Automated Receipt Capture
The core of modern T&E software is mobile accessibility. Users should be able to snap a photo of a receipt via a smartphone app. The software uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to automatically extract data—such as merchant name, date, and amount—minimizing manual data entry for the employee.
Corporate Card Integration
Top-tier platforms like Ramp, Brex, and SAP Concur offer deep integration with corporate credit cards. This feature automatically matches transactions to receipts, provides a live feed of spending, and allows for the pre-setting of spending limits to prevent out-of-policy purchases before they happen.
Automated Policy Enforcement
An effective tool allows administrators to configure custom travel and spending policies. The software should flag or block non-compliant expenses—such as spending above a per-diem limit or choosing an out-of-network vendor—before the expense report is even submitted.
Global Travel Booking
Solutions like Navan prioritize an all-in-one approach where employees can search for flights, hotels, and rental cars within the platform. This ensures that travel bookings adhere to negotiated corporate rates and provides the company with duty-of-care tracking to locate employees in an emergency.
Reporting and Analytics
Finance teams need actionable insights. Look for software that provides robust reporting dashboards, enabling the company to track spending by department, project, or category, which helps in identifying cost-saving opportunities and budgeting for future periods.
