Letter to the editor
We are responding to the letter to the editor published Aug. 30, 2001, in which an anonymous writer
expressed concerns about his incorrect expense reimbursement and the performance
of his activity's expense management application. Because business travel
can be stressful, we would like to take this opportunity to help the writer
resolve his issue.
From the information outlined in the letter, it is difficult to determine
the actual cause of the error. The writer outlines a couple different scenarios
that may have contributed to the payment discrepancy and makes reference
to Travel Manager Plus, a name of an outdated product that has been replaced
and updated with Travel Manager.
Over the past several years, Gelco Information Network has released
updated versions of Gelco Travel Manager, each with progressively greater
functionality, developed to make government business travel management more
efficient and cost effective.
It appears that the writer's activity may be deploying an obsolete application.
If this is the case, automatic monthly downloads of critical information
such as per diem rates, which Gelco receives monthly from the Per Diem Committee,
and regulations would not occur. Therefore, the information used to compute
reimbursements would be incorrect.
Another possibility is that the traveler visited a city that is not
included in the General Services Administration's list of published per
diem rates. In this case, GSA suggests that individual travelers check with
the National Association of Counties to determine the county for the city
that was visited. If GSA does not list the county, the traveler will receive
the standard rate. If GSA lists the county, the traveler will receive the
published rate.
Gelco Travel Manager allows users to link per diem rates for frequently
visited cities that are not listed by GSA. These published rates can be
easily updated.
Providing outstanding service levels and easy-to-use applications is
essential to Gelco's continued success. Currently, Gelco Travel Manager
is used by more than 120 federal agencies, installations and activities,
and has become the recognized standard for streamlining the government travel
management process.
Any user problems experienced by a current or even former customer is
of concern to us, and if the writer of the particular letter will contact
Gelco customer service at (952) 944-7744, we will be pleased to determine
where the problem lies and provide a solution.
Jonathan Klem
President and chief executive officer
Gelco Information Network
A division of Gelco Information Network
10700 Prairie Lakes Drive
Eden Prairie, Minn.
55344
952-947-1500