August 2017 Expense Professional Edition Admin Summary
Last Update: 18 August 2017
Admin
Upgrade Legacy HTML Editor - ClarificationIn June, the HTML editor used by admins for custom text and messaging was updated. The change was made to provide an up-to-date HTML editor utilising today’s standards including HTML5 as well as to increase the security of the HTML editor.
The toolbar might contain two rows or three rows based on location, but the available options on the toolbar did not change. To clarify – all of the options on the previous toolbar are available on the enhanced toolbar. Depending on your task, you may see the three-row toolbar or you may see the two-row toolbar.
App Centre
New App Centre Connection Flow – Enterprise Application Self-Service ConnectionsConcur has added support for self-service connections to Enterprise applications from the App Centre. For applications that have enabled this connection flow, administrators can connect their Concur implementation to enterprise partner integrations directly from the App Centre.
While connecting to an application, the administrator may see up to three types of terms and conditions, depending on the app:
- Concur App Centre End-User Terms & Conditions. These are the basic terms of use for individual users in the App Centre. You will be asked to accept these terms only once.
- Shared Information. This states the specific information that will be shared with the partner. This is specific to the partner integration you are connecting to. You will be asked to accept these terms for each application.
- Customer Authorisation to Link Accounts. These are the basic terms of use for company-wide integrations. Your company will be asked to accept these terms only once.
After accepting the terms and conditions, the administrator is directed to the partner's site to set up their administrator account and complete the connection process.
The first app using this connection flow is Uber for Business.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This connection flow simplifies the process when integrating your Concur implementation with Enterprise partners. In addition, the App Centre provides a more unified and secure experience when an administrator connects your company to an Enterprise app.
Company Card
Personal Cards Integration Tool UpdatesWith this release, a new user interface and improved error handling make it easier to connect new Personal Card accounts successfully. The new interface is displayed on the Link Accounts page.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This enhancement makes it easier to work with Personal cards by revising the interface for ease of use, and providing more precise error information.
Concur Locate
Now AvailableConcur is pleased to announce that Concur Locate has successfully concluded an Early Access period and – as of August 21 – is generally available.
Concur Locate is a billable service that is available to assist companies in meeting their duty-of-care requirements by providing employee location-related information. It is available to clients who also have Concur Expense and/or Concur Travel. Though it is available now with a basic feature set, it will be enhanced over time to meet all the needs of clients seeking employee location identification solutions within the Concur user interface.
For more information, refer to the Concur Locate User Guide and the QuickStart guide (English only).
Concur Solutions Home Page
Quick Tips Section Removed from Concur Solutions PageWith this release, Concur has removed the Quick Tips section of the Concur Solutions home page (concursolutions.com).
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This update simplifies the home page, making it easier to view and access the information on the page.
Expense Assistant
Opt Out Now AvailableExpense Assistant will be available for Expense users in September. With the August release, it is possible to turn off this feature before users see it.
Expense Assistant has the following features:
- The feature is enabled by default for the company, but can be turned off, if needed, at the company level to block access for all users. If the company allows access to Expense Assistant, each individual user will be allowed to opt in to use this feature.
- If there are any expenses in Available Expenses, Expense Assistant will add them to an expense claim.
- Expense Assistant will not add expenses to a returned expense claim. The exception is when a returned claim includes a transaction that now matches an expense in Available Expenses.
- When the user opens an expense claim, any transactions added by Expense Assistant since the user last viewed the claim will be formatted in bold. The bolding will be removed when the user opens and views that expense.
- Expense Assistant sends a summary email of all the activity that happened in the expense claim to the user once a week.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This feature automates more of the expense reporting process, to provide an easier end user experience.
Expense Pay – Global
Additional Card Programmes Now Supported – United States- US Bank MasterCard/Visa USD
- US Bank Elan Visa USD
- Bank of America MasterCard/Visa USD
All cards use the same Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) format to different bank accounts.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: These additional options can expedite the processing of credit card expenses.
Update to the Bambora Mandate Process – United KingdomThe process has changed for how Bambora mandates are processed for funding accounts that use the Great British Pound (GBP) currency (£). Bambora now submits mandates electronically on a client’s behalf to their financial institution.
When Bambora completes the required setup steps and files the mandate with the client’s bank, the client receives a copy of the mandate from Bambora, which contains a Mandate Reference Identification (ID) number. Clients can retain the reference number for their records, activate the account and start processing payments.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This change simplifies onboarding for UK clients and reduces the mandate filing time from weeks to a couple of days.
Fiscal Calendar
Enhanced Fiscal Calendar for Analysis / Intelligence Now Available!The enhanced fiscal calendar for Analysis/Intelligence is now available. A fiscal calendar allows organisations to define their accounting periods independent of the standard calendar year. Many organisations define their own calendars to model their financial reporting to reflect seasons in their business, to compare results with direct competitors and to avoid the busy year-end season in January.
The new fiscal calendar is available under Reporting Configuration, which is accessed via Administration > Expense or Administration > Invoice.
For more information, refer to the release notes for Analysis / Intelligence.
Microsoft IE v.10
Support Ends 18 August 2017Support for Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) version 10 browsers under Concur products now ends 18 August 2017. Concur strongly advises clients using IE v.10 to update to the latest IE browser version before that date, or to install and work with another supported browser.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This update reminds employees that the version of Internet Explorer they are using is obsolete and they should upgrade in consultation with their organisation.
Receipts
Remove Captured Date from eBunsho - JapanThe captured date for eBunsho receipts no longer displays in Concur. The eBunsho feature does not require the display of a capture date and time. Displaying the capture date and time draws attention from the date and time displayed for the eBunsho timestamp.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This change simplifies the user’s display.
Travel Allowance
Change to Determination of Allowance Location – NorwayThe travel day is a 24-hour day; it is not a calendar day.
For any day of travel, if multiple locations are visited then the allowance location will be the location in which the most time is spent.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: The change allows Concur clients who do business in Norway to maintain best-practice legal compliance.
Change to Rate Location and Allowance Determination – FinlandConcur has updated the rate location and allowance determination of travel allowance for Finland users.
- For partial-day trips, less than 24 hours in total, if there is a minimum of 10 hours of consolidated foreign travel, the rate location is determined from the last foreign location visited.
- For full 24-hour days ending in transit, if the user is leaving a foreign country to Finland, the rate location is determined from that foreign country. Instead, if the user is leaving Finland to a foreign country, the rate location is determined from that foreign country. In this case, the direction of travel does not matter as long as it is a mixed-trip combination of foreign and domestic travel.
- For each day in a multi-day trip, if there is a minimum of 10 hours of consolidated foreign travel, the rate location is determined from the last foreign location visited.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: The change allows Concur clients who do business in Finland to maintain best-practice legal compliance.
Legacy Expense Authorisation Request
**Planned Changes** Product RetirementConcur plans to retire our legacy Expense Authorisation Request feature on 31 March 2018.
Concur offered this feature to some clients prior to the existence of the standalone Concur Request product. We now have feature parity as well as enhanced features and full support on the standalone Request product. Clients that wish to leverage a request capability within Concur should purchase and migrate to the Concur Request product.
A client-facing FAQ is available: http://assets.concur.com/concurtraining/cte/en-us/legacy_request_retirement_faq.pdf (English only)
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This retirement allows Concur to focus development resources on further enhancements to our standalone Concur Request product whose functionality, innovation and value now exceeds that of our legacy feature.
Receipts
**Planned Changes** Upload Receipts Link Now Goes Directly to Available ReceiptsOn the Concur home page, the existing link to upload receipts (New > Upload Receipts) will take users to the Available Receipts section of the main Expense page.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: The change allows users to upload receipts more efficiently.
USB IC Card Readers – Japan
**Planned Changes** Support is EndingThe USB IC Card reader solution for capturing Japanese IC Card travel information in Expense utilises a reader connected to a single computer. Because Microsoft is deprecating the ActiveX technology leveraged by this solution, Concur is ending support for the solution.
Important dates:
- On 1 August 2017, Concur will no longer support this solution.
- After 31 December 2017, the solution is being retired and will no longer work in Concur.
As a replacement, Concur's current solution uses a Network IC Card Reader, which our Japanese clients are already deploying. The Network IC Card Reader has the benefit of allowing multiple users to import transactions at a central location.
For the Network IC Card Reader release note, refer to the October 2016 version of this document.
Business Purpose / Client Benefit: This retirement keeps Concur users aligned with current technology.
Client Notifications
Concur Non-Affiliated SubprocessorsThe list of non-affiliated subprocessors is available here: Concur Non-Affiliated Subprocessors (English Only)
Monthly Browser CertificationsMonthly browser certifications, both current and planned, are available with the other Concur monthly release notes, accessible from What's New - Professional Edition