We like the idea of a single tool. It reassures committees, looks good on a slide and promises a uniform ‘experience’. But as soon as you compare this promise with the actual scope of deployment, reality sets in. VAT, dematerialisation, NDC, rail, archiving, local particularities… none of this evaporates because access has been centralised. Single sign-on’ is a red herring: an SSO or a portal will do the job just fine. The real issue is content that works and compliance.

The scope

Within a limited European or international scope (e.g. Europe + a few key countries such as the US/Canada), a single tool delivers what it promises. Beyond that, the terrain becomes fluid. The rules have changed: in the past, the rules were simpler, there was little NDC, the railways were not very open, and dematerialisation was still in its infancy. Today, with NDC disrupting air transport, dematerialisation and archiving meeting local requirements, and the railways in the throes of fragmentation, only a global system that invests heavily and moves forward quickly can keep up. Otherwise, local may be the solution.

Why the only one stalls when the world invites itself in

Local first by necessity. VAT is dealt with on a country-by-country basis – scales, supporting documents, recovery. Dematerialisation and archiving say the same thing everywhere, but never in the same way (durations, formats, certifications). In terms of content, rail and NDC fragment the game: we’re talking about connectivity, specificities, networks – in short, the local terrain.
Then there’s the reality of global travel: it’s suitable for flagship countries, but in South America, APAC or Africa, it very often goes offline, there’s a lack of content , and TMCs end up recommending the same relays (e.g. Ctrip in APAC). So the real question is: which countries are you prepared to take out of your global network and manage locally?

The model that works when you play truly global

The smoothest recipe: Expense global, Travel local.

• A global Expense ensures financial consistency, ERP integration, controls and group governance. Spoiler: the‘full scope world’ expense does not yet exist; Concur comes close, but no tool perfectly covers all cases.
• Local Travel guarantees real content (low-cost, rail, negotiated fares), compliance and availability.
  The result: fewer leaks, a guaranteed best buy (local prices and content), less frustrated travellers, and operations aligned with your markets.

What about the user?

Let’s ask the question frankly: does he prefer a single icon that allows neither low-cost nor rail, or two tools that meet his needs? We know the alternative: bypassing the tool, buying outside it, and then grumbling about the accounts. Experience isn’t ‘a tool’, it’s ‘a journey that can be booked without friction and in good order’.

What about my data?

Two tools, one piece of data: yes, it’s possible. Two solutions generate richer data, to be consolidated rather than subjected to. The overall TCO can be calculated. The right tools combine Travel and Expense, standardise and report them cleanly.

To identify the most appropriate solution, you need to ask yourself the questions that really make the difference

• Scope: where can I accept a compromise, and where are premises non-negotiable?
• Constraints: between VAT, dematerialisation, archiving, rail, NDC, what is critical for each country?
• User: efficiency (two tools that work) or apparent simplicity (one tool that can get in the way)?
• Objective: am I aiming for usable data, cost reduction, user comfort – and in what order?
• Risks: what do I gain globally, what do I lose locally, and vice versa (leakage, non-compliance, offline, adoption vs. complexity and maintenance)?

Verdict

If your scope goes beyond the ‘flagship countries’, if your local constraints are real, if your objective is exploitable data and the best buy, choose realism: Global Expense + Local Travel, with controlled data consolidation.
The objective is not uniqueness at all costs, but operational consistency, compliance and an experience that works.

Laure de la Lande, Cerenitee