Is Your T&E Program Holding You Back? Find Out in 5 Minutes

Is your company’s current travel and expense (T&E) process working as efficiently as possible? We put together a list of 10 questions to help you find out.

Whether you’re dealing with manual processes, compliance headaches, or a lack of visibility into spend, this quick audit will highlight areas for improvement and show you whether it’s time to consider a more automated T&E solution.

Ready to get started?

1. Expense Reporting Process

Q1: How do employees currently submit their expense reports?

A) Manual process (using paper receipts, spreadsheets, or physical forms)

B) Digital process (via a simple online form, no automation or integration)

C) Basic software (partially automated and integrated with your accounting system)

D) Fully automated (paperless, with fully integrated expense management tools)

Q2: How often do your expense reports contain errors or missing information?

A) Very frequently (multiple times per week)

B) Frequently (several times per month)

C) Occasionally (once or twice per month)

D) Rarely (a few times per year)

2. Efficiency and Time Management

Q3: How long does it typically take to process and approve an expense report?

A) More than two weeks

B) One to two weeks

C) Three to five days

D) Less than 48 hours

Q4: How much time do employees spend managing or submitting their expenses each month?

A) More than 4 hours

B) 2 – 4 hours

C) 1 – 2 hours

D) Less than 1 hour

3. Cost Control and Oversight

Q5: How easy is it to track and control travel and expense budgets in your organization?

A) Very difficult (we only know after expenses are submitted)

B) Somewhat difficult (we monitor manually through reports)

C) Somewhat easy (visibility is not in real time and policies aren’t automatically enforced)

D) Very easy (we track in real time and set automated limits)

Q6: How often do you experience overspending or policy violations related to travel and expenses?

A) Frequently (monthly)

B) Occasionally (a few times a year)

C) Rarely (once or twice a year)

D) Never

4. Compliance and Policy Adherence

Q7: How do you ensure employees are adhering to your travel and expense policies?

A) We manually check expense reports after they’re submitted

B) We spot-check reports periodically

C) We have some automated checks in place, but reports are mostly manual

D) Our system automatically enforces policy adherence

Q8: When was the last time your organization faced a compliance issue or audit problem related to T&E?

A) Within the last 6 months

B) In the past 12 months

C) Over a year ago

D) Never

5. Visibility and Data Access

Q9: How easily can you access detailed reports on company-wide travel and expenses?

A) We have difficulty accessing company-wide data

B) We can access basic reports, but they’re not detailed

C) We can get detailed reports, but they’re delayed

D) We have real-time access to detailed, company-wide expense data

Q10: How confident are you in your ability to predict future T&E spending based on current data?

A) Not confident at all; we lack visibility

B) Somewhat confident, but the data is incomplete

C) Mostly confident, though there are occasional surprises

D) Very confident; we have real-time, accurate data for forecasting

Final Results:

Scoring:

• Mostly As and Bs: Your T&E program may be holding you back. Consider an automated T&E solution to reduce errors, improve compliance, and save time.
• Mostly Bs and Cs: Your T&E program is functional, but there’s room for improvement. Automating certain processes could help increase visibility and control.
• Mostly Cs and Ds: Your T&E program is performing well, but adopting more advanced tools or moving to a unified T&E solution could enhance efficiency and provide real-time insights.

How Automated Travel and Expense Management Solutions Save Time and Money

Efficient travel and expense management is crucial for businesses of all sizes, but many companies still struggle with outdated processes that lead to inefficiencies, overspending, and compliance risks.

Whether your company scored high or low on the quiz, modernizing your approach to T&E management can unlock significant value — from cost savings to better visibility and control.

The Challenges of Manual Travel and Expense Management

If you’re managing travel and expenses manually or through disconnected systems, you’re likely facing some common frustrations:

• Time-Consuming Processes: Manually collecting receipts, submitting reports, and approving expenses can be slow and error-prone, leading to delayed reimbursements and frustrated employees.
• Lack of Real-Time Visibility: Without a centralized system, it’s tough to get real-time insights into your company’s travel spend, making budgeting and forecasting difficult.
• Policy Compliance Issues: Enforcing travel and expense policies can be a headache when approvals are manual, increasing the risk of policy violations, overspending, or even fraud.

These challenges can not only impact your bottom line but also waste valuable time that could be better spent on strategic work. That’s why forward-thinking companies are turning to automated travel and expense management solutions to streamline these processes.

“

Our salespeople were spending 20 minutes on each expense report, individually uploading receipts and navigating through a cumbersome interface. We recognized the opportunity to enhance efficiency and streamline their workflow.

Hayden Stafford

President and Chief Revenue Officer, Seismic

Read the full case study.

Don’t Let Your T&E Program Hold You Back — Switch to Navan

Navan’s all-in-one travel and expense platform takes the guesswork out of managing spend and frees up your team to focus on what really matters — growing the business.

By adopting a modern, automated solution like Navan, your company can:

• Save time on expense management and reduce administrative burdens.
• Gain real-time visibility into travel and expense data, helping you forecast spend.
• Help ensure compliance with automated policy enforcement and approval workflows.
• Improve employee experience with faster reimbursements and hassle-free reporting.

Ready to take your travel and expense management to the next level? See how Navan can simplify and supercharge your T&E process. Get started with Navan today and discover why thousands of businesses trust Navan for their travel and expense needs.