Concur intends to release an app next quarter that will enable users to track vehicle mileage on their mobile devices and upload the data directly into their expense reports. Drivers activate the app at the start of their journey and deactivate it at the end, with their devices using GPS positioning to determine mileage and then automatically calculating the amount that can be reclaimed as expenses.
The as-yet-unnamed app is scheduled for initial launch in the United Kingdom, where the uploaded expense item also would be assessed for the relevant amount of value added tax to be reclaimed. Concur executive vice president and general manager for EMEA Scott Torrey told BTN the mileage app is among a raft of enhancements scheduled for the second quarter for Concur's U.K. product. Other new features will include the first launch outside the United States of ExpenseIt, an app that allows users to photograph images of receipts for automatic conversion into expense report line items. Torrey said 600 U.S. clients currently are using ExpenseIt.
A 15-year Concur veteran, Torrey last year relocated to the United Kingdom from the company's global headquarters in the United States. "Europe is getting a significantly disproportionate greater investment because we think there is plenty of opportunity to grow," said Torrey. "Asia and Europe have to become a bigger part of the story for us. We want to make the investment that will let Europe make a greater contribution to our growth." European investment will focus on the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
Meanwhile, when asked if Concur is working on improving its booking tool, Torrey replied: "There is no doubt our user interface is being invested in significantly. We are putting investment dollars into the booking tool to make it the best in the market but we also are putting dollars into bookings which we know aren't being made through that tool"—a reference to Concur's TripLink program.