• Use voicemail creatively. Voicemail isn’t just for taking messages, it can send them too. Changing your outgoing message to include the most frequently asked-for info (what days checks are mailed, deadlines for common forms, etc.) can head off an amazing amount of questions.
• Dedicate different lines for different tasks. If your phone system allows it, set up separate phone lines/voicemail boxes for your different internal and external “customers.” For example, you could direct callers with questions about vendor payments to one line, those looking for T&E reimbursements to another, and employees with questions about payroll or benefits to a third. That way, you can take care of related questions in one swoop, which should save time and mental energy.
• Create a FAQ page for Accounting. If, like most Accounting pros, you get the same few questions over and over, it’s time to create a set list of answers. Posted on the intranet, or even sent as a quarterly “reminder memo,” it’s a quick way to spread need-to-know info that makes everyone‘s life easier.
• Maximize your e-payments software. No matter what software you use to process direct deposits, reimbursements and other payments, make sure you’re taking full advantage of its notification tools. Something as small as being able to e-mail folks that their anticipated payment just got processed can reassure them — and save you from having to handle one more phone call later on.

It might be worth revising your company’s travel policy to clarify some common areas of confusion for trips like these, including:

• Which days’ hotel charges are considered reimbursable.
• How to handle any shared expenses when a traveler’s spouse or friend takes part on the trip (Example, a shared meal).
• Whether costs that are spread over the business and personal parts of the trip will be reimbursed proportionally. (Example: If a rental car is used for five days, but only three of those days are business related.)

And as usual, you’ll want to remind travelers to be extra vigilant about documenting the “why, when and where” of their expenses. Later on, if an auditor realizes that a trip was partly business/partly personal, they’re likely to look a lot more closely at those expenses.

It’s easier to catch T&E swindlers if you know why — and how — they do what they do. A recent survey by T&E Magazine got the real scoop from people who freely admit to having fudged their travel expenses in one way or another. Some of the findings may surprise you.

For starters, employees appear to be getting more honest. 83% said they were always totally honest on their expense reports. That’s up from just 70% in 2004.

Of those who admit to cheating, the amount they wrongfully claimed is down: 8% said they padded their expenses $100 or more — that figure was 34% in 2004. Another 32% said they padded expenses by $50 to $99.

Most travelers who admitted to cheating (66%) said they did so because being on the road cost them in ways that don’t fit on any expense report category. Another 30% said they routinely have to use personal money for business costs when traveling. Padding is their way of “righting” the books.

And 26% say taking a little extra cash is their way of being compensated for the hassles of being on the road. Only 4% said they cheat because they can. [Note: Respondents could pick more than one reason.]

While no one wants to have cheaters in their office, those “reasons” for padding expenses give you a good opportunity to make sure you don’t see any of it in the future. It indicates that people are less likely to inflate their expenses if they feel the company appreciates the hassles — and out-of-pocket expenses — of being on the road.

It’s a good reminder to periodically review your company’s T&E policies and guidelines. Making sure they’re still fair to your road warriors could end up saving you time and money, as well as improving employee morale.

What do you think: Do most traveling employees pad their expenses to right a perceived wrong? Or is that simply an attempt to justify stealing from the company?

And what’s the most egregious attempt at expense report padding you’ve seen? Share your stories in the comments.

But it’s unlikely any of your road warriors are thinking about interstate tax issues when they submit their reimbursement paperwork.

Make it part of your process to flag any “non-travel” purchases you see on expense reports or corporate travel cards. The biggest red flag you want to look for: any items that were purchased out-of-state and brought back to your state to be used by the employee or someone else at your company.

Meals, taxi fares, hotel stays and any other products or services that are meant to be bought and used “on-site” by the traveler are usually safe since the vendor includes any relevant taxes in the transaction.

Agencies – and the special expertise their agents possess – have their place: They can be a godsend for employees with complicated itineraries, travelers going to remote locations or large companies with dozens to hundreds of business trips taken each year.

But for many companies, especially smaller ones, agencies may not be the best solution.

If your companies’ typical business trip is, say, one salesperson going between New York and Chicago, the fees an agency charges may not be buying you much. In those cases, you may want to recommend to upper management that they take a second look at the cost/benefit of using a travel agent.

One caveat: If your company does decide to ditch the agent, you’ll want to put some kind of policy in place to limit traveler spending. Depending on your company, that might mean having a designated  point-person in-house to book/approve travel plans. Another option: setting guidelines that encourage travelers to book the cheapest flight — and spelling out reasonable exceptions, such as how much more can be spent to avoid red-eyes, multiple-stop trips, etc.

Here’s a three-step plan to “self-audit” your company’s own wireless charges to make sure you aren’t cutting checks for a penny more than you should be.

1. Consolidate. Allowing employees to use multiple carriers, giving phones to everyone in a given department, adding data plans to all phones regardless of whether the users need them — these are nice benefits for workers. But it makes your billing charges more complicated. And that makes it easier for overcharges and other errors to sneak through. Ask managers to look at who in their department needs these devices, and exactly what services they need. That move alone could slash your total wireless spending.
2. Set clear policies on usage. If a phone is for work use, it should technically be only for work use. (IRS considers non-work use of an employer-provided phone a taxable benefit.) It’s a rule a lot of employees — and employers — ignore. But it can have costly consequences. Not only will you be paying for more minutes in total. If auditors catch personal use being essentially subsidized by your company, it could become a major tax headache too.
3. Centralize. If multiple managers can sign off on phone and PDA expenses within their departments, you may not have a real idea of how much your company is spending. It also means you’re probably not getting the kind of volume discounts you’re entitled to. Having one central person go over all the bills also gives you a chance to see if there are any duplicate charges or unused services that your company is being invoiced for.

How do you manage payments for your company’s phone and wireless charges? Share your best practices in the comments.

Setting limits is a good idea because it reduces the chances of employees “accidentally” overspending or submitting receipts for expenses that shouldn’t be reimbursed. Without a policy in place, employees tend to rely on the excuse: “If it doesn’t say I can’t, I guess that means I can.”

And there’s no better time than now to take a second look at T&E expenses. With most companies looking to tighten their belts during the economic downturn, travel expenses are a ripe target for cost-cutting.

With the economy taking a hit, managers may be more likely to offer employees low-cost perks to keep them happy — and at their desks. And with increased use of fringes, you can expect to field more questions about what’s taxable and why.

Here’s a refresher you can use to make sure your company is in compliance with IRS rules — and to pass along to any employees who may have questions.

1. If it’s cash, it’s reportable.  But remember, “cash” refers to anything that can be easily converted to cash, so that includes gift cards, gift certificates, etc. Other payments that fall under the fringe category are severance and vacation pay and  certain bonuses.
2. So-called “working condition” and de minimis fringes are exempt. This can include job training (paid or reimbursed), limited use of employer facilities and equipment for personal use (phone calls, copiers, etc.) and even the old-fashioned holiday turkey.
3. Services or goods offered for free or at a steep discount to employees are exempt. For example, if a hotel lets employees use un-booked rooms, a theater comps workers with unused tickets, etc.  If employees are buying the goods at a discount, the exemption is in place as long as the discount isn’t more than the gross profit percentage.
4. Other fringes that are specifically named as exempt in the tax code include: Moving and transportation expenses, qualified tuition or educational assistance, cafeteria plans, dependent care, etc. Note: Even these fringes may be subject to certain limits to remain exempt. For example, you can only reimburse transportation expenses of $115 per month (in 2008). Any amount over that is taxable.

For all the details on how to report and track fringes, or to check on a specific benefit’s tax status, check out IRS’ guide to fringe benefits.

The right vendor will help you narrow your options so you get all the functionality you need without adding services you don’t need — and which cost more.

With that in mind, here are four questions to ask potential vendors when you’re shopping for a program:

1. How much support do you offer once the program is set up? Ideally, you’ll want access to a dedicated rep who can answer your questions. Depending on how complicated your program is and what new software you may be adding, it may be a good idea to have scheduled training sessions with someone from the card issuer. If that’s the case, make sure the training is done efficiently (no drawn out multi-day programs) and that it’s not a separate charge.
2. How much paper/time/money will this actually save us? If parts of the process (like handling receipts and P.O.s) are still manual, or will require printing out documentation, you may not be getting as much benefit as it seems. Get a detailed estimate of how much time and money you’ll be saving with the proposed system. And then figure out how long it’ll take for those savings to recoup your upfront expenses.
3. Does your program address our biggest headache? If T&E is where most of your paperwork roadblocks develop, a standard p-card program probably won’t suit you as well as a travel-specific card. Make sure potential vendors know what your top concern is — and that their programs are adapted to meet those needs.
4. How secure is our info? No financial transaction should even be considered until you have solid answers about how secure all the electronically based info really is.

If you’ve already been down this road, what questions are you glad you asked your vendor — or wish in hindsight you had? Share your perspective in the comments.

The answer: Airline miles — and hotel points, cash back offers, or any number of other perks offered by the employees’ personal credit card issuers.

With the average business trip costing somewhere in the $1,500 range, even a modest rebate can be an attractive “bonus” to employees who are feeling the pinch of this economy. In fact, 74% of employees admitted they don’t always use their company’s preferred method of payment because of the perks they get from their personal cards.

Another 21% said they either never received a card, or the card isn’t accepted in some of the places they travel. That’s according to a recent survey by T&E magazine.

To get road warriors to use company-issued cards, you have two options: The carrot or the stick:

1. If possible, incentivize travelers to use the cards. For example, you might get upper management to agree to kick a percentage of the cards’ rebates back to employees as profit sharing, or as a bump in their departmental budgets. If that’s not an option, an internal competition to see which department can set the highest bar for card compliance might help.
2. If incentives don’t work, penalties might. Even a mild step, like flagging a department for non-compliance can send the message that the practice have to end. Key: Upper management has to demonstrate they’re behind your efforts, so make sure they’re on board first.

What have you tried to get more travelers to use company-issued credit and travel cards? Let us know in the comments what has — or hasn’t — worked for you.