The Real Reason Business Travelers Love Fast-Food

Today, business travelers are less likely to dine on steak and wine and more likely to grab a Big Mac and a Pumpkin Spice Latte, a new study shows.

According to the latest Certify SpendSmart Report, the three restaurants business travelers expense the most are Starbucks, McDonald's and Panera Bread. Starbucks dominates breakfast, with a whopping 12.9 percent of meals expensed during breakfast hours eaten at the coffee chain. Meanwhile, McDonald's meals make up 3.3 percent of lunches expensed and 1.7 percent of dinners.

How did these chains end up on the top of the corporate credit card stack? Certify CEO Bob Neveu revealed three things these chains that others lacked.

They have Wi-Fi. Stuck in an airport or a foreign city for a few hours? Most likely, all you want is some food and a place to catch up on work or check Facebook. Chains at the top of the most expensed list, especially Starbucks and McDonald's, have made names for themselves as providers of free Wi-Fi.

"You think about Subway… it generally doesn’t have Wi-Fi," says Neveu. Even when individual locations offer Wi-Fi, the fact that some chains are widely known for the service boosts their popularity. McDonald's realizes the power of this reputation, as it builds its McCafe line as lower-priced take on Starbuck's refuge for individuals who want a cup of coffee and a place to work on their computer.

They're reliable. Whether you're in Tokyo or London, you're sure to be able to find a Starbucks to grab a coffee. Mega-chains like Starbucks and McDonald's, as well as Panera to a lesser degree, rely on the assurance that wherever you go, your meal will be reliable and familiar.

"You specifically see companies saying, let's use the same hotels, the same rental car companies, the same airfare plans, even the same restaurants – it's predictable, not only in terms of quality, but in terms of price," says Neveu. If you're planning to take a client out to lunch in a foreign city, better to stop by Panera, where you know the menu and you're sure you won't go over your budget, than get food poisoning at an unknown local restaurant.

How ReportExecutive Makes Expense Reporting Easy

Certify has plenty of options that make receipt processing easier, while still helping keep track of past expenses. One of these options is the ReportExecutive option, which will create expense reports for every aspect of the company. This can be an invaluable tool for executives, managers, accountants and even team leaders, as it will help accurately display financial figures that many people may typically go through more arduous processes to find.

With ReportExecutive, you have an accounting tool that will make everything easier. This has a number of options that can streamline the work related to keeping track of purchases and compiling receipt data. Meanwhile, there are many ways to continue to build diverse tracking options of expenses in a multitude of ways.

Expense reporting is a breeze. One of the most valuable aspects of the ReportExecutive option is the ability to create and schedule automated expense reporting. This can work for the entire company, compiling all of the data available. This is done by taking all of the receipts that are saved in the Certify Wallet, and transferring them into a bigger report. The company has the luxury of having emails sent to all parties to inform them of the expense report's progress and allowing approvals during this time.

The scheduling for these programs can be quite dynamic, as you can create monthly reports at any point, bump it up to bi-monthly or even weekly. With many choices, this program can form-fit to any situation that the company has, giving those who need the information.

Scheduling for these expense reports can be useful, as they actually have some dynamic aspects. There can be a company-wide option, which will give employees a deadline to submit their receipts, providing a concrete period to compile the necessary results. However, there is also an option to create schedules that will help employees get the work done on their own time.

Mobile options can help significantly. Certify has a mobile app that employees can download right to their phones, which will help ensure that the receipts are accurately added to the expense report. This is through the Certify ReceiptParse option, which allows employees to take pictures of their receipts while out of the office right on their phone. The data on the receipts are then added to the system and sent to the main report. This is a quick process, and it can help employees get their information to their superiors in a timely manner, without having to crunch numbers themselves.

Scheduling can prevent missed opportunities. Certify's program allows managers to send automated messages to their employees regarding business expenses so that no one will ever miss a submission. The software gives administrators the opportunity to set timers to give emails to those employees on the go who may need an extra push to get their information in on time. It isn't necessary to use these options, but depending on the business structure, it can be a significant help.

Once the time comes to submit a request before the deadline, employees have an ability to look at the expenses they created in the program. This will not only give them a line item option, but also every corresponding receipt picture. This can be great for those who want to feel more confident that they accomplished what their workplace asked for. Administrators can then approve the report once the employee checks their work for errors, and the documents will be put into the greater expense report. The process may help businesses change the way they work, which can make everyone's job easier.