Expense Report Software

Ah, the expense account. To those without them, it sounds almost glamorous. To those with them, it can be sheer drudgery, at best. The paperwork, deadlines, and low daily thresholds can be enough to make you want to scream. Thankfully, there's expense account software that helps with the first two issues ...

The tight budgets, ah, that's another story.

At one point, I worked for a company with a daily expense account budget so tight, I could only afford one decent meal a day on the road.

But I quickly learned the ropes when the company would go en masse to a trade show. The game was called "find the bigwig with the expense account big enough to cover dinner." Once dinner was covered, I just needed to pay for breakfast at the hotel and a sandwich for lunch. Trade show food. Yum.

It was always a rush to submit our expense reports once we got back to the fort.

I don't miss that aspect of my corporate days. Once I created and submitted the expense account statement for my trip, I'd have to submit it (on paper!) and suffer through the approval process. If I procrastinated in preparing the expense account paperwork, my credit card bills would roll in and I'd be short the funds to pay them. Ouch.

When that happened, it was not a pretty site. But it could get even worse. Being called on the carpet to explain an expense report that didn't fit the mold (by a lousy five bucks)?

That took the cake.

Expense reporting software is designed to make it an easy trip, by automating and organizing the entire process. Logging the expenses as they happen, on a daily basis, lets you know exactly where the money is going.

The best expense reporting software will handle expense categorization and the tracking of cash advances. Business mileage and driving expense capture is crucial. And if you travel internationally, be sure to look for currency conversion features.

You'll find a good selection of expense reporting software developers. Products include: ADP's Expense eXpert, Concur, Databasics ExpenSite, ExpensAble, ExpensePoint, Gelco, Necho, Verian Expense Manager, and others.

Vendors can specialize in different markets--most often the big or small shops. Necho is fairly unique in that it focuses on the "global mid-market, or organizations with 250-5,000 users."

Before purchasing expense report software, you'll want to take it for a spin. GlobalPoint is currently offering a free trial version of ExpensePoint.