AmEx tries to reboot Covid-hit T&E with SAP integration
American Express, the global card firm that has suffered the most in the pandemic, has announced two digital integrations with SAP Concur that are designed to help businesses streamline and automate invoicing and expense management processes.
The SAP tie-up is the card firm’s first B2B payments integration since its partnership with Coupa to expand its virtual card footprint in November 2019.
The first offering from the SAP deal is an integration with Concur Invoice for American Express Business or Corporate Card customers that allows businesses to capture and automate paper and electronic invoices using machine learning. It then integrates those payments into a single system that reduces processing times and allows for greater control and visibility.
The second solution aims to offer small businesses access to digital expense reporting that enables American Express Business Card transactions to flow into Concur Expense.
By integrating its B2B payment capabilities with Concur Invoice, American Express says that corporate finance and accounts payable departments can pay eligible suppliers using AmEx Business or Corporate Cards directly through Concur Invoice. Each card transaction uses a unique single-use virtual card number, which can help protect accounts from fraudulent charges. Concur Invoice also digitises the invoice capture and workflow process to help streamline reconciliation by reducing manual data input errors, processing times and costs, while helping avoid late payments. Users can view transaction details in the American Express B2B Payments app. Within Concur Invoice, businesses also have access to in-depth spending data.
The Concur Expense integration allows businesses to sync their AmEx Business Cards, meaning that employee expenses flow automatically into the expense report, which can help reduce the time and manual input needed. Additionally, the integration of American Express Go virtual cards with Concur Expense, helps Corporate Card customers manage purchases made by contractors and employees.