Chrome River Transition

Purpose Fixes outdated paper form process Automates travel record and receipts Auto calculates per diem and mileage Stores travel card expenses System checks and balances for compliance and accuracy No more taping and scanning parking receipts

To get started: Go to MyU -> Key Links Click U Travel Chrome River Login Please review the Overview and Walkthrough slides and videos- intro videos are only 4:42 and 3:49 long

CAHP Specific travel items By far- largest share of travel is between UMTC and UMR Create a new report and follow the instructions as outlined in videos When entering a destination, type in the city and scroll down and select correct location.

Entering Mileage System automatically calculates mileage/amount Remember to hit ‘Return to Start’ for round trips

Calculating Mileage System is very good at calculating point A to B, but if traveling from home, you must include mileage deduction. The same mileage deduction policies have not changed. Enter round trip distance to home under ‘Deduction’ and attach map from home to campus below. Dollar amount adjusts automatically

Adding receipts One of the best parts of system Just email a picture of receipt from your U account to receipt@chromefile.com If your phone mailbox is linked to your U account, just email a picture from your phone using your photos app. The system autopopulates information on the receipt. Any out of pocket expenses sent this way will be under ‘offline’ eReceipt.

Going back to reports Chrome River saves your report as you go, if your window closes, you can go back to the report anytime by clicking on it and hitting the ‘open’ icon.

Adding more items At the summary screen, you can always add more line expense items by pressing the ‘+’ icon. Pressing that brings back the menu of item line type, such as airfare or hotel lines. Click the ‘create new’ under the Add expenses window

Allocation User will have to submit budget string, which means you will need to know what it is in advance. Contact me for correct budget string, I will get this information from your Program Director. Approver has no ability to change budget line, if wrong, it will be returned and you will have to resubmit. To enter- start typing the number, include the dashes, and select the correct line from autopopulated list

Allocation Often, we’ll have to split funds depending on the purpose of the trip. To split- click ‘add allocation’ and adjust either the percentage or the amount.

Pre Approval forms Chrome River replaces paper pre-approval form as well Steps are similar to creating expense report Fill out the where with when, why, etc You must enter an allocation string here as well

Pre Approval Enter the expense items, per diem wizard will autocalculate per diem if necessary Once approved, this will stay in ‘pre approval’ file. After travel, submit expense report in conjunction with this pre approval.

System drawbacks There will be an adjustment, but playing with the system and creating draft reports can help users gain familiarity Needing budget string in advance creates additional complication over old system, we may have to change how these get to users before settling on one particular method. Remember to include directions and calculations from home if necessary

Summary This system is vastly superior to the current paper one and will hopefully make for much fewer headaches for users and approvers This is a major change in how we are handling travel reimbursement, so please try and be flexible for any appropriate changes lessons learned along the way. I’m absolutely available to meet one on one and walk you through the system. If you’re in Rochester, I’d be happy to WebEx. If you have questions, you can contact me or the UMN controllers office at 612 624-1617 or controller@umn.edu