How a Global Energy Services Firm Reclaimed $3.2M in Annual T&E Leakage and Cut Reimbursement Cycles by 74%
A Houston-based company providing integrated oilfield technology, project management, and engineering services to upstream and midstream energy operators across 31 countries comprises over 6,400 employees – the vast majority of whom are field engineers, project managers, and regional sales representatives constantly on the move – making the management of travel and expense (T&E) spend one of its most pressing operational challenges.
Prior to implementing ExpenseAnywhere®, Meridian relied on a fragmented combination of spreadsheet-based submissions, scanned PDF receipts emailed to regional finance teams, and manual approvals routed through a legacy ERP. With employees operating across multiple time zones and in remote oilfield environments with limited connectivity, the system was chronically broken. In FY2022 alone, the company processed over 148,000 individual expense reports; an average of nearly 400 per day, with a processing cost per report estimated at $52, compared to the industry best practice of under $8.
The CFO office identified the travel and expense process as a strategic priority for digital transformation in Q1 2023, initiating a formal RFP that ultimately led to a partnership with ExpenseAnywhere Corporation.
Major Roadblocks & Opportunities
Our Solution
The company deployed ExpenseAnywhere®’s enterprise-grade travel and expense management software in a phased rollout beginning in March 2023, with full global deployment completed by May 2023, a record-breaking 3 months. The implementation covered all 6,400+ employees across 31 countries and integrated directly with Meridian’s SAP ERP environment.
Core capabilities included:
Business Impact
Within 12 months of full deployment, the conglomerate achieved measurable, audited results across every dimension of its expense and travel management operations:
74%
Reduction
In average reimbursement cycle from 27 days to 7 days
64.7%
Improvement
In policy compliance rate from 59% to 97.4%
87%
Reduction
In cost per expense report from $52 to $6.80
$3.2 Million
Recovered
In annual T&E leakage
$412,000
Blocked
In duplicate claims in FY2023
99.1%
Reduction
In foreign exchange reconciliation errors
55%
boost
In employee satisfaction (T&E process) from 34% to 89% (NPS Survey, Q4 2023)
3.5 Days
Faster
In month-end close cycle on average
Approx. 4.2 FTEs saved annually
In finance team operational workload
The $3.2M annual recovery in T&E leakage was attributed to three primary sources: $1.6M from elimination of duplicate and out-of-policy claims previously undetected under the manual system; $890,000 from improved FOREX rate management and reclamation of previously unclaimed VAT in the UK and EU; and $710,000 from reduced processing overhead and audit costs.
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About ExpenseAnywhere Corporation
We are a global leader in AI-powered corporate spend automation, offering end-to-end solutions for travel & expense automation, invoice automation, prepaid or debit card automation, and mileage automation. Our platform empowers enterprises to eliminate manual processes, ensure policy compliance, and gain real-time financial visibility across every transaction.
