How can authorized users review TMC invoices?

The article explains what the tool does, how the User Interface looks like, and what users need to do when reviewing invoices. 

A. Introduction

The TMC Reconciliation tool provides authorized users with a streamlined, intuitive way to review TMC invoices, validate AI-extracted details, and efficiently manage the entire approval workflow from start to finish. It empowers teams to maintain accuracy, ensure compliance, and handle travel-related expenses with greater confidence and control.

Note: To view a demo and learn more about the capabilities of the Mesh TMC Reconciliation tool, please contact your dedicated Customer Success Manager.

B. User Interface and capabilities 

1. The TMC Reconciliation page is available to authorized users. Admins will find it under the Travel menu, while users with specific permissions will see it as a standalone page. 

Notes:  

• Please note that the tool displays data from all companies (entities) within the organization.
• Simply accessing the page does not guarantee that any data will appear.

• The TMC Reconciliation tool will display data ONLY when:
  • The entity is properly configured (e.g., the Travel module includes the option to book through an agent).
  • The users that wants to access the page has the appropriate permissions. 
  • The approved trip contains TMC-related products (e.g., flights, hotels, car rentals, trains, or fees).  
  • The TMC submits invoices to the company's inbox from an approved email with attachments that include a valid trip IDs. 

2. The user interface includes two tabes:

• To Review tab: Shows only trips with at least one invoice in status 'to review'. 
• All trips tab: Shows all TMC invoices across the organization.

3. When a trip is selected the following data is presented: 

• Trip name, Trip ID, Traveler name, start and end dates of the trip. 
• Total invoices amount: The sum of all invoices amount that are associated with the trip 
• Total matched quotes amount: The sum of all approved quotes from the trip that have been successfully matched with line items. 
• Total quotes amount: The sum of all approved quotes from the trip.
• Link to the original travel request (same as trip dashboard link).

4. The table includes the following columns:

• Review status (filterable) with To review, On hold, Approved, and Rejected as values.
• Invoice ID (searchable) 
• Invoice amount : total amount & currency 
• Difference: amount (sum of all line item discrepancies, filterable) 
• Invoice date (filterable) 
• Received date (filterable)
• Trip ID (searchable)
• Company (filterable across organization)
• Sender (filterable)
• Organization-level custom fields (columns are selectable)

5. Bulk options : 

• Approve invoices selected 
• Assign to trip (re-assign and re-trigger quote comparison)

6. The page includes the option to Save Views and export the data to excel based on columns selected and filters assigned per view.  

7. When the user clicks an invoice the following data is presented on the page:  

8. Each extracted line items from the invoice includes the following:

• Service type (e.g., flight, hotel, train, car, fee, other)
• Item description
• If paid in advance a card icon is presented
• Amount & currency 
• 'Correlated' quote information
  • Type
  • Start/ end dates
  • Amount & currency, reference identifier, 
  • Amount difference between line item and quote's last approved amount
  • Approval time

9. The actions available for each invoice includes:

• Approve invoice (releases the associated expenses to the Mesh post- approval workflow)
• Hold (requires reason; triggers notification to Travel Agents) 
• Reject (requires reason; triggers notification to Travel Agents)

C. Reviewing Invoices 

The TMC Reconciliation tool leverages AI to automate file classification and intelligently process quote-to-invoice matching. 

Users with the appropriate permissions, should follow the sequence listed below: 

1. Navigate to the TMC Reconciliation page.

2. Monitor the queue and identify invoices with the status 'To review'. 

Note: A TMC invoice must include the trip ID and be sent from a verified address. When a TMC invoice is matched to a trip (automatically or manually), the system triggers the quote comparison in the background. 

3. Select an invoice and wait for the AI to present its findings. 

Note: The possible outcomes include 'Exact amount', 'Over by ...', 'Under by ...', and  no comment (indicating no match).  

4. Examine the line items, and check for discrepancies. If needed, add, remove, or edit the line items to correct errors. 

5. Take a decision: Approve, Set on hold or Reject the invoice. 

Note: Approved invoices release their associated expenses to the Mesh post- approval workflow. In addition, the system automatically creates or amends TMC expenses based on line item types and quote associations.

D. How to assign the 'TMC Invoice Approver' permissions to a user? 

Strong users (e.g., Mesh Admin) have built in permissions to the TMC Reconciliation tool. 

A Mesh Admin can assign the 'TMC Invoice Approver' permission to other users from the Employees page.