In modern enterprises, managing business travel efficiently requires seamless integration between expense management platforms and travel booking systems. SAP Concur, a market-leading cloud solution for travel, expense, and invoice management, provides extensive integration capabilities that enable organizations to connect with various external travel booking systems. This integration improves data accuracy, enhances user experience, and ensures policy compliance.
This article explores the benefits, methods, and best practices for integrating SAP Concur with external travel booking systems, helping organizations streamline their travel management processes.
- Unified Travel Experience: Users can book travel through familiar or preferred platforms while ensuring expense data automatically syncs with SAP Concur.
- Enhanced Compliance: Integration enforces corporate travel policies by embedding them directly into booking tools.
- Real-Time Data Flow: Automatically captures itinerary and booking details to reduce manual entry and errors.
- Improved Reporting: Consolidates travel and expense data for better visibility and analytics.
- Cost Control: Enables organizations to negotiate preferred rates and steer travelers toward approved vendors.
Some popular external travel booking systems often integrated with SAP Concur include:
- Amadeus
- Sabre
- Travelport
- Expedia Partner Solutions
- BCD Travel
- CWT (Carlson Wagonlit Travel)
- Egencia
SAP Concur offers a robust set of RESTful APIs that enable deep integration with external booking platforms.
- How it works: Booking systems send travel itinerary and booking confirmation data directly to SAP Concur via APIs.
- Benefits: Real-time synchronization, customizable workflows, and scalability.
- Use case: A travel management company uses SAP Concur APIs to push bookings and fare details, ensuring immediate expense report updates.
SAP Concur can connect to GDS platforms such as Amadeus, Sabre, or Travelport, which aggregate airline, hotel, and car rental inventory.
- How it works: SAP Concur Travel uses GDS data to provide users with booking options compliant with corporate policies.
- Benefits: Access to extensive inventory and negotiated rates.
- Use case: Employees book business trips directly within SAP Concur Travel, leveraging GDS-sourced travel options.
¶ 3. Middleware and Third-Party Connectors
Integration middleware platforms like SAP Cloud Platform Integration (CPI) or third-party connectors can bridge SAP Concur with legacy or niche booking systems.
- How it works: Middleware transforms and routes booking data between systems.
- Benefits: Flexibility to integrate diverse systems without direct API compatibility.
- Use case: A multinational company integrates a regional travel agency’s booking system with SAP Concur via middleware for seamless data exchange.
- Data Consistency: Ensure consistent traveler profiles, booking details, and currency formats across systems.
- Security: Maintain secure data transmission using encryption standards like TLS/SSL and OAuth for API authentication.
- Policy Enforcement: Embed corporate travel policies into booking workflows to minimize out-of-policy bookings.
- Error Handling: Implement robust error monitoring and notification mechanisms for failed data transfers.
- Scalability: Design integrations to handle peak booking volumes and evolving business requirements.
- Reduced Manual Work: Automatic transfer of booking details eliminates duplicate data entry.
- Faster Expense Reporting: Travel data populates expense reports automatically, accelerating approvals and reimbursements.
- Improved Traveler Satisfaction: Simplified booking and expense workflows improve employee experience.
- Enhanced Visibility: Comprehensive travel data enables better spend analysis and vendor management.
Integrating SAP Concur with external travel booking systems is a strategic move that empowers organizations to manage corporate travel more effectively. Whether through APIs, GDS connections, or middleware, seamless integration reduces administrative overhead, enforces compliance, and provides richer data insights. Organizations leveraging these integrations can better control travel expenses while offering employees a smooth and compliant travel booking experience.