“Navigating enterprise policy compliance can be a maze, but Happay’s AI solutions are the compass.” – Himanshu Singh, Senior VP & GM at Happay.

CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with  Himanshu Singh, Senior VP & GM at Happay

What are the challenges related to travel & expenses faced by finance teams of scaling enterprises in India?

Finance teams of scaling enterprises are responsible for various travel and expense management tasks like verifying the legitimacy of transactions, manual verification of expense receipts to avoid potential miscommunication & fraud, compliance with company policies & taxation laws, and others. Without end-to-end automation solutions like the one provided by Happay, they use either fragmented automated solutions (non-integrated, separate solutions for travel and expense) or those made for global markets.

However, doing business in India comes with its unique challenges. Currently, no global T&E solutions have adapted themselves to the Indian market. That’s where Happay comes in, and our India-focused global standard solution has earned us the largest market share in India.

There are localised fragmented travel & expense solutions, but our integrated platform unlocks several advantages that a large enterprise needs to avoid duplication of effort or mismanagement of information.

Can AI/ML travel & expense solutions help navigate the complex policies in place at large enterprises? How does it work?

There are three things that AI/ML focussed on travel & expense management needs to focus on: policy enforcement, anomaly detection and the ability to learn from past data.

Large enterprises have complex policies that are difficult to implement even in the presence of partial automation – for instance, the software should understand the difference between “not permitted” and “needs special permission”. Happay has been running T&E automation in enterprises with intricate policies and 1000+ employees for several years. We implement new capabilities from time to time to make our algorithms smarter and more human.

Without understanding the policy, the software can’t detect anomalies and may not recognise violations, let alone pause them. We have solutions catered to catch all violations from the trip request stage instead of the review stage.

There are a large no. of companies globally in this segment, and several have entered the Indian market. How has Happay established itself as a winner in the travel & expense category?

None of the leading global companies offering T&E automation have created in-depth solutions targeting India’s pain points. They are made for multinational companies of varying sizes, making it difficult for large Indian companies to work with them. For example, our platform includes end-to-end GST automation for Indian businesses, helping them claim 100% GST ITC.

Implementing a large-scale solution like Happay is a tall order for any business. Large enterprises already have a variety of third-party systems they work with for travel and expense management: ERPs, HRMS, TMCs, etc. How does Happay fit into the picture? OR Is it possible to integrate them with Happay?

Enterprise-wide changes are expensive and tedious, and we understand that. Happay is designed to seamlessly integrate with large enterprises’ existing systems, making it an ideal travel and expense management solution. With over 30+ integrations across various platforms, including ERP, HRMS, Travel Agencies, Travel Cabs, and Credit Cards, Happay ensures effortless communication between applications.

These integrations enable real-time updates for every action across systems. This comprehensive approach streamlines the travel and expense process and simplifies data management, minimizing errors and enhancing overall efficiency. By fitting seamlessly into the existing technology ecosystem, Happay empowers large enterprises to optimize their T&E management without disrupting established workflows.

Tell us what Happay is working on next. What does the future hold?

Happay is continually focused on innovating and enhancing its travel, expense & payments

solutions to serve the evolving needs of its customers better. While we cannot divulge specific details about upcoming projects, our primary goals for the future include leveraging advanced technologies such as AI and ML to improve policy enforcement, fraud detection, and user experience. Additionally, we aim to expand our integration capabilities with third-party systems to ensure seamless interoperability and efficient data management.

Our suite of payment solutions is all set to scale new heights. We recently launched EPIC+, a solution that allows customers to do card transactions and invoice payments via a unified credit line facilitated by Happay. We have plans to launch other innovative products in the payments space in the near future.

By staying attuned to industry trends and customer feedback, we are committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions that drive cost savings, increase compliance, and streamline Travel,  Expense and Payments processes for businesses of all sizes.