Lindt Transforms Employee Experiences with SAP Concur

Lindt selects Concur Expense, Concur Travel and Concur Invoice to enhance business efficiency and support company-wide integration.

Lindt & Sprungli (Australia) Pty Ltd, also known as Lindt, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprungli AG, based in Switzerland. It derives revenue from the importation, wholesaling, and retailing of confectionery products. The company employs approximately 550 people, operates in Australia and New Zealand, and is administered from its head office in Marsden Park, New South Wales. Lindt imports and markets several chocolate confectionery products in Australia through wholesale channels and through Lindt-owned stores.

Why Lindt choose SAP Concur?

• Simplified reimbursement processes for employees
• Improved financial visibility for more accurate forecasting and cashflow management
• Clear audit trails for enhanced compliance and tracking
• Integration with SAP ERP

"With SAP Concur, we’ve got clearer visibility into our finances and a simpler way to manage expenses. It’s made compliance easier, cut costs, and freed up our team to focus on the bigger picture instead of paperwork." - Soroobini Rajendran, Financial Controller of Lindt & Sprüngli Australia

Streamlining Expenses and Travel with SAP Concur

Lindt was looking to improve the employee experience and increase efficiencies and visibility in its expense and travel booking processes. Prior to SAP Concur solutions, employees would complete manual paper forms, seek approval, and submit them to the accounts payable (AP) team. Furthermore, the lack of integration made it hard to capture invoices for accruals and control spending.

“Visibility into our spending was limited, making managing our travel and expense policies challenging. We didn’t have an effective audit trail for expenses and invoices, and handling fringe benefits tax (FBT) was time-consuming. We needed a more efficient system that could integrate with our corporate credit cards to streamline expense claims. Additionally, our travel booking process was slow and complicated, so we needed a way to simplify it and save time for our employees,” said Soroobini Rajendran, Financial Controller of Lindt & Sprüngli Australia

Lindt’s finance team recognised the need for an automated spend management solution and identified an opportunity to streamline its expense and travel management processes and importantly, make submitting expenses easier for their employees.

“The SAP Concur transition wasn’t just about technology. It was about change, bringing people together, and creating experiences for employees that inspire, innovate, and integrate within the organisation,” added Soroobini.

Choosing Concur Expense, Invoice, and Travel with ERP Integration

Prior to implementing SAP Concur, Lindt spend management processes were manual and paper- based. SAP Concur was recommended for Lindt Australia by others using the solution based on their positive experience. Lindt implemented SAP Concur solutions Concur Expense, Concur Invoice, Concur Travel, and Consultative Intelligence, for assistance in setting up bespoke reports. SAP Concur’s integration with the company’s SAP ERP system, was also a key factor in the selection process.

Employee-Centric Change Management During Rollout

Employee experience was central in the decision to implement a spend management solution, and a structured change management process was crucial for a smooth transition. The first step involved identifying the need for change, reducing manual processes, and automating key financial tasks. Lindt set specific objectives, including automating expense reporting, improving invoice management, and enhancing spending visibility.

The change management process involved setting key performance indicators (KPIs) and milestones to track progress. A clear strategy was developed to plan for the transition. A designated team was formed to oversee implementation, train users, and address challenges during the rollout. This planning delivered effective management, minimising disruption for employees and the business.

Gaining Efficiencies with Expense Management

According to Lindt, the implementation of SAP Concur solutions has improved efficiency in expense management, and the organisation gained better visibility into spend data.

With SAP Concur, employees can now take photos of receipts using their phones, which are automatically uploaded to expense reports. Physical receipts are no longer needed. Integration with Lindt’s corporate credit card programs lets users import charges directly, submitting and categorising all expenses in one place. Users receive notifications when expenses are approved, improving visibility.

“The ability to upload receipts via mobile and have them automatically tied to expense reports has saved employees time and made the process smoother and more reliable. Employees no longer need to keep physical receipts, and approval workflows are faster and more efficient,” said Soroobini.

“The manual work for expense reporting has been greatly reduced, freeing our accounts payable team to focus on higher-value activities, like improving the purchase-to-pay process and upskilling. Digitising expense reports and invoices has cut storage and archiving costs while making document retrieval easier for audits. SAP Concur’s audit trail has boosted our compliance efforts by providing real-time visibility into the approval process. It has improved our operational efficiency and strengthened our governance and accountability,” Soroobini added.

Simplifying Travel Bookings with Concur Travel

According to Lindt, Concur Travel has improved Lindt’s travel management process. The system has simplified bookings through pre-approved vendors and automated receipt logging, which has reduced travel arrangements complexity and helped employees adhere to company policies.

“Our employees now spend less time navigating the travel booking process. Everything is streamlined with Concur Travel, from booking approved vendors to automatically logging receipts,” said Soroobini.

Reducing Fringe Benefits Tax Liabilities Through Concur Expense

A key benefit of Concur Expense has been the reduction of fringe benefits tax (FBT) liabilities. By using the attendee feature in Concur Expense, Lindt has moved from the 50:50 method for calculating FBT on meal entertainment to an actual method. This change reduced Lindt’s FBT liability in 2023.

Concur Expense lets Lindt set requirements for receipts and attendee input for complete expense reports before submission. This has saved the accounts payable team time by reducing follow-up requirements.

Enhancing Real-Time visibility with Concur Invoice

SAP Concur’s advanced reporting features were a key factor in the decision as they were well-suited for Lindt’s complex requirements, offering greater visibility, facilitated better financial decision-making, and helped maintain compliance.

Before implementing Concur Invoice, Lindt’s accounting system only entered invoices after approval, complicating accrual management. Now, Lindt has real-time visibility into received invoices for better planning and control.

“With Concur Invoice, we have better visibility of our invoices and can plan workstreams accordingly. The system’s OCR technology has reduced manual entry errors, giving our teams more time for higher-value tasks,” explained Soroobini.

SAP Concur’s comprehensive reporting capabilities track late approvers, overdue expense report submissions, and compliance with company travel and expense policies. These insights have promoted a culture of cost-awareness and adherence to internal guidelines.

Concur Invoice has also improved interdepartmental communication. Users can add comments to invoices, visible to all relevant stakeholders, reducing back- and-forth queries. This has resulted in a better understanding of supplier relationships and services used by internal teams.

Expanding SAP Concur Solutions to New Regions

Lindt expanded SAP Concur solutions to New Zealand operations in September 2024. The project team replicated the successful Australian implementation while adjusting for New Zealand’s currency and goods and services tax (GST) requirements. This rollout has brought greater efficiencies and cost savings as Lindt refines its spend management processes.

“SAP Concur’s support in our New Zealand expansion has been a valuable asset for Lindt, letting us benefit from tailored services that meet our needs,” said Soroobini.

"SAP Concur has made a noticeable difference in how we work. Our team values the real-time insights, which help us make smarter decisions faster. The smooth rollout meant minimal disruption, and it’s clear that staff are excited about the time and effort they’re saving with the new system."

Soroobini Rajendran, Financial Controller of Lindt & Sprüngli Australia

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