Card Briefs: Amex Planning Systems Easing Expense Reports

American Express Travel Management Services is developing a new way for corporations to automate the travel expense reporting process.

The card company has teamed up with electronic forms specialists Symantec Delrina Group of Cupertino, Calif., and Wallace Computer Services of Hillsdale, Ill.

At the front end of the new system is American Express' Expense Manager software, which allows business travelers to prepare an electronic expense report with a minimum of keystrokes.

Here's how it works:

Employees call up their most recent American Express corporate card charges by electronic mail, then fill out an electronic expense report with a few simple click-and-drag moves. Expense information can be delivered by either internal E-mail systems, commercial E-mail services, or even the Internet, depending on the corporate systems environment.

Then, using Delrina's FormFlow software, Wallace will custom-design an electronic version of a company's expense report.

Wallace provides a variety of services that leverage FormFlow features, including design and implementation of automated routing features to send the completed expense reports via E-mail systems to a manager for on-line approval.

Once approved with an electronic signature, the information can be exported directly from approved expense reports into travel management reporting data bases or financial accounting systems.

Wallace can also provide supplemental forms design and development, enterprisewide integration, distribution, training, support, and installation as required by the customer's information systems department.

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