GR1 - ReimburseMe
Pam Chuang, Ari Dukes, Leo Espindle
Problem Statement
Companies currently have very inaccurate methods of reimbursing people for mileage when they own their own cars. They currently estimate mileage and provide a Google maps link rather than a more accurate representation of mileage. Our program provides the value proposition of planning, reimbursement, and auditing. In addition to the issues of inaccurate reporting, the expense reporting entry process to be very cumbersome.
Currently, if you consider a salesperson traveling regularly from Boston to NYC:
225 miles (Distance between Boston and NYC) * $.50/mile (IRS reimbursement per mile) * 2 trips (Round trip) = $275/week/employee
Assume that salespeople travel twice a month: $550/month/employee
Assume that 5% of the company uses this system in a 500 person company
Of these 25 employees, 10 employees actually use this system, because they own a car.
Value saved by the company: 10 employees * $550/month * 12 months/year = $66,000 / year
Our product will help to address issues for travelers, their managers, and auditors. For the primary user (the travelers themselves), we will make both business trip planning and reimbursement easier so that they can spend time working on the main parts of their jobs.
User analysis
There are a few main personas to represent the main users of our product:
- Phyllis the Traveler
- Juan the Auditor
- Mary the Approver
Notes from interviewing a business consultant:
- Company has their own homegrown system for business expenses
- Air, hotel, car rental was automatically input from company AMEX
- "Meals were the worst", "we end up 'estimating' " (anything under a certain amount - depending on city - does not require receipts)
- Gas/mileage is done by the mile.
Notes from interviewing business administrator:
Notes from a VP of Sales:
BEFORE CONCUR
- Fill in expense report excel document template
- They hand sign it
- Manager hands sign it. Some managers would look at the excel document for like a big ticket item ($100 or more) do a quick audit.
- You print out excel document. Staple receipts onto blank paper, google map for mileage. Staple it all together.
- You turn it in to finance department. They would go though excel document and submitted receipts and they'd final check it.
- So every Friday they'd cut a check (if submitted by noon on Thursday)
AFTER CONCUR
- Log into concur (website). Difference between corporate card expenses, personal card expenses. For both, use blackberry to take picture of receipt, email to concur address. Receipt matched up with expense automatically. Personal card they would enter information on receipt on website.
- Effect: use corporate card way more than you used to because its easier.
- Actual process for personal card: give receipts to somebody (secretary) to do that. Corporate card only for executives. Do a batch process.
- Sales people use personal card, manual entry on website.