Travelers react to early experiences with Concur

More than two months since the launch of Concur Travel and Expense Management, thousands of Rutgers employees have had a chance to use the system. For Jeff Dennis and Melody Bundy, travel instructors at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy in Rutgers–New Brunswick, a smooth-running travel and expense management system means they can focus their valuable time on helping others.

Jeff and Melody work with people with disabilities and older adults on behalf of the New Jersey Travel Independence Program at the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center within the Bloustein School. Through partnerships with municipalities and local non-profit organizations, Jeff and Melody conduct virtual and on-site training sessions that help individuals travel independently.

“We go out in the field and visit a wide range of locations, including high school auditoriums and homes for the elderly,” says Melody. “We teach people how to take public transportation.”

Most of the time, Jeff and Melody rely on their personal vehicles to get to their training sessions. This means they have become familiar with the “reimbursement for personal vehicle mileage” feature on Concur, which offers automatic mileage and per-diem calculations and a built-in map. 

“The calculations are really helpful and a smart addition,” Jeff notes. “It’s good to know what the per diem is for a specific place, like when we went to a conference in Charlotte, in July.”  

Both Melody and Jeff appreciate that the Concur expense management system is user-friendly and quick to send alerts if an error is made. In addition to the automated mileage and per-diem calculations, the pair highlighted additional time-saving aspects, such as a streamlined receipts process.

“I also like the calendaring feature; it’s easy to populate,” Melody offers.

“Overall, it’s cleaner and simpler—which I appreciate, as a kind of techy person,” Jeff says. “And it’s easier for business managers and other approvers because everything is in one spot.”

Interested in learning more about the per diem and mileage features? Take a look at this video. And if you’d like to find out how a couple of Rutgers’ travel approvers feel about the new system, read a related story.