Travel Management ServicesPurchasing | Supplier Diversity

Chrome River Travel & Expense FAQ

• What are the roles within CR and how are they established?

  
  

  Roles	Function	System
  Delegate	Arranger	Chrome River Set up by Traveler or Super Delegate
  Super Delegate	Org Arranger	Chrome River Requires FO approval Set up by TMS
  CR Transaction Approver	Expense Approver	KFS Set up via Account Delegate document
  CR Approval Delegate	Vacation Delegate	Chrome River Set up by Transaction Approver

  
  

• Discuss creating an expense report prior to travel.

  Keep in mind that there will be no pre-trip approval in CR, however, you can create an expense report prior to the travel. This will allow you to forward receipts directly to the report as you are traveling. It will remain in a draft/saved status. It also allows you to include any prepaid transactions through travel vendors.

  
  

• How will prepay through Egencia work with CR?

  Because there are no trip ID's, the transaction will be associated with the traveler's Employee ID. This information will be passed from the booking agency to US Bank via the transaction detail. US Bank will then feed this information to CR where the transaction will post to the individual's e-wallet. Either the traveler or the delegate will move the transaction from the e-wallet onto the report where it will be charged to the department account upon final approval. If the transaction is for a non-employee, the transaction will be associated with the arranger's Employee ID (the person who booked the travel arrangement). The arranger/delegate will need to create an expense report for the non-employee traveler and include the prepaid transaction from the arranger's e-wallet.

  
  

  Agency	Reservation Information
  Egencia	Can now be used to direct bill airfare and hotel. The online site will collect the IU Employee ID instead of a Trip ID or DV number. The IU Employee ID for profiled travelers have been populated within Egencia.
  Enterprise	Access the Enterprise Campus Rental booking link from the Travel website homepage.
  Hotels.com	No longer available for NEW reservations as of July 11. Use Egencia.
  Designated Travel Agencies	Will require IU Employee ID number instead of Trip ID/DV number.
  Carte Blanche/Classic Touch Limo	Will require IU Employee ID number instead of Trip ID/DV number.
  Direct billed area hotels (for nonemployee travelers)	Will require the Vendor Payee ID of the nonemployee in place of DV number.
  Motor Pool (Bloomington Campus)	Reserve a vehicle through Fleet Services.




• Since there will be no Travel Authorizations in Chrome River, can departments create an internal form to track anticipated spend as well as travel dates and locations for traveler safety?

  Absolutely. If your department feels it is helpful to capture this detail, you can develop an internal process specific to those needs.

  
  

• How will trip limits work?

  Approvers will have the ability to reduce expense amounts to accommodate account limits. It will be important for the traveler to understand that there are limits on this trip prior to the travel.

  
  

• How will routing work in Chrome River?

  Initiator (traveler or delegate) creates the report and submits it. The document routes to the transaction approver for review and approval. The transaction approver also audits for policy compliance, department account, etc. The doc then routes to Travel for final approval (NOTE: if the doc is mileage only or the expense is less than $75, it will be final approved upon the approval by the transaction approver - the doc does not route to Travel in these instances).

  
  

• Can the Fiscal Officer change account information?

  Yes.the FO can change the account, add accounts, add allocations to various account and/or change the requested expense account.

  
  

• Can an Initiator enter a mileage deduction?

  Initiators do not have the ability to enter a mileage deduction. However, the transaction approver is able to use the "Adjust" button to decrease the mileage calculation as needed.

  
  

• How do Travel Advances work?

  Advances are requested using the Cash Advance report type. Upon final approval, the cash advance amount will be placed in the traveler's cash advance bank within Chrome River. When the advance amount is fully substantiated and the reimbursement is final approved, the cash advance balance will be cleared. The traveler will receive reimbursement for the excess amount paid out of pocket. If the advance it not fully substantiated or the traveler received excess advance funds that were not used, the excess amount will need to be deposited into the department account via a KFS Cash Receipt document. Travel will need to be made aware of the KFS Cash Receipt document number so they can clear the cash advance bank within Chrome River.

  
  

• How are accounts listed when doing a search?

  When entering an account to search, the results will display with the account and the sub-account/s first. If you only want the main account and not any sub-accounts, be sure to scroll down to bypass the sub-accounts.

  
  

• How does accumulated mileage work?

  Chrome River has a tile titled under 'Ground Transportation', 'Accumulated Mileage'.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Will there be an electronic mileage form or do we still use the paper form?

  The mileage record is captured electronically so there is no need to use the paper form unless you would like it for documentation/record keeping purposes. For accumulated mileage, we still need the mileage log that is on the Travel Management Website as a receipt.

  
  

• Can we use IUIE with Chrome River?

  We anticipate that some standard reports from Chrome River will be integrated into IUIE. However, the main data source for Chrome River transactions expense detail will reside within Chrome River. The Chrome River Analytics tool is a very dynamic and robust tool for accessing data.

  
  

• Will documents be viewable and searchable within Chrome River?

  Chrome River does not have a "search" feature. However, travelers and delegates will have access the Expense Report detail within their user accounts. Fiscal Officers and Transaction Approvers will have access through analytics. You can report by traveler, expense type, accounts etc., and can drill down into specific reports.

  
  

• Will student travel be reimbursed through Chrome River? What about Nonemployee Travel?

  Yes, separate expense report types for student and non-employee travel with specific compliance relevant to the various report types will be included in Chrome River.

  
  

• Will Chrome River identify if a traveler has another trip in the system with the same dates?

  Yes, duplicate expense checking will be done through integrated compliance. A warning message will be thrown if an expense has been entered for the same amount for the same day.

  
  

• How does the receipt capture functionality work and who can upload receipts? Who can delete receipts if an item was uploaded in error?

  There are multiple ways to upload receipts:

  • Snap and send via mobile phone
  • Forward an email receipt
  • Scan to a computer and forward to Chrome River

  To scan several receipts at once,

  • Scan your receipts
  • Taped receipts must be spaced and in the same direction
  • Send the scan to receipt@chromefile.com
  • Title the subject line with the Traveler's IU email address
  • Large receipts may need to be cut to fit a page and taped close together so that they are read as a single receipt.



• What is the retention policy for receipts in Chrome River?

  We recommend 120 days. In addition, let your travelers know that even though they may be taking pictures of the receipt, they must keep the originals for 120 day from their trip end date.

  
  

• Do I need a Chrome River app to access it on my mobile device?

  Chrome River is a web application which means there is no need to download an app from the app store to your smart phone or tablet. Simply use your mobile browser to log in as you do on your desktop. Use the "Add to Home Screen" option to add the Chrome River icon to your mobile device for easy access.
  
  Use the URL that you would on your desktop: https://app.chromeriver.com/login/sso/saml?CompanyID=iu.edu
  
  You can then save that as a Favorite and/or add it to your Home Screen as an app by using 'Add to Home Screen' option.

  
  

• Can the lodging amount be adjusted for one day if there is a different rate for different days?

  You would have to add a separate lodging expense for each of the different rates. It cannot be adjusted.

  
  

• What is the retention policy for the original receipts?

  120 days. And let your travelers know that even though they may be taking pictures of the receipts, they still have to keep the originals for at least 120 days from their trip end date.

  
  

• How do expenses book to the accounts?

  Expenses are charged to accounts through the daily extract that is fed into the General Ledger (GL) within KFS where it will post to the Monthly Operating Statement. The GL information will be similar to what is listed today with a reference to the Chrome River Expense Report ID #.

  
  

• How will the profile information be populated in Chrome River?

  The profile will be populated via an HR feed for employees and students. Non-employee information will be fed from the KFS vendor master record.

  
  

• How will traveler information be updated in CR?

  HR and vendor information is fed to Chrome River every few minutes and will be updated within the Chrome River system. Therefore, updates will occur virtually in real time so there is no delay.

  
  

• Will there be an alert in Chrome River when the 60 days deadline is approaching for reimbursement.

  No, there will be no alert in Chrome River. This will be up to the traveler to keep track of.

  
  

• Will the single use credit card (SUA) be available in Chrome River?

  No, the SUA functionality will not be available within Chrome River.

  
  

• What training will be provided?

  Training material can be found via this link: https://travel.sitehost.iu.edu/training/training.shtml

  There are individual videos for specific trips:

  • Muti-destination
  • Student travel
  • Non-employee travel
  • Pre-payments through Egencia, etc.
  • Accumulated mileage

  Plus taped webinars, training documentation and sign up for classes. To access past newsletters, go here: https://iutravel.iu.edu/news/travelnews.shtml

  
  

• What are the roles and is there any flexibility within these roles?

  P-Card roles are defined in the table below. There is flexibility within the roles as long as segregation of duties is enforced, i.e., the cardholder must not approve their own transactions. Changes to an existing role can be requested by contacting the P-Card Help Desk at pcardhlp@iu.edu.

  
  

Cardholder	Chrome River Delegate	P-Card Transaction Approver
Assigned at US Bank,Tied to card by Name and EMPL ID	Assigned by Cardholder in Chrome River	Assigned by Fiscal Officer in KFS
Only one allowed per card	Multiples allowed	Only one allowed
Purchase	Purchase & Reconcile	Reconcile & Approve
Reconcile	Or, Reconcile & Approve	Approve





• Will CR take the same steps as a KFS PCDO?

  The Chrome River expense report replaces KFS PCDO approval and the US Bank statement upload to FMS Accounts Payable. P-Card reconciliation in Chrome River will include the following:

  • Creating an expense report for one or more expenses in your eWallet
  • Expense type and object code mapping
  • Account allocation
  • Attachment of receipts and support documentation to validate the expense and complete the audit record
  • Policy compliance review
  • Approval routing
  • Export of approved expenses to the general ledger
  
  

• Will statements continue to be audited?

  In Chrome River, the P-Card Transaction Approver will inspect attached receipts and support documentation within the expense report to validate the included expenses. The approver conducts a policy compliance review to ensure the charge is appropriate for P-Card payment. The fiscal officer will audit P-Card expenses through Chrome River Analytics.
  
  Internal Audit and Purchasing will continue to audit Departmental P-Card spend through reporting and analytics. The US Bank mailed statement can be used as a reference to identify p-card or meeting card expenses in Chrome River. There is no upload requirement for statements dated 8/10/18 and after.

  
  

• Will transactions that have not been reconciled in CR within a certain time period, receive a past due notification?

  The cardholder will receive notification regarding outstanding P-Card expenses based on aging.

  
  

• If the card is being used for an expense not allowed by policy, will the system disallow thereconciliation of the transaction?

  With the exception of RECEIPT compliance, it's not possible to automate P-Card compliance in Chrome River. IU has a number of internal controls for its P-Card program at US Bank, which prevent misuse of the P-Card. The fiscal officer ensures all P-Card transactions are appropriate, adhere to Purchasing standard operating procedures, and comply with IU policy.

  
  

• What is the routing and approval process?

  Submitted expense reports route to the P-Card transaction approver. The approver reviews matches the receipt and other attachments to the appropriate expense and approves compliant transactions. Non-compliant transactions will be returned to the cardholder to rectify the issue.

  
  

• How can I check the approval status of a P-Card transaction?

  You can check approval status by clicking once on the report to open it and then once on the Tracking button. Approval details appear when you click on the expense line item. The response on these is completed by Auto.

  
  

• How are back-up approvers established?

  Cardholders can assign a Chrome River Approval Delegate to serve as a back-up approver. The time period can be set as a brief or extended time period.

  
  

• Will P-Card transactions in Chrome River hit the GL after it has been approved in CR?

  Approved expense reports will be included in the nightly Chrome River GL export to KFS.

  
  

• ...Or will they hit the default account?

  Chrome River does not use a default account in conjunction with P-Card or Meeting Card transactions. Aging expenses will not approve after a specified time period. Expenses remain in the Cardholder's eWallet until they are added to a P-Card or Meeting Card Reconciliation Expense Report.

  
  

• How long between the date of the transaction and hitting the GL?

  An approved expense report with one or more approved transactions will be exported to the GL in nightly export. Aging expenses and/or expense reports and pending approval impacts a timely export.

  
  

• What is the retention policy for P-Card receipts?

  We recommend 120 days to ensure that the receipt is legible, that the expense if appropriate and that the receipt is not needed for a dispute.

  
  

• How can we dispute transactions?

  If there is fraud on the account, that is, if an outside party has gained access to critical card information and used it without your knowledge on unauthorized transactions, you should contact U.S. Bank to open a fraud case and replace the plastic.
  
  If there is a problem with an order placed by the department, you should contact the vendor to resolve the issue.