MasterCard touts B2B expense management system

For 10 years, MasterCard Smart Data solutions have set the industry standard for providing businesses of all sizes with flexible web-based access to global transaction data that can help them optimize their card programs and reduce costs. For issuers, MasterCard Smart Data solutions have provided a proven, customizable off-the-shelf solution at a low cost compared to competitive products.

"Our booming growth - with a customer base that doubles each year - is proof that businesses and issuers value the information and integration advantages of MasterCard Smart Data solutions. The combination of accurate aggregated data and Smart Data's seamless integration with financial systems enables companies to optimize their existing card programs and capitalize on untapped profit opportunities," said Steve Abrams, Senior Vice President, Corporate Payment Solutions, MasterCard International.

Businesses have utilized MasterCard Smart Data solutions since 1995. "Smart Data remains best-in-class due to our continuous product enhancement process, which is focused on meeting customer needs. With almost 50 million transactions going through Smart Data each year, businesses and issuers can trust that they are getting a reliable reporting and expense management solution," said Rob Reeves, Vice President, Global Operations & Data Management, MasterCard International.

MasterCard Smart Data solutions are flexible, user-friendly and are web-based. Additionally, they offer the following unique benefits:

• Access to global data - virtually anytime, anywhere - enabled by the MasterCard Global Data Repository, which collects detailed data from 15 different file formats and aggregates the data into a single common format. Additionally, Smart Data has the capability to import non-MasterCard payment card transactions to facilitate spending analysis for businesses that have multiple card programs.
  
• Availability in 13 languages - US and international English, Spanish, French, Canadian French, German, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese, Chinese, and simplified Chinese.
  
• A solution specifically tailored for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) - Smart Data Express, which provides pre-formatted reports and easy integration into accounting software typically used by SMEs
  
• Support for transactions in virtually every currency in world circulation - transactions in local currencies can be translated into a single currency for global analysis and reporting.
  
• Local and centralized reporting for multinational corporations - tracking, consolidation and management of data on a local, regional or global basis.
  
• Detailed data for vendor negotiations, pre-population of employee expense reports, and integration into financial systems - An example of the types of enhanced data captured at the merchants' point-of-sale:
  
• Hotel Folio: daily line-item detail from leading hotel chains, including room rate, tax, room service, restaurant and telephone charges
  
• Airline: trip legs, flight numbers, carrier codes for reserved airlines
  
• Purchasing Card: sales tax, accounting codes, invoice quality line-item detail
  
• Fleet: fuel grade, time of purchase, odometer reading
  
• Car Rental: vehicle class, number of days, re-fueling information
  
• Supplemental data procured from travel agencies - airline, rail and hotel data which facilitates the reconciliation of Central Travel Accounts (CTAs) and Lodged Cards.
  
• Various standard and customized reports - analysis of data through numerous standard and customized reports as well as exports to other software, such as Microsoft Excel.
  
• Feeds to ERP systems - including SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft and other vendors.
  
• Access to customer support - interactive guides for every level of user. In addition, 24/7 phone and email support is provided to issuers, ensuring quick resolution of customer service issues.