Shopping for Expense Report Software? Five Questions to Ask Up Front.

Have you ever experienced unexpected charges from a software vendor after you entered into a relationship with them?

Implementing a SaaS-based business process like online expense report software can carry unexpected costs, depending on which vendor you choose. Here are a handful of questions to include in your vendor exploration that may save you some unpleasant surprises later:

What will integration with our existing systems cost? Expense report software needs to connect seamlessly with your existing accounting system and any other financial database and analytic tools you currently use. How will your vendor support the integration process, and how much will that cost?

What will additional integrations cost down the road? You have expansion plans, and you may add or overhaul current financial systems and software. How well will your vendor support those upgrades, and what can they commit to regarding the cost of that support?

What will additional users cost to set up? Your growth plans include adding personnel. How easy will it be to scale up the expense report software accounts? What will that cost? Is there a discount we can expect per user if we add a lot more people?

Are there any limits to data storage? Will you trigger a surcharge if you exceed that limit? Is that surcharge negotiable?

Does the vendor allow switching from ‘peruse’ charges to ‘per user’ with unlimited use once your volume of use dictates a switch? Nailing this down upfront would appeal to businesses with expansion plans. If ‘per user’ plans are affordable, we recommend starting with ‘per user’ from Day One and skipping the ?peruse? option.

Competition between SaaS-based vendors has driven many ‘hidden’ costs out of fashion. However, it pays to ask before signing about all the possible charges that may occur as your business matures and grows. And get it all in writing!

Have you experienced unexpected charges from software vendors once you started to implement their solution? Were you able to resolve any issues to your satisfaction? What type of unexpected charges did they charge you?