Submit expenses via the Expense mobile app
- 6 Min.
Expenses can be submitted either through the Expense Portal, which is a browser-based platform, or through the Expense mobile app, which is an app available on Google Play and App Store. You can access the platforms here:
Expense Portal: https://cem.continiaonline.com/
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=continiaexpensemanagement2.droid
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/continia-expense-app/id1462728480#?platform=iphone
Sign into the expense mobile app
When opening the Expense mobile app, you'll first have to sign in.
There are two different methods of signing in, one using email and password and another using Microsoft 365 credentials. If the expense users have a Business Central license, they can sign in with their Microsoft 365 credentials by selecting the Microsoft 365 logo at the bottom of the login page. If they don't have a Business Central license, they need to sign in with the email and the password they chose when they activated their account through the welcome email.
Note
If your Expense Management is running in a sandbox environment, you have to switch to demo mode to sign in. You switch between demo mode and normal mode by tapping the Continia logo seven times.
Add an expense
Once you have signed in, you create a new expense by selecting New Expense.
The recommended method to create a new expense is to start with an image of the receipt or invoice. The AI receipt scanner will recognize many details to add directly to the expense, saving the user time and reducing manual errors. Details that are captured include:
- Amount
- Currency
- Document date
- Merchant
- VAT or GST amount
The receipt scanner also links to an auto-fill feature to save users time when the same details are recognized across multiple expenses. Payment cards recognized from receipts can auto-fill the Payment Type field, and merchants recognized from receipts can auto-fill the Expense Type field.
The user can still edit any information added by the AI receipt scanner or auto-fill function, and enter information any other available fields. When all other necessary information has been entered, swipe the Submit slider.
To return to an expense that has not been submitted, select Open from the home page of the app.
This video demonstrates how the autofill feature can improve the speed and accuracy of submitting expenses.
Submit expenses with related emission data
For some expense types related to carbon accounting, extra fields will also be available and could be populated with data recognized from receipts. There are many fields for carbon accounting, such as:
- Flight mileage and flight class
- Kilowatts of electricity
- Hotel country and number of nights
- Liters of petrol
This video shows how carbon accounting data is added by the receipt scanner.
If you also have an installation of Continia Sustainability, the emissions-related data collected during expense submission is configured to seamlessly track and report on carbon accounting data between the two solutions.
To learn more about the Continia Sustainability solution, visit the learning path Get Started using Continia Sustainability.
Saving receipt images
With the mobile app, users can save receipts for adding later to an expense. The quickest method at the time of purchase is the shortcut function on the mobile app. Hold down the app icon to take a picture of your receipt on your mobile phone.
Alternatively, if you already have the app open, select Create to capture an image of a receipt.
Receipt images will be immediately scanned and saved in your open receipt list in the Mobile App. These saved receipts are available for selection as an attachment to a new or open expense at a later time convenient to the user.
Any receipt image added to the Mobile App is also available in the Expense Portal after synchronization. The opposite is also possible: Synchronization will also make images uploaded to the Expense Portal available on the Mobile App.
Note
For more information about the expense mobile app, such as the notifications or color coding, please refer to the article Overview of the Continia Expense mobile app on Continia Docs.