American Express Global Commercial Payments provides businesses, from multinationals to small and medium enterprises, with end-to-end payment solutions to help them drive savings and efficiency.
The solutions that we implement depend on clients’ needs, from our @Work® reporting tool which improves the efficiency of their expense management programs to helping them integrate corporate expenses with their expense management systems (EMS).
This can be a daunting task, but American Express Global Commercial Payments Implementation Teams work closely with account management teams to ensure the on-boarding experience is best-in-class.
A high level overview of the process is illustrated below:
5 Steps of Implementation
1 Establish Contacts and Communication Protocols
American Express and the client establish key contact persons and agree on the schedule of communication and delivery.
2 Documentation & Compliance
Documentation and regulatory compliance checks to open an American Express account are completed, along with establishing account configuration. Emphasis is placed on compliance with local laws, including anti-money laundering regulations.
3 Card Issuance and Data Feed Link-up
Cards are issued as per applications that have been received.
Testing and linking of the corporate payment solution for the client to American Express if completed.
4 @Work Registration & Training*
Clients are registered onto our @Work platform and provided with face-to-face training* to ensure that they are able to self-serve if required.
5 Monitoring the First Cycle**
The implementation team monitors the first transaction to ensure that the details are captured correctly in the statement. Client is notified of results and a comfort level check is conducted.
*face-to-face training is available for client facing implementations only
**this option is limited to client facing
Before You Start
There are several things the client can do before engaging with American Express to make the implementation process easier.
- Identify resources and staff to work with American Express throughout the onboarding process
- Prepare information on current expense processes, pain points and unique needs
- Identify other IT, finance or HR projects that may affect implementation
Every implementation is unique according to the client’s needs, but here are some tips to make the journey smoother.
- Ensure the contact person will be present throughout the implementation process
- Keep all stakeholders within the organization informed and aligned on the direction of the program
- Ensure the company’s expense management platform is ready and operating before implementing the payment solution
Key Stakeholders
The key stakeholders in the implementation of a corporate payment solution program are:
- Financial Controller, Chief Financial Officer or Chief Executive Officer
- System Administrators
- IT Manager or Programmer
- HR Manager or Executive
