A Delicate Balance: T&E Compliance for the Creative Workforce
Stephanie Dula 19 Nov 2015In anticipation of the publication of the next report in our Navigator series, the 2015 Travel and Expense (T&E) Navigator, we’re looking at the T&E area more closely to find out how it affects specific industries. Controlling company spend and efficiently managing expense reporting procedures can be very challenging in any industry, especially when conducted manually. But it’s especially burdensome for some business models, particularly those of creative agencies. These organizations vary widely in how their employees operate and the way they provide services for their clients. Many run on a project-based structure, with one or more account managers and a team of creative professionals assigned to each project. The costs associated with advertising projects consist not only of travel costs but also services and materials bought locally.
Creative agencies certainly aren’t immune to the growing strategic importance of expense management, so it’s critical that they uphold compliance among their employees. People who manage creatives effectively know that fostering their talents requires an individualized approach and a somewhat looser sense of control than with other roles in an organization. It’s crucial that creative agencies encourage a culture of risk-taking and experimentation in order to get the most inspired work from their team. After all, this is what ultimately sets them apart from competitors. There’s always a delicate balancing act between the heavy hand of policy and a looser process that won’t inhibit creativity. At the end of the day, creative employees must maintain a sense of efficient and timely reporting, otherwise expenses get out of hand quickly.
Fortunately there are advanced travel and expense management (TEM) solutions available that are tailored to fit the creative nature of an advertising company’s workforce, and to ensure compliance across its unique business structure. The qualities in some of today’s advanced TEM solutions are especially suited to a creative agency’s needs, including these four:
Control: While this aspect is key, it also doesn’t have to be prohibitive. T&E solutions give real-time insight into project or departmental budgets so that employees are less apt to overspend. They also clearly identify non-compliant expense reports, allowing approvers and auditors to automatically send the reports back to users for correction.
Configurability: The solution’s interfaces, templates, controls, and workflows can all be configured to a creative agency’s requirements, no matter how diverse. The more advanced a solution, the easier this configuration becomes, saving organizations the hassle of hiring IT consultants.
Ease of Use: Since many users at all levels in creative agencies submit their own expense reports, organizations need an interface that is intuitive and fast to learn and use.
Mobility: TEM solutions make complex reporting possible for employees on the go—especially those with diverse tasks. It is important to use a streamlined solution with advanced customization options, but it must also function uniformly across every device.
With these features in place, creatives are given the clear guidelines needed for an effective policy that keeps costs in check, but they are also empowered with the ability to use the platform when and how it suits them, whether on-the-go or in the office. There is enough of a structure to keep them in line, without requiring a tedious, time consuming manual task that may inhibit the creative process.
For more information on how automation is used to ensure travel and expense policy compliance, specifically in the advertising industry, download our latest white paper, Travel and Expense Technology for the Advertising Industry. Underwritten in part by ChromeRiver.
