How To Turn Those Expense Reports in At Lightning Speed

Being a Sales Engineer is hard, but it seems that the hardest part of all is keeping up with the expense reports. There are many corporate apps to streamline this, but if it's not streamlined for YOU, it's because you don't know THE SYSTEM. So today I'm going to teach you THE SYSTEM to getting these turned in in a timely fashion. Most organizations say they want them turned in a week after a trip, which sounds fast, but I am turning them in within days. Does that sound unachievable for you today? It's not, so let's start with an overview of how THE SYSTEM works. Many thanks to Farzad (Faaz) Firoz for inspiring me to write this up!

Turning in expense reports on time contributes to your organization's financial health and accountability, and also makes you look like a super organized Rockstar to your manager, which makes THEM look like a Rockstar in return! THE SYSTEM consists of the following basic rules:

• Make the expense report the MINUTE you spend that first expense for a trip
• Log ALL expenses the moment they happen onto that expense report
• When the trip is done, your expense report is the complete record of the trip. Log that last expense, and you're ready to submit!

Let's walk through how you can start implementing this habit into your travel and getting on your manager's rockstar list.

1. Discuss with your boss the ideal size and frequency of each trip report

Companies pay a small processing fee for each expense report, and it's different for each organization. So your manager probably has an idea of what the ideal dollar size or frequency of these reports should be. Assuming you will adopt this system, first have a conversation (or send them this blog post) and get an idea of what makes the most sense for your limits, your manager's bandwidth, and the type and frequency of travel you do. For me, my trips are shorter, so I use this system often by creating 1 report for each 2 trips (vs. one). If they come up short for submission I just roll the next trip into the unsubmitted report (and I submit it right after that second trip). For Reinvent, RSAC, week long trips or excessive entertainment, those get their own report. If I have to book flights over a month in advance for a trip, I make a "<Trip Name> - Flight" report so I can submit it and be reimbursed on time. Again, discuss with your manager, they will appreciate the proactivity!

2. Turn OFF Automatic Expense Sorting / Report Creation Settings in your Expense Report Software

While automatic expense report creation can seem convenient, it actually works counterintuitively with this system. SAP Concur tends to create reports that are by month. And it doesn't seem to be very good at matching submitted expenses with the right report. I'm not sure what Expensify does for this, but if it doesn't match your system, turn it off. Just create the report yourself for each new trip and move the expenses to the right report yourself, it will take 1 second.

3. But DO Turn On All The Other Helpful Automation

There are some easy things you should enable to ensure receipts don't get lost. Both Concur and Expensify have email addresses you can just forward expenses to, so turn this on. Both Uber and Lyft support Business Profiles to help organize these expenses - see the instructions for Uber and Lyft . Uber integrates with Concur and also integrates with Expensify , and Lyft does the same with Concur and Expensify , which will automatically upload trips. Again, turn OFF the automatic sorting of expenses into reports, because it will more often than not pick the WRONG report for these automatically synced expenses and cost you time.

4. Create an Expense Report for Each Trip the MOMENT you spend the first related expense, and add it

Do NOT wait or save this action for later. DO NOT sit on that email. Even if you have a corporate card that uploads expenses for you, you STILL have to attach the receipt. So screenshot that receipt or forward it, and attach it to the report. Even if you end up having to delete it later in favor of a synced expense, you can still shift the receipt easily. That's better than trying to sort out a million charges that you can't remember later on.

5. Download the Mobile App and Add Every Expense As It Happens To The Report

Both Concur and Expensify have a mobile app, and they both use the camera to take pictures of receipts. That means you can open up the app, click on the expense report you created, and then that's the active one every time you open the app. You just click the "Add" Button, and take a picture of the receipt. Don't worry too much about amounts or details, just add it and save it after you buy that Starbucks in the airport. Crumple up the receipt right after and toss it in the trash (it will feel so good)! Again, you just need to get it in there, because you'll be able to fine-tune the categories and details later.

Bonus Tip - for customer dinners, take the same pen you used to sign the bill and write the names of the attendees on the receipt. Make sure it's in the photo of the receipt when you take it, and it will come in handy later.

6. Use the Travel "WhiteSpace" Time to Complete the Expense Report On Your Phone

What's more productive, scrolling Instagram on your phone, playing Candy Crush, or completing your expense report? Trade your usual habit on your phone with a productive one. In the cab or in the airport, while you're waiting for something, fill in the details of those trips. Remember that customer dinner? More importantly, do you remember everyone that attended? No problem, just look at that picture you took and add them to the expense. Move any unattached receipts that came in from your integrations to the correct report. Complete the report on your phone on the plane or train home, so you're ready to submit. Then all you need to add is that last Uber or Lyft receipt, and you're done!

7. Submit the Report Over the Weekend

This pro tip comes from my CRO Andrew Vallila - wait to submit your expense report until the weekend, to help avoid the perception that you’re spending valuable company time on administrative tasks. It also ensures that your report is ready for review first thing on Monday because it shows up at the top of Finance's inbox, speeding up the reimbursement process. Again, you can do this on your phone, just set a reminder.

Final Thoughts

Remember, you're not disorganized, you just didn't know THE SYSTEM. My expense reports are submitted with lightning speed, and it took me some time to learn how to do this. It may take you some time too, so let me know how it works out!

Do you have any other tips for managing expense reports effectively? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!