Concur has "completely re-engineered" its Concur
Risk Messaging mobile app, formerly known as conTgo, Concur risk management
specialist Jon Richardson said. The new version is in the final stages of
testing internally and with clients ahead of a relaunch scheduled for the
middle of 2015.
New features for the app, which tracks employee whereabouts
and is used to communicate with them on the move, include corporate clients’
capability to incorporate mobile security alerts from the travel risk
intelligence provider of their choice.
Risk Messaging also has been integrated with Concur's
TripLink itinerary-scanning product so out-of-channel bookings can be pulled
into the system. The intention is to allow companies to understand employee locations
and communicate with them even if they haven't booked through authorized channels.
"Integrating with TripLink means we can get a greater proportion of
customers' travel data," said Richardson.
Another new feature for Concur is the ability for users to
cache information locally if there is no Wi-Fi connection. Data is then held
until a signal allows transmission.
Richardson also discussed how Concur in the past year has
begun to accept HR data feeds as it has expanded tracking and communication beyond travelers.
"Tracking systems have flaws in that they only look
after travelers, which leaves a huge gap in visibility," Richardson said. "For
example, when there are shootings, as there were in Paris and Sydney, the vast
majority of employees who are affected are the people who live and work there.
HR data shows where people are working. There are normally three or four
different departments looking at exposure to an incident. You may have HR,
travel, security and a global mobility department that looks after ex-pats. We're
pulling the data companies already have and putting it in one centralized
platform."
Richardson said integrating HR data has not been
without its challenges. "HR data is simpler because it is in a uniform
format, but it is harder to obtain because the level of expertise needed to
pull it from the system is much higher," he said. "With GDS data, all
you do is set up the queue."