How to capture travel agents & flight ticket no.s in travel management?

[Former Member]

Hi All,

My client wants to know what will be ideal SAP Travel  Solution for this below scenario ?

Current Business Scenario:

1. Currently travel teams takes all travel requests by email. The email comes with a travel form containing the travel dates, travel destination details, no. of days of travel & plus whether accomodation needed or not. If yes for accomodation for how many days?

2. Based on the email request and travel details, the travel team sends an email to the travel agents to arrange for tickets.

     If accommodation needed, then travel travel send the chek in & check out details to the hotel and book the rooms.

3. Once tickets & hotel bookings are confirmed by the travel agent / hotel, the details are sent to the traveller.

4. The travel team prepares a travel memo (for internal use) in which the traveler name, travel details, ticket no.s, travel agent name, hotel name, hotel booking details, flight ticket cost, hotel cost are entered. This travel memo is approved the travel dept.HOD and kept for future references.

5. The travel agents send their invoices based on the tickets booked. The invoice is raised on the date on which tickets are booked & sent to the client.

6. When the invoice comes to finance, finance team sends it to travel team for approval. The travel team checks the ticket no.s, traveller name in the invoice and matches it with the travel memo.

7. Then travel team attach a copy of the travel memo with the invoice and send it back to finance.

8. Finance pays the travel agent based on the travel memo.

9. Same way, when hotel invoice comes, the travel team check the name of the traveler, stay details, match it with the travel memo and send it to finance with a copy of the travel memo. Based on this hotel vendor gets payment.

Client Expectation :

A) All travel requests must come ESS MSS portal

B) There will be no interface with third part online ticket/hotel reservation system.

    Travel or hotel vendors will send details by email, which travel team will update in SAP; may be in the form of a BDC program.

C) When finance is receiving invoice, they should be able to match the invoice details with the travel details of the employee in the system

(Currently using the travel memo,  ticket no & traveller name  is used to match the invoice with the Travel Memo)

D) How to also handle employee advances/settlement process if ESS/MSS has to be used ?

Can advance/settlement be done thro payroll or any other method is there to do it ?

E) How can finance link the travel request & advance taken while settling the advance post-trip ?

F) How to store the travel agent, hotel agent details, airlines details in the Travel Management?

Because client wants to take reports on travel requests travel/hotel agent wise, airlines wise,  to estimate the travel cost, booking cost.

Please suggest how travel & expense management can offer a solution to the above business scenario..

Regards,

Reagan.E

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Reagan,

Please find my comments below.

Client Expectation :

A) All travel requests must come ESS MSS portal

YES possible, User can create Travel Request on Portal and Manager or approving authority will approve on MSS.

B) There will be no interface with third part online ticket/hotel reservation system.

    Travel or hotel vendors will send details by email, which travel team will update in SAP; may be in the form of a BDC program.

Booking information Information can be sent manually and amount can be recorded in travel expense sheet with ticket no & traveller name invoice number vendor wise.. Then This amount will be posted to finance Vendor wise or using clearing accounts.

C) When finance is receiving invoice, they should be able to match the invoice details with the travel details of the employee in the system

(Currently using the travel memo,  ticket no & traveller name  is used to match the invoice with the Travel Memo)

Even very easy to match, because same amount is already available in vendor wise in payable

D) How to also handle employee advances/settlement process if ESS/MSS has to be used ?

Can advance/settlement be done thro payroll or any other method is there to do it ?

User will make his/her request on ESS and requesting advance, after apporving, this advance request can be post able to payroll (A option) or through financial account (employee vedor wise) (B Option)

E) How can finance link the travel request & advance taken while settling the advance post-trip ?

B Option, As discussed in point D.

F) How to store the travel agent, hotel agent details, airlines details in the Travel Management?

Because client wants to take reports on travel requests travel/hotel agent wise, airlines wise,  to estimate the travel cost, booking cost.

Can be stored expense wise using additional receipt information.

I hopes it would serve your purpose.

Regards,

Muhammad Umer

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thanks Umer,

I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Very informative inputs and guidelines.

Express my sincere appreciation to you for your immediate response and clear inputs.

One more Query in Travel Management:

Client wants to track & link the travel requests, invoice payments for Non-Employee who are visiting the company (Non-Employees) like Guests, Business visitors, Customers ? They want to debit the user departments who have requested these travel requests finally

How can SAP track and link them to invoice payment same like Employee travel invoice payments for Non-Employees ?

Regards,

Reagan.E

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Hi Earnest:

  Could you solve the SAP Travel Solution like your client wanted??

Alejandra