Navan Empowers Versed with Real-Time Travel Insights and Expense Automation

Region

NORAM: North America

Headquarters

West Hollywood, California

Company Size

Small and Medium-sized Business (1-800 employees)

Industry

Retail, Health and Wellness

Products Used

• Navan Expense
• Navan Business Travel
• Navan Travel Payments

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Based in Los Angeles, Versed is a remote-first company with employees distributed across the country. The company’s mission is to offer affordable yet luxurious skincare solutions, and it has rapidly grown into a recognized name in the beauty world. 

At the helm of financial operations is Jake Occhiogrosso, senior director of finance, who is dedicated to building operational excellence into all aspects of the business, including travel and expense management. Before partnering with Navan, Versed faced challenges that impacted the team’s efficiency and visibility into their travel and expense processes. Here’s how they tackled these issues with Navan.

Before Navan

Before implementing Navan, Versed relied on a fragmented system for managing travel and expenses. For expenses, their previous solution made reconciliation a lengthy and cumbersome process. There weren’t enough parameters or real-time controls in place, creating opportunities for unchecked spending and a lack of accountability. From a financial perspective, this lack of structure created inefficiencies and delays.  “We had to track down everyone to make sure receipts were included,” Jake explained. “Now, with Navan, I don’t have to chase down receipts.” 

On the travel side, bookings were handled ad hoc without a centralized system. This led to a lack of visibility into employee travel plans and created challenges in monitoring costs. As the company grew, these inefficiencies became increasingly unsustainable, prompting the need for a comprehensive solution like Navan.

“

Employees can just log in and see the best booking options right in front of them.

Jake Occhiogrosso

Why Navan

When evaluating solutions, Versed sought a platform that could simplify both travel and expense management while providing real-time insights. Navan stood out as the ideal partner.

The finance team needed a solution that automated manual tasks, improved compliance, and eliminated inefficiencies. Navan's expense management tools offered exactly that, providing automatic expense tracking, seamless integration with their existing systems like Netsuite, and robust policy controls for corporate cards.

When it came to travel management, Versed wanted a wide range of inventory readily available for employees. In the past, employees had to book hotels, flights, and cars on separate websites; but with Navan, they can access one of the largest business travel inventories and negotiated rates in one platform. Jake shared, “Employees can just log in and see the best booking options right in front of them.” 

Real-time visibility into travel plans was another priority. “We have a lot of regional sales managers traveling at all times, and it’s crucial to know where they are,” Jake said.

Navan Guest Invite, which simplifies guest travel bookings while keeping them in compliance with company policies, proved to be another invaluable feature. “When we have off-sites for the whole company, it’s nice to offer guest travel if we want to have some consultants there. I can just create the event and invite them to it,” Jake said. 

Employees also appreciate the ability to store loyalty programs and traveler information in their Navan account. “Our employees love that they can add their frequent traveler information in Navan. Every time they book a trip, they know their passport information is in there and that they’ll earn points and miles with their preferred travel brands,” he said.

Results with Navan

Since adopting Navan, Versed has experienced transformative results across both travel and expense management. Employees now have access to an intuitive booking system that highlights the best options from a wide range of inventory, helping to ensure compliance and cost efficiency for every situation. Real-time visibility into travel plans has been a game changer for the company, especially for regional sales managers who are frequently on the move.

On the expense side, automation has eliminated manual tasks like coding and receipt tracking. “Expenses get approved faster, and they’re coded the right way — to the right GL and right department,” Jake explained. 

“The ability to set clear parameters with Navan’s corporate cards helps to ensure all transactions align with company policies and flow directly into Netsuite. Since we switched to Navan Expense, we save at least 10 hours a month.” 

“

Expenses get approved faster, and they're coded the right way — to the right GL and right department.

Jake Occhiogrosso

Additionally, the ease of onboarding employees with Navan’s virtual cards has been a significant benefit. “The system is incredibly intuitive and has made managing cards simple,” Jake noted.

According to Jake, Versed has achieved near-perfect policy compliance with its employees, showcasing how well Navan integrates into the company's workflows.

“

Since we switched to Navan Expense, we save at least 10 hours a month.

Jake Occhiogrosso

Looking Forward to the Future

By addressing its travel and expense management challenges, Versed has been able to achieve greater efficiency, compliance, and employee satisfaction, resulting in a perfect 5/5 customer satisfaction score. As the company continues to innovate in the skincare industry, its partnership with Navan helps ensure that its operational processes remain just as polished as its product offerings.