Navan introduces voice bookings and video cost control
Navan, a technology player in the market business travel and expense management, released a new generation of artificial intelligence-based tools. At its first client conference, held under the name Navigate, the company launched specialised AI assistants for travel and finance, introduced a conversational booking process and advanced video and voice-based receipt scanning. The main goal of these innovations is the complete automation of processes – from trip planning to final payment – in order to eliminate the manual work that still burdens travellers and administrators.
While traditional systems are still struggling to integrate basic digital solutions, the industry is rapidly moving towards autonomous systems capable of making decisions within the company's given rules. With this move, Navan aims to solidify its position as a leader among modern travel tech platforms, emphasising real-time cost control and increased productivity for corporate teams.
Smart assistants are changing the administrator's role
Managing travel data within large systems often requires hours of analysing spreadsheets and reports. A new tool, Travel Admin Companion, transforms that process into a simple, natural language conversation. Travel managers can now directly ask the system where potential savings lie, why costs on specific routes are increasing, or how their company stacks up against the industry average.
The long-term development plan predicts that administrators will be able to act directly through the chat interface. This means that in emergency situations, they will be able to immediately block travel to certain regions, change internal policies, or launch budget simulations before altering cost ceilings.
Automating problematic transactions in finance
On the financial management side, Expense Admin Companion focuses on resolving those anomalies that typically slow down month-end close. According to data provided by Navan, around 73% of transactions within their system are already processed entirely automatically. The new assistant takes on the remaining 27% of cases – those flagged for lack of information or suspected activity.
The system autonomously suggests steps to resolve issues and generates personalised messages for employees who need to justify expenses. Until the employee provides the requested details, disputed items are temporarily removed from the open liabilities list, allowing finance managers to delegate approvals more easily without losing control over compliance and risks.
Bookings via chat and expense claims via video
For corporate travellers exclusively, a key change comes in the form of the Book with AI option. Instead of searching through hundreds of options using classic filters, the user can enter a simple request such as: “I need to be in London next Tuesday for three days.” The system, through dialogue, offers options that align with the company's internal policy and the traveller's historical preferences, using a global inventory that covers over 600 airlines and 2.5 million hotels. The entire process, including payment, is completed within the chat itself.
Furthermore, the introduction of the Expense with video and voice functionality allows users to briefly photograph a receipt with their mobile phone and describe the context of the expense with their voice, after which the application automatically creates a reimbursement request, completely eliminating the need for typing in the field.
These functionalities are currently in beta testing, and wider availability to all platform users is expected in the near future.
