I Packed My Bag for a Business Trip, and in It I Put Zoho Expense

Fire up that thinking cap of yours and ask yourself when the last time was, that you jumped for joy at the announcement of a business trip. And we don’t mean the prospect of a small or big adventure out of the office to discover unknown lands. We know all too well that this is enough to put a smile on anyone’s face. But since there are increasing cries and pleas “for more reality on the internet” nowadays, let’s just tell it as it is – all the fuss and hassle that is part and parcel of a business trip can sometimes be quite a nuisance. The preparation and cost comparisons. The folder you pack to meticulously keep all receipts to avoid getting into trouble with the accounting department upon your return. And, of course, the somewhat longer waiting times you need to face for the reimbursement of the money you’ve spent, because even the masters of the treasury must first go through and check your records (in addition to all the other things they’ve got to do). So, yes, that does sort of put a damper any sense of enjoyment somehow. But what would digitization be if it didn’t finally have the right solution for this problem in 2024? You’re in luck, because the solution is here and it goes by the enchanting name of Zoho Expense!

Zoho Expense, the (no longer so secret) weapon for travel and expense management

What would Zoho be if it didn’t think about employees, and especially salespeople out in the field, when programming and developing its software? With the Zoho Expense application, the tech firm has created a travel and expense management software that digitizes all aspects of business travel for you. This doesn’t only simplify the work of the person going on the business trip, but also makes the accounting and controlling departments job easier as well. But anyone could say that, of course. So, let’s take a closer look at the system as a whole. Let’s go on a business trip together!

It’s Monday morning, you arrive at the office with a coffee in your hand and directly hear the most important news of the week: pack your bags, and don’t forget your passport, you’re off on an adventure! After all, that’s exactly what it can become, because only two basic pieces of information are guaranteed to be given to you: the destination and time period. Well then, time to get on with it! After all, the internet is there for you to conduct your research on a permanent basis. Besides you, somebody else also knows how much energy and time, that is, how much of your valuable resources, have to be spent on it. And that’s Zoho Expense. This software knows your needs even better than you do. The best possible routes, reasonable prices – that’s the way to plan a trip! And you can save yourself the rigmarole of trawling through ten to fifteen portals in the process! In the Zoho Expense dashboard, you can conveniently search for flights, trains and accommodation and also book them directly. The information remains on your personal interface and can be viewed at any time. What next? Need to power up your good old printer to print out all the documents and tickets and lug them around with you? You can forget about that because all you need is your mobile device.

So, the suitcase is packed, you’ve said goodbye to your loved ones, and the flight is done. In short, you’ve arrived at your destination! But it’s usually only then that the real confusion starts. Because besides all your appointments, meetings, and the odd networking session or two, one thing is vital: the receipts! The voice of your accounting colleagues embeds itself in your ear and for a short period of time you feel like you’ve morphed into one of them yourself. “Right, be sure to keep everything to prove my expenses!” A coffee with the customer here, lunch with the service provider there, and the cab ride back to the hotel in the evening. The longer you are on the road, the more exhausting it becomes to keep track of everything – because your accounting colleagues aren’t there to help with that! (But to be fair, this isn’t Harry Potter). So how would it sound to simply pull out your smartphone, open Zoho Expense, scan the receipt, and enjoy your stay? Like music to your ears? Yes, we thought as much – and so did Zoho! With the app, you can travel anywhere in the world, as long as you have network coverage and an internet connection (or alternatively wi-fi later on in your hotel room) – that’s all it takes to record everything you pay for in advance. Zoho Expense will store these receipts and record them. But that’s not all! The software succeeds in automatically matching corporate and credit cards and putting expenses on the right list.

You made it. It may well have been pleasant, but it was probably also a bit exhausting. But you arrived back home in one piece. Phew, take a deep breath, unpack your suitcase, do your laundry, and relax. At least until the following Monday, because that’s when it’s time to go to the office again, and the accounting lions are lying in wait. After all, your colleagues’ voice has long since left your ear and reality has caught up with you. You are going to have to work together to look at and explain your expenses and the supporting documents that go with them. Once you have survived this, the long wait begins, because the approval processes for your spending list can sometimes be lengthy. This already sounds like a bit of a stressful horror story, doesn’t it? Well, this is really how things were back then, fortunately though, nowadays there are other solutions (and guess what it is!) Of course, Zoho Expense doesn’t just scan your receipts for the fun of it! The app shares them with Zoho’s accounting software Zoho Books. It connects easily with Expense and automatically sends your receipts, tickets and expenses to accounting. This not only makes your job of explaining things easier, but also frees up a lot of working hours for the paymasters.

Accounting meets travel and expense management. It sounds like the beginning of a great bureaucratic love story! And it’s a good one, because Zoho Expense and Zoho Books really get each other and understand exactly what the other needs. One way the two are supported is through Zoho Expense’s AI-based fraud detection engine, which can monitor business expenses. The accompanying specialized country versions additionally ensure that all output is calculated according to the standard local compliance and mileage rates. Googling what the situation with tax rates is in the US? Or Italy? A thing of the past! With Zoho Expense’s automated integrations and features, any accounting department can review all expenses and draw up the necessary reports. Speaking of which – this is where any controller’s heart starts beating faster, because there are more than 25 different types of analysis reports available for any requirement. Be it expenses, tickets, travel, costs or reimbursement – by the time you return to the office, the accounting department can already provide you with all the information you need to plan your entire trip. And do you want to hear the best part? With Zoho Expense and Zoho Books linked, it’s a lot easier for your colleagues to list your travel expenses and reimburse you via direct bank transfer.

“codafish – your international web agency”. This slogan sounds exciting, doesn’t it? But try touring all over Europe for staff meetings and customer appointments. As we explained above, of course it’s also a lot of fun (and we’ll be honest, this is exactly what we have chosen to do). But that’s precisely why we know just what is involved when it comes to business trips. Madrid – Hamburg – Fuerteventura – Berlin – Madrid – Fuerteventura: Travel arrangements and tickets pile up for the first three stops alone. For this reason, Zoho Expense was one of the first tools we were thankful to adopt and use for our internal needs. So please feel free to contact us: We perfectly understand how to set up Zoho Expense for you and configure it according to your requirements and wishes, so that it perfectly fits with your accounting software and saves you a lot of valuable resources. This means that your employees will no longer suffer from any more stress-induced migraines when they hear the word “business trip”. Except, of course, when they’re packing their suitcase – we have to be clear from the outset, we won’t be able to help with that! For everything else though, feel free to get in touch any time!