual Workload
Employees can easily access bills and trip information in a single place. This saves them time in looking for information.
Faster Approvals
The manager can quickly identify requests for which action is needed. This helps to reduce delays in the approval process.
Structured Approvals
Approvers have the ability to either approve, reject, or ask for additional information. Employees can track progress and view remarks.
Improved Financial Management
Authorized financial users can review claims, change billable cost centres, as well as adjust approved amounts. They can record reasons for each adjustment.