Migrating from Concur to Navan: Best Practices and Complete Migration Guide

More companies are switching from SAP Concur to Navan to modernize their travel programs and unlock significant cost savings. While Concur has been the enterprise standard for decades, Navan's AI-powered platform offers a more intuitive user experience, integrated expense management, and an average of 30% travel savings. However, migrating between travel management platforms requires careful planning to avoid disrupting your company's travel operations.

This comprehensive guide walks you through every step of migrating from Concur to Navan, from initial planning and data export to go-live and post-migration optimization. Whether you're a travel manager leading the transition or a finance leader evaluating the move, you'll learn proven strategies to ensure a smooth migration with minimal downtime.

📊 Migration Path Comparison

🔄 Why Companies Switch from Concur to Navan

Companies migrate from SAP Concur to Navan for several compelling reasons. The most common drivers include seeking a more modern user interface, achieving better cost savings through AI-powered recommendations, and consolidating travel and expense management into a single platform with integrated corporate cards.

Key Migration Drivers:

• 💰 Average 30% cost savings through AI-optimized booking
• 📱 Modern, intuitive interface that employees actually want to use
• 🚀 Faster booking process and superior mobile experience
• 💳 Integrated corporate card program eliminating expense reimbursements
• ⚡ Real-time expense capture with automated receipt matching
• 🤝 24/7 customer support with faster response times

📋 What Does Migration Involve?

Migrating from Concur to Navan is a structured process that typically takes 6-12 weeks depending on your organization's size and complexity. The migration involves exporting historical data, setting up your Navan environment, transferring travel policies, configuring integrations, training users, and managing a transition period.

Migration Components:

• 📊 Historical travel data and reporting archives
• 👥 User profiles, roles, and approval hierarchies
• 📝 Travel policies, rules, and compliance settings
• 🔗 Integration with ERP, HRIS, and accounting systems
• 💳 Payment methods and corporate card transitions
• ✈️ Active bookings and upcoming travel arrangements

✅ Pre-Migration Planning Checklist

Successful migrations begin with thorough planning. Before initiating the technical migration, ensure you've completed these essential planning activities to set your team up for success.

Essential Planning Tasks:

• 🎯 Define migration goals, success metrics, and timeline
• 👥 Assemble migration team (travel manager, IT, finance, stakeholders)
• 📅 Review Concur contract for termination clauses and timing
• ✈️ Identify blackout dates (no migrations during peak travel)
• 📊 Document current travel policies and approval workflows
• 🔍 Audit active bookings and upcoming travel
• 💰 Plan budget for migration costs and overlap period
• 📢 Develop communication plan for employees

Timeline Considerations: Plan for 8-12 weeks total. Include 2-3 weeks for planning, 3-4 weeks for setup and configuration, 2-3 weeks for testing and training, and 1-2 weeks for the dual-run transition period.

Resources Needed: Budget for 40-80 hours of internal team time (travel manager, IT support, finance), Navan implementation support (included), potential consulting support for complex integrations, and employee training time (2-4 hours per employee).

🚀 Step-by-Step Migration Process

1️⃣ Step 1: Export Data from Concur

Begin by extracting critical data from your Concur environment. Work with your SAP Concur account team to export user profiles, historical travel data, active bookings, expense reports, and policy configurations.

Data to Export:

• 📊 User directory with employee profiles and roles
• ✈️ Historical booking data (12-24 months for reporting)
• 💰 Expense report history and payment records
• 📝 Travel policy documents and approval workflows
• 🔖 Active bookings with confirmation numbers
• 🏨 Hotel and airline preferences by user

2️⃣ Step 2: Navan Account Setup and Configuration

Your Navan implementation team will guide you through platform setup. This includes configuring your company account, establishing administrator roles, and customizing the platform to match your organizational structure.

Configuration Tasks:

• 🏢 Set up company profile and organizational hierarchy
• 👥 Import user directory via CSV or HRIS integration
• 🔐 Configure SSO (Single Sign-On) authentication
• 💳 Set up corporate card program or payment methods
• 🎨 Customize branding and user interface elements
• 📧 Configure email notifications and alerts

3️⃣ Step 3: Policy Mapping and Transfer

Translate your Concur travel policies into Navan's policy engine. This is an excellent opportunity to simplify overly complex rules and leverage Navan's AI-powered policy guidance features.

Policy Configuration:

• ✈️ Flight class rules and advance booking requirements
• 🏨 Hotel rate caps and preferred hotel programs
• 🚗 Car rental policies and approved vendors
• 📝 Approval workflows and spending authorities
• 🔍 Out-of-policy booking procedures
• 💰 Per diem rates and expense categories

4️⃣ Step 4: Integration Setup

Connect Navan to your existing business systems. Navan offers pre-built integrations with major ERP, HRIS, and accounting platforms, plus API access for custom integrations.

Common Integrations:

• 📊 ERP systems (NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Workday)
• 👥 HRIS platforms (BambooHR, Workday, ADP)
• 💰 Accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero)
• 📧 SSO providers (Okta, Azure AD, OneLogin)
• 📱 Slack or Teams for notifications

5️⃣ Step 5: User Migration and Training

Prepare your employees for the transition with comprehensive training and clear communication. Navan's intuitive interface reduces training time compared to Concur, but proper onboarding ensures high adoption rates.

Training Approach:

• 📚 Leverage Navan's self-service training materials
• 🎥 Record custom walkthrough videos for your policies
• 👥 Host live training sessions for frequent travelers
• 📧 Send email announcements with migration timeline
• 🆘 Establish help desk support for transition period
• 🏆 Identify power users as internal champions

6️⃣ Step 6: Go-Live and Support

Execute your go-live plan during a low-travel period. Plan for a dual-run period where both systems operate temporarily while you verify everything works correctly.

Go-Live Strategy:

• ✅ Complete final data sync and validation
• 🔔 Send go-live announcement to all users
• 📊 Monitor booking activity and policy compliance
• 🆘 Provide elevated support during first 2 weeks
• 📈 Track adoption metrics and user feedback
• 🔧 Make policy adjustments based on real usage

💾 Data Migration Considerations

Managing data during migration requires careful attention to both historical records and active bookings. Your approach will depend on your reporting requirements and the timing of the switch.

Historical Data: Export 12-24 months of booking and expense data from Concur for compliance and reporting. Store this data in your data warehouse or archive it separately, as Navan won't import historical transactions.

In-Flight Bookings: Active bookings made in Concur will remain in Concur for servicing. Don't cancel and rebook - maintain access to Concur for at least 30-60 days after go-live to service existing reservations.

Key Consideration: Plan your cutover date strategically. Choose a date when you have minimal active future bookings, and communicate clearly which system to use for new bookings versus servicing existing ones.

🔄 Dual-Run Period Best Practices

Operating both platforms simultaneously for 2-4 weeks reduces risk and gives your team confidence in the new system. This overlap period allows you to verify data accuracy, test edge cases, and provide extra support to users.

Dual-Run Guidelines:

• 📅 Set clear cutoff date for new bookings in Concur
• 🆕 Direct all new travel bookings to Navan
• 🔍 Service existing Concur bookings in original system
• 📊 Run parallel reports to verify data accuracy
• 💰 Budget for overlapping platform costs (1-2 months)
• 🆘 Provide clear guidance on which system to use when

⚠️ Common Migration Challenges and Solutions

Every migration encounters obstacles. Here are the most common challenges and proven solutions to overcome them:

Challenge 1 - Complex Policy Translation: Concur policies with intricate logic may not map directly to Navan. Solution: Use this as an opportunity to simplify policies. Leverage Navan's AI-powered guidance to achieve the same compliance outcomes with simpler rules.

Challenge 2 - Integration Timing: Custom ERP integrations may take longer than expected. Solution: Start integration setup early and use CSV imports as a backup during the transition period.

Challenge 3 - User Resistance: Employees comfortable with Concur may resist change. Solution: Focus on the benefits - faster booking, better mobile experience, and elimination of expense reports with Navan's corporate card.

Challenge 4 - Historical Reporting: Leaders want to compare pre- and post-migration metrics. Solution: Export comprehensive Concur reports before migration and maintain access for historical queries during the first 90 days.

📈 Post-Migration Optimization

The migration doesn't end at go-live. The first 90 days are critical for optimization, policy refinement, and ensuring you're maximizing Navan's capabilities.

30-Day Checklist:

• 📊 Review adoption metrics and booking volume
• 🔍 Analyze out-of-policy booking reasons
• 💬 Gather user feedback through surveys
• 🔧 Refine policies based on real behavior
• 🏆 Recognize early adopters and power users

90-Day Review:

• 💰 Calculate realized cost savings versus baseline
• ⏱️ Measure booking time reduction
• ✅ Compare policy compliance rates
• 😊 Assess user satisfaction scores
• 🎯 Document lessons learned for future reference

⏱️ Migration Timeline and Resource Requirements

Understanding the time and resource commitment helps you plan effectively and secure necessary budget and stakeholder support.

Typical Migration Timeline: 8-12 weeks from kickoff to full go-live. Week 1-2: Planning and team assembly. Week 3-5: Data export and Navan configuration. Week 6-8: Policy setup and integration testing. Week 9-10: User training and pilot testing. Week 11-12: Dual-run period and transition.

Resource Investment: Travel manager: 40-60 hours over 12 weeks. IT/Integration support: 20-40 hours for system connections. Finance team: 10-20 hours for accounting setup. Navan implementation team: Included in platform cost. All users: 2-3 hours for training and initial booking.

🚀 Next Steps: Start Your Migration Journey

Migrating from Concur to Navan represents a significant opportunity to modernize your travel program, achieve substantial cost savings, and dramatically improve the employee travel experience. With proper planning, clear communication, and a structured approach, you can complete the migration smoothly with minimal disruption to your business operations.

Ready to explore if Navan is the right choice for your organization? Take our interactive questionnaire to get personalized recommendations based on your company size, travel volume, and specific requirements. In just 7 questions, you'll receive tailored provider matches and can connect directly with Navan's team to discuss your migration.