It's a recurring theme, a 'chestnut' in the business travel sector, but one that has been flying under the radar for over two years. And for good reason: with mobility at a low ebb, the theme of the expense account and the scope for savings were out of step with the issues at stake. The publication of a new study on the subject by Amadeus has at the very least the merit of demonstrating a certain return to normality... And at the same time of taking another look at a crucial optimisation lever for many companies.
Via the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR), commissioned to carry out the survey, Amadeus polled professionals in the following countries United Statesat United Kingdomin Germany but also in France. And more specifically the teams involved in business travel and finance at major companies. The conclusion is clear: " Modernising business travel will generate tens of billions of euros in economic value "say the authors of the study.
For the French market alone, the potential savings are estimated at 2.08 billion euros per yearThe only way to achieve this is to focus on better management of travel expenditure. Amadeus also believes that " Digitising spending could free up the equivalent of 10,645 full-time equivalents in France for more productive tasks "for one two hours saved per expense claim.
The issue at stake is the expense claim, and what it implies in terms of processing time, but also in terms of the margin for error, or even loss of profit. fraud... " Savings are achieved through reduced fraud and errors, and more consistent application of corporate travel policies "said Amadeus. They add: " With today's fragmented approach, adherence to travel policies is erratic, 'on-trip' expenses such as meals and taxis are poorly controlled, and the use of manual expense claims adds to the administrative burden on travellers, finance teams and managers. ".
The publication of this study is of course not without significance. Amadeus intends to promote the use of the virtual cardthe cornerstone of a end-to-end travel expense management. " The historical expense reimbursement process, which relies on payment from travellers' personal accounts, increases the possibility of fraud, error and out-of-policy travel spending. "said Amadeus. " By replacing employee payment methods with a virtual card for a pre-agreed budget, CEBR found that end-to-end expense management could save French companies €2.08 billion a year in direct travel costs. ".
