Why it Pays to Partner with an Expense and Invoice Provider Accredited by ICAEW

Choosing a new software provider is a big decision. This is especially true when it comes to finance automation software because it will be such an important part of your business. This is why if you’re considering implementing finance automation you’ll be doing your homework very carefully.

Independent user reviews are a valuable source of insight into what real-life users think of a solution. For instance, the SAP Concur platform features on the four big independent review websites for B2B software, namely: G2, TrustRadius, Capterra, and GetApp. You can access them all via our Reviews and Ratings page or see what our customers have to say by browsing our Case Study site.

It’s also helpful to look for independent accreditations, which gives you reassurance that the experts in your field rate the solution you’re considering.

The ICAEW Technology Accreditation

Concur Invoice and Concur Expense are both accredited by ICAEW’s Technology Accreditation, which covers a range of products designed for the accountancy industry. SAP concur are the only providers on the scheme to provide accredited solutions for both invoice and expense.

The accreditation means a solution has been through a robust assessment by a respected organisation. The ICAEW is a world-leading professional membership organisation that promotes, develops and supports over 186,500 chartered accountants worldwide.

Gaining the accreditation involved the completion of a detailed questionnaire about our solutions and their functionality. Above all, as an independent scheme, you can be reassured by the fact that software companies cannot simply pay to join the scheme, but must meet the required criteria laid out in the questionnaire.

The ICAEW’s Accreditation Report on Concur Expense

Concur Expense is accredited in the “Expenses Management Software” category, which is uniquely for software solutions that are used by a business to process, pay, and audit employee-initiated expenses. The report on Concur Expense highlighted that the solution:

• Allows efficient and detailed submission of expense claims and automatically routes them for authorisation and review in accordance with the prescribed company expenses policy
• Provides detailed reports to allow companies to determine spend patterns, benchmark category spending, and permit fast payment to claimants
• Provides sufficient information to allow companies to meet their regulatory reporting obligations in respect of personal income tax and VAT

The ICAEW’s Accreditation Report on Concur Invoice

Similarly, the report on Concur Invoice called it a “strong and user-friendly” solution and highlighted several areas where it was particularly strong. These included:

• Role-based user dashboards that mean different users can see different information depending on their requirements
• The efficient way the solution automatically creates purchase orders from purchase requests
• The comprehensive reporting options, including standard and bespoke reports
• The strength of the help and training available to support users

Taking the Guesswork Out of Choosing the Best Software Solution

Get your choice of software right and you’ll enjoy an increased standing in your business – as Michael Tinney, Finance Manager at FBD Insurance says of his team’s decision to implement Concur Expense:

“We are associated with something that has worked well. If you’re involved in the implementation of something like this, you will get good feedback directly from the users and a positive message going up to the Executive Management Team.”

Independent user reviews and independent accreditations such as those from ICAEW help take the guesswork out of researching suppliers. They can help give you confidence that you’ve chosen a robust, reliable solution that will help you realise all your aims for the implementation.

For more information about SAP Concur solutions or our accreditation with ICAEW, contact us.