What’s the ROI of Concur Travel and Expense? IDC Report

Finance and travel teams are under increasing pressure as travel and expense (T&E) programs struggle to keep up with fluctuating costs, evolving regulations, and growing demand for real-time insight. Basic digital tools may digitize receipts, but they fall short on consistent policy enforcement, compliance, and actionable insights. According to IDC research, customers using Concur Travel and Expense realize an average of $3.1 million in annual benefits per organization — including $1.6 million in cost savings, a 406% three-year ROI, and a payback period of just 5.1 months.

How Organizations Are Achieving ROI with Concur Travel and Expense

One integrated T&E platform.

Consolidating travel booking, expense reporting, and card reconciliation into a single platform reduces fragmentation, standardizes workflows and data, and gives finance teams complete visibility across the T&E lifecycle.

Automated policy enforcement.

Built-in rules, hard stops, and integrated per diem rates guide employees toward compliant behavior and prevent out-of-policy submissions at the point of entry—driving 19% more employees to follow T&E policies.

Faster processing and auditing.

Automation tools including Verify, e-receipts, and audit rules reduce manual effort and error rates. Organizations reported 37% faster request processing, 55% faster auditing, and 53% fewer expense report errors.

Mobile-first user experience.

The SAP Concur mobile app and ExpenseIt tool let employees book travel and submit expenses on the go—improving booking and submission efficiency by 53% and reducing lost receipts by 72% per year.

Real-time visibility and reporting.

Customizable dashboards give management actionable insights into spending and compliance trends, with 43% less time spent by managers approving expense reports and a 36% reduction in helpdesk calls.

SAP Concur's Concur Travel and Expense platform is independently validated by IDC as delivering measurable financial impact across industries ranging from aerospace and biotech to healthcare and technology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What ROI do organizations achieve with Concur Travel and Expense?

According to IDC research published in January 2026, organizations using Concur Travel and Expense achieve a three-year ROI of 406% with a payback period of 5.1 months. Average annual benefits total $3.1 million per organization ($128,000 per 100 users), including $1.6 million in cost savings.

How does Concur Travel and Expense improve T&E policy compliance?

Concur Travel and Expense automates policy enforcement through built-in rules, hard stops, and integrated per diem rates that prevent out-of-policy submissions at the point of entry. IDC research found that organizations using the platform reported 19% more employees following T&E policies and 55% faster auditing workflows.

What efficiency gains do finance teams achieve with SAP Concur?

IDC research found that organizations using Concur Travel and Expense process T&E requests 37% faster and complete audits 55% faster, with 53% fewer expense report errors. Managers spend 43% less time approving expense reports, and organizations report a 36% reduction in helpdesk calls related to T&E.

How does Concur Travel and Expense reduce T&E costs?

Concur Travel and Expense reduces hard T&E costs by preventing duplicate reimbursements, cutting lost receipts by 72% per year, enforcing negotiated rates, and automating audit workflows. IDC calculates these capabilities contribute to $1.6 million in average annual cost savings per organization.

What types of organizations were included in the IDC Business Value study?

IDC interviewed seven organizations across aerospace, biotech, healthcare, technology, and transportation for the study. Companies ranged from 200 to 16,000 employees with annual revenues between $60 million and $4 billion, ensuring the findings reflect a broad range of operational contexts and compliance requirements.

Download the Report

Get the full IDC Business Value White Paper to see how organizations across industries are achieving measurable ROI, faster processing, and stronger compliance with Concur Travel and Expense.