Top 5 Expense Management Solutions for Dynamics 365 Business Central

Calculating and processing employee expenses is a necessary yet time-consuming task that many businesses deal with regularly.  

For organisations aiming to enhance efficiency and reduce manual workloads, effective expense management solutions are invaluable.  

These tools are designed to alleviate the administrative burden of managing expenses, creating a streamlined process that benefits both employees and finance teams alike. 

Traditionally, many companies have relied on spreadsheets and paper-based forms, which can lead to errors, miscommunications, and inefficiencies.  

Modern expense management solutions, however, harness the power of mobile applications and web-based platforms to centralise relevant data, making it easier for employees to submit expenses and for finance teams to manage approvals and reconciliations. 

Moreover, using an expense management solution that integrates seamlessly with an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, establishes a direct connection to your business financials.  

This ensures that expenses can be posted without the need for rekeying, allowing for greater accuracy and saving precious time. 

In this blog post, we will explore five of the top expense management solutions that integrate with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.  

These solutions not only simplify the expense management process but also offer a direct connection to your financial data, enhancing visibility and control over business expenses. 

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a comprehensive ERP solution tailored for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). It integrates various business functions, such as finance, sales, customer service, and operations, into one cohesive platform. This integration helps companies automate processes, gain real-time insights, and make informed decisions. 

Business Central is highly flexible and scalable, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. It offers a broad array of modules to support different business needs, including financial management, sales, project management, supply chain operations, and inventory management.  

By consolidating various operations into a single platform, businesses can improve efficiency, streamline workflows, and foster better collaboration across departments. 

Now that we understand the benefits of Business Central, let’s take a closer look at the top expense management solutions that work with this powerful ERP system. 

Standard Expense Management in Dynamics 365 Business Central

To start our exploration of expense management systems for Business Central, we begin with the standard, built-in expense management capabilities that can effectively cater to the needs of small businesses or those with simpler expense management processes.  

Employees can enter, categorise, and track their expenses directly within the platform, while finance teams can review, approve, and post these expenses to the general ledger. 

Key Features: 

• Expense Entry: Employees can log expenses through the financial management module, which enables tracking and categorisation without requiring additional software. 

• Approval Workflows: Manual approval workflows ensure that expenses are aligned with company policies, providing oversight and control. 

• Reconciliation: Once approved, expenses can be posted directly to the ledger, facilitating easier reconciliation with accounts payable. 

• Expense Tracking: The system can track various expense types, enabling finance teams to monitor spending patterns across different departments. 

While these built-in features may be adequate for smaller organisations, larger businesses with more complex expense management needs may find additional value in third-party solutions that offer enhanced functionality and automation capabilities. 

1. Continia Expense Management

Continia Expense Management is an expense management solution specifically designed for Business Central. This solution automates the entire expense process, from submission to approval, streamlining workflows and increasing efficiency. 

Key Features: 

• Mobile Submission: Employees can submit expenses via the Continia mobile app, capturing receipts instantly and ensuring timely submissions. 

• Automatic Receipt Scanning: Continia utilises Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to extract data from uploaded receipts, eliminating the need for manual data entry and reducing errors. 

• Credit Card Integration: The solution allows for importing credit card transactions, automatically matching them to receipts to simplify reconciliation. 

• Mileage Tracking: Integration with Google Maps enables users to enter the start and end points of journeys, with the system automatically calculating the mileage. A map is attached to each expense, enhancing visibility for finance teams. 

• Customisable Workflows: Continia offers fully configurable approval workflows, ensuring that expenses follow company protocols and enabling finance teams to maintain control over spending. 

By fully automating the expense management process and integrating seamlessly with Business Central, Continia provides a compelling solution for businesses looking to enhance operational efficiency and reduce administrative burdens. 

2. Zetadocs Expenses

Zetadocs Expenses is another cloud-based solution designed to simplify the capture, submission, approval, and posting of expenses. Its seamless integration with Business Central makes it a versatile choice for organisations of all sizes. 

Key Features: 

• Mobile App Support: Available on iOS and Android, employees can snap and submit expense receipts as they occur, ensuring all information is captured accurately and promptly. 

• Automatic Approval Workflows: Zetadocs allows for multi-level approval workflows, ensuring expenses are approved according to company policies and that finance teams maintain oversight. 

• Expense Visibility: Finance professionals can view a status screen showing all approved expenses before posting them in Business Central, improving accuracy and accountability. 

• Spending Limits and Policies: The solution enables finance teams to set custom spending limits for different expense categories, and reminder emails can be sent for overdue approvals, fostering compliance and accountability. 

• Currency Conversion: Employees can submit expenses in various currencies, with automatic currency conversion built into the system, making it suitable for businesses with international operations. 

By removing manual effort from expense tracking and approval processes, Zetadocs enhances overall financial control and provides a user-friendly experience for employees. 

3. ExpenseIn

ExpenseIn is a cloud-based expense management solution that offers direct integration with Business Central. It is designed to help finance teams streamline the entire expense process, from submission to reimbursement, and enhance visibility into company spending.

Key Features:

• Real-time Insights: Finance teams gain immediate visibility into spending across the organisation, allowing them to make data-driven decisions and monitor compliance.
• Mobile Access: Employees can submit expenses via the ExpenseIn mobile app, ensuring prompt submission and reducing delays in the approval process.
• Automated Approval Workflows: Customisable workflows enable expenses to be routed for approval based on company policies, facilitating smoother operations and reducing bottlenecks.
• Seamless Integration: ExpenseIn directly integrates with Business Central, automatically updating financial data and eliminating the need for manual re-entry.
• Advanced Reporting Tools: The platform offers robust reporting tools that enable finance teams to analyse spending trends, monitor budgets, and identify opportunities for cost savings.

ExpenseIn’s focus on user experience and real-time integration with Business Central makes it an excellent choice for companies looking to optimise their expense management processes.

4. Expensify

Expensify is a feature-rich expense management application that simplifies and automates the expense reporting process. Its seamless integration with Business Central allows for a more efficient and effective expense management experience.

Key Features:

• SmartScan OCR Technology: Expensify uses OCR technology to capture data from receipts, significantly reducing the need for manual entry. This is particularly advantageous for businesses that process large volumes of receipts.
• Corporate Card Integration: The solution allows for importing corporate card statements and matching transactions to corresponding receipts, simplifying the reconciliation process and enhancing accuracy.
• Automated Approval Workflows: Expensify enables users to automate approval processes for smaller expenses while flagging larger ones for manager approval based on company guidelines.
• Global Currency and Tax Support: Expensify supports multiple currencies and tax codes, making it suitable for businesses operating internationally.
• Integration with Partner Apps: Expensify integrates with various partner applications, including travel booking platforms like Uber and Trainline, providing a comprehensive solution for expense management.

Expensify’s automation capabilities and user-friendly interface make it an appealing choice for businesses looking to modernise their expense management workflows.

5. Rydoo

Rydoo Expense is a cloud-based expense management solution that simplifies the processing of expenses through automation and real-time visibility. It is designed to work seamlessly with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, providing an integrated solution for expense management.

Key Features:

• Mobile and Web-Based Submission: Rydoo’s mobile app allows employees to capture and submit expenses while on the go, while the web-based portal caters to desktop users.
• Real-Time Analytics: The platform provides managers with real-time insights into spending, allowing for informed decision-making based on data.
• Expense Policy Enforcement: Rydoo flags expenses that do not comply with company policies, ensuring that only valid claims are approved and preventing potential fraud.
• Advanced Reporting: Finance teams can create detailed reports to analyse spending and identify trends, improving overall financial oversight.
• Mileage Calculation: Rydoo automatically calculates mileage expenses using Google Maps integration, providing accurate distance measurements.

With its focus on simplifying expense submission and approval, along with strong reporting capabilities, Rydoo is an excellent solution for businesses seeking to streamline their expense management processes.

Choosing the Right Solution for Your Business

When selecting an expense management solution for Business Central, it’s crucial to consider your organisation’s specific needs and goals.

Factors such as the size of your team, the complexity of your expense processes, and the level of integration required with existing systems should all be taken into account.

A solution that automates and simplifies the expense process can lead to significant time savings, reduced errors, and improved compliance.

Additionally, investing in a solution that provides real-time insights and detailed reporting can help finance teams make more informed decisions about spending, ultimately leading to better financial control.

Effective expense management is a cornerstone of sound financial oversight. By implementing an expense management solution that integrates with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, businesses can streamline their processes, improve accuracy, and gain valuable insights into spending patterns.

By choosing the right solution, organisations can not only enhance their operational efficiency but also empower their employees to manage expenses more effectively.

At Mercurius IT, we specialise in helping businesses optimise their ERP systems and integrate powerful third-party tools like expense management solutions.

If your company is using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and is looking to improve its expense management processes, we’re here to assist you.

Don’t let expense management become a burden. Contact us today for expert guidance and to arrange a demo of our recommended expense management solutions.

Let us help you take control of your expenses and improve your overall financial health.