Concur launches new services for buyers

New plans for growth in Europe

Concur has launched a new range of services to provide extra data for travel buyers.

The new Concur Premium Services include facilities to analyse data on travel spend and expenses to help companies faced with complex business requirements.

The Premium Services include Premium Analytics and Advanced Premium Analytics for which Concur will provide onsite training for its travel buyer clients and Custom Premium Reports to build customised data reports for clients.

The company which has increased its staffing levels on the continent from two to 32 in the last year, also revealed it is aiming to recruit a further 150 workers in Europe over the next 18 months.  

The company has offices in the UK and Prague and sales offices in Frankfurt, Paris, Stockholm and Brussels.

Rajeev Singh, Concur's president and chief operating officer, said: "Companies of all sizes are seeking even more assistance in finding ways to increase operational efficiencies and drive down costs.

"Our clients recognise the need for deep expertise and best practices insight that leverage their technology investment to deliver enhanced visibility into, and control over, their employee spend.

"The development of Concur Premium Services is an example of our focus on gaining additional insight into our clients' unique business circumstances."

Chris Juneau, Concur's EMEA product marketing director based in Prague, told ABTN that travel managers knew what they booked and what they spent.

But the new tools will show what they actually did spend and what savings they could have made.

"We think it is now less about end to end and more about getting the right information so buyers can make the right decision. By putting that information together, the travel manager can make sure that they receive what they have negotiated for.

"They were never sure before. They would take the bookings and try and match them with the credit card. Now they can be sure.

"Before they did not get the full picture but now they can.

"We want to empower the travel manager. If they do not have the right information, they can now go out and get it," he said.

He said the new services would also help travel managers seeking to find the Return on Investment (ROI) on each trip.

This would help firms spend their travel budgets more smartly by indicating which trips were worthwhile in terms of ROI.

Mr Juneau, who is moving to Concur's UK offices in Berkshire next February as its new UK regional director for sales, marketing and business development, said the company planned to go on investing in its operation in Europe.

"The biggest challenge we have is hiring enough people. We are still hiring people with industry knowledge.  

"Our core market is the UK, Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries.

"But we have been looking at expanding into Europe but we first want to solidify our position in central Europe," he said. 

www.concur.com