SAP Concur has launched beta versions of two chatbots with
Slack, following last year's expense chatbot pilot with the collaboration
platform.
For booking, employees can search for flights within Slack
by sending the message "search" to @ConcurTravel. The bot will
display search fields for employees to fill in, including destination, fare
class, departure and return date. All the policy information in Concur will filter
the results, Concur Labs VP John Dietz said. The bot will use loyalty details
and payment information already on file with Concur to credit and pay for the
booking. To view upcoming trip details, users can send @Concur Travel either
the message "itinerary" or the message "trip details."
The @ConcurExpense bot functionality remains similar to what
SAP Concur previously
announced. Users can drag receipt images into Slack or attach them. They
also can add expenses by typing a short message—"expense $15 for
Lyft," for example—and can type "request an expense report summary."
Slack will send notifications to users when they need to review and approve expense
reports, and users can approve them through Slack.
Many of the functionalities are similar to capabilities
available on the SAP Concur Travel and Expense platform, but Dietz said the
chatbots allows the user to remain within Slack to perform the tasks. No human
intervention is used with the bots. "We began using Slack three years ago,
and it changed the dynamic of the team," Dietz said when asked why Concur
decided to go with Slack. "Whether we're in or out of the office, when
we're in Slack it feels like we're in the office. It made sense to use a tool
we're already using, and [Slack has] a great set of APIs that are easy to
prototype."
The beta program, for which SAP Concur has not set an end date,
will be free for SAP Concur clients and will allow the T&E firm to evaluate
how customers like the features and to see what requests for other features arise,
Dietz said.