Travel Per Diem Automation for Multi-Grade Employees

TuvisTech, a Zoho Premium Partner, provides services such as implementation, customization, business consultation, and AI solutions.

BALLESTRA ENGINEERING AND PROJECTS PRIVATE LIMITED is a leading international logistics and freight forwarding company specializing in air, sea, and land transportation solutions. With a strong presence across multiple countries, Ballestra provides end-to-end supply chain management services, including customs clearance, warehousing, and distribution, tailored to meet the needs of businesses across diverse industries.

Committed to reliability, efficiency, and customer satisfaction, Ballestra leverages advanced technology and a global partner network to deliver timely and cost-effective logistics solutions. The company maintains high operational standards while offering flexible and scalable services to support client growth.

Project duration from requirement gathering to delivery and go live.
Start date: – 25-04-2025 End date: – 17-05-2025 total 23 Days

Problem Statement

Ballestra’s travel policy defined different per diem rates based on two dimensions:

• Employee grade (e.g., junior, mid, senior)
• Travel geography (domestic – India, vs overseas)

For example, a senior employee traveling overseas received a higher allowance than a junior employee traveling domestically.

The existing expense system did not support this granular allowance structure

• No grade-based allowance mapping
• No distinction between domestic and international rates

Without automation, Ballestra faced manual calculations, inconsistent reimbursements, and risk of policy violations.

Key Challenges

• Zoho Expense allows location-based and duration-based per diem rates, but the grade + domestic/overseas split required additional configuration.
• The goal was to implement the policy without custom code.
• Ensuring accuracy, compliance, and smooth user adoption while handling multiple grades and travel geographies.

Solution Approach
(Statement of Work & Deliverables)

TuvisTech implemented the solution using Zoho Expense standard features, employing a configuration-based approach:

• Policy segmentation by grade
  • Created separate travel/expense policies for each employee grade (Grade A, Grade B, Grade C).

• Per diem rate configuration
  • Defined distinct per diem rates for domestic (India) and overseas travel within each policy.
  • Rates were assigned in appropriate currencies with effective dates.

• Employee-policy mapping
  • Assigned employees to the correct policy based on their grade, ensuring accurate automatic allowance application.

• Automation and validation
  • Configured rules to flag or block incorrect claims based on grade or travel type.

• Training and change management
  • Conducted sessions for travellers and approvers on the new per diem logic and submission workflow.

Solution Overview

The solution was implemented entirely within Zoho Expense, without any custom development.

Outcomes (Implementation & Results)

• Employees now receive accurate per diem allowances automatically based on grade and travel destination.
• Finance and travel teams save significant time previously spent on manual calculations.
• Improved policy compliance via automated rule enforcement, reducing exceptions and overspend.
• Enhanced clarity for employees, reducing queries and confusion regarding allowances.

Result:

Ballestra successfully automated its multi-grade, domestic/overseas per diem policy, achieving operational efficiency, compliance, and high user adoption with zero custom development.

Business Impact

• Reduced manual effort in calculating allowances
• Streamlined reimbursement process
• Enforced travel policy compliance
• Increased employee satisfaction and transparency