Travel and Expense Project turns feedback into fixes
Guided by campuswide feedback, the project team is rolling out several improvements in Concur to simplify the process.
A trip can come together in a few emails, but getting it approved and reimbursed can take longer.
To simplify the process, Finance and Operations launched the Travel and Expense Project in 2025 with support from Operational Excellence. The project aims to improve Concur — the University’s online system used for managing travel requests and expense reports — while strengthening related policies and support.
The team gathered input in July 2025 through discovery workshops and a campuswide survey that closed Aug. 1, 2025. More than 1,300 faculty, staff and administrators completed the survey, and 123 faculty and staff participated in four workshops.
Their feedback confirmed that nearly one in four expense reports is returned for correction and pointed to two key problems: unclear guidance in the system and avoidable back-and-forth during review.
“Users felt the messaging was too technical or did not provide clear information,” said Rebecca Spanos, director of travel and payment card services and interim director of accounts payable and vendor services.
Changes rolling out
The team set five priorities to address common frustrations:
- Simplifying the Concur interface to reduce confusion
- Reviewing policies for greater clarity
- Simplifying workflows to save time
- Upgrading training and support to make navigation easier
- Exploring AI tools to further assist users
Guided by these priorities, the project team is launching a number of updates aimed at reducing returned reports, speeding up approvals and clarifying process and expectations for travelers and reviewers.
The team created a short introductory video that explains what to know before planning travel and how to get started.
“One major enhancement is the new AI-driven request assistant,” said Spanos. “It will help travelers estimate expenses when creating a travel request.”
The team worked to streamline the review process and cut down on back-and-forth questions. Concur now requires certain information up front, like business justifications for ground transportation and food and beverage expenses.
“These updates are the result of listening closely to user feedback,” said Carly Perin, associate vice chancellor for finance. “They may seem like small changes, but they address real pain points, and collectively they have a meaningful impact on reducing frustration and making the process easier to navigate.”
What’s ahead
The project team will continue refining Concur and related workflows to make the process even easier for users.
“We recognize that we’re not there yet,” said Perin. “This is just the first step in a continuous improvement process, and we’ll continue listening to campus feedback.”
A future project as part of ServiceFirst implementation will explore use of a travel and expense shared services function. This change would help reduce administrative workload from faculty and staff so they can focus on work that is core to the mission of Carolina. “Our goal is to give people time back by reducing unnecessary administrative burden,” Perin said.
Users can expect an updated one-page travel checklist, continued progress on an AI chatbot to answer questions and a consolidated travel and expense policy, each intended to make tasks clearer and easier for users.
“We are continuing to look for ways to simplify requirements, streamline the process and leverage advances in AI,” Spanos said.
Campus colleagues now have other ways to share input. The travel services website added a feedback submission page for submitting suggestions and raising concerns. World Travel confirmation emails will also include a “rate your experience” link to an instant feedback form, with a commitment to respond within one business day.
The Travel Vendor Fair, to be held 2 to 5 p.m. March 3 in the West Lounge of the Frank Porter Graham Student Union, will give users an opportunity to interact with vendors and discover helpful resources in person.
Visit go.unc.edu/travel-and-expense-updates for updates or join the travel office notification channel in Teams. Users looking for assistance can also contact the travel team or the Concur help desk for personal support.
