MINNEAPOLIS -- Gelco Information Network, a company that provides
travel-expense management services for corporations, upgraded its
Web expense-reporting tool.
The updated product, ExpenseLink Direct 6.0, features a voice
interface that enables business travelers to enter expenses via
cellular phone and includes euro integration. The upgrade is free
for all ExpenseLink customers.
The voice interface is a feature for frequent business travelers
who want to enter expenses as they occur, the firm said. For
example, a traveler can take a cab ride, call a specific number on
a cellular phone, enter a password and create an expense report for
the fare.
The traveler gives the nature of the expense, the cost and the
date. When he or she returns to the office, that information is
present in written format as an electronic expense report.
The updated ExpenseLink not only incorporates the euro but also
calculates the traveler's reimbursement, depending on the currency
received as change.
For example, if a traveler in France spends 10 euros and gets
two francs back as change, ExpenseLink calculates what the traveler
should be reimbursed in dollars.
ExpenseLink also calculates value-added tax reclamation. Once an
amount is calculated, a corporation can contact the tax service
bureau in a particular country and start the reimbursement
process.
Another feature of Expense-Link 6.0 is the ability to install a
Web server on a laptop.
With this feature, Gelco said travelers can enter expenses in
Web format without having to access the Internet, a feature that
could come in handy for those who want to file their expense report
on an airplane.
The updated ExpenseLink also features an Internet bulletin board
where travel managers can share ideas about expense management.