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27th July 2010: It's summer, people are on holiday, will your employees' expenses still get processed?

With the holiday season in full swing you might be forgiven for having more relaxing things on your mind. The long hot summers, sandy beaches and sangrias might be a temporary retreat, but your employees' expenses will still be waiting for you to process when you get back.

Will your employees be happy if any part of the approval/repayment process is delayed and they don’t get reimbursed until the following month?

With an intuitive expenses management solution you can set up procedures to ensure that each part of the reclamation process continues to run smoothly during periods when key employees are absent.

Tracey Turton, Marketing Executive

21st July 2010: So you’ve automated your expenses…. now what?

My core responsibility as Customer Manager at Software Europe is to meet with our customers to discuss the different options available for them to maximise the benefits they receive from their investment in expenses2010.

In particular, one method, that has proven to be particularly effective, is performing an analysis of their expenses data and meeting with them to discuss the results. 

Typically this involves downloading a copy of their last year’s worth of expenses data from expenses’ extensive reporting suite and analysing it with a view to providing information and advice on the following topics:

• A total spend overview
• Maximising VAT reclamation
• Ensuring compliance with HMRC guidelines
• Identifying areas of potential fraud and minimising the risk
• Ensuring compliance with legislation regarding driver safety
• Instilling ownership at claimant/line manager level to increase policy compliance
• A comprehensive system settings check to ensure the expenses policy is enforced correctly
• Automation of manual processes, where applicable

Post the expenses data analysis review I then work with these customers to implement the relevant changes to their system and processes. Following this implementation many of these have reported significant increases in both HMRC/policy compliance and the amount of reclaimable VAT, and also a reduction in expenses spend.

In answer to my opening question:

Now that you have an automated system that is capturing vast amounts of information regarding your expenses, make use of it! 

Taking control of your spend and maximising the amount of management information available will allow you to achieve a greater return on your investment.

Stuart Hymers, Customer Manager

12th July 2010: We have a risk indicator of 1!

Last week we received confirmation that we have achieved D&B Rating 1; which simply means if you're looking for a stable, profitable company to do business with, we're an ideal candidate:

Dear Nora,

Congratulations!

On 5th July 2010 Software (Europe) Ltd, DUNS Number 50-336-1693, was registered as "D&B Rating 1". A risk indicator of 1 indicates that your business has a low probability of failure. To have achieved this during one of the worst economic times in recent years is a fantastic accomplishment. Only 15% of all UK companies are in this category.

In recognition of this, I am delighted to send you a certificate confirming your "D&B Rating 1" status! Please feel free to use this certificate in any of your own internal or external communications.

Tracey Turton, Marketing Executive

07 July 2010: We develop as technology develops

The increased growth of the internet has seen smartphone platforms become standard tools for more and more business workers. Apple has taken this a step further by launching the iPad which attempts to do almost everything your laptop can, whilst offering almost everything your smartphone can do as well.

The demand for apps on the iPad is high, and will play an important role in its success. There are already over 9000 apps available and this figure has been boosted by the existing iPhone apps that can be run on the iPad.

However, here at Software Europe, because expenses2010 and framework are accessible through a web browser, we have ensured that browser compatibility is an important factor during development which ensures that the systems are available to the widest audience on all platforms.

The iPad uses its own built-in web browser Safari and we can proudly announce that the features and functions of both expenses2010 and framework are fully usable through the large Multi-Touch screen and advanced capabilities of the iPad.

You can continue to submit, check and approve expense claims using expenses2010 with simple fingertip contact, and contract managers can use the iPad to view contract information, and even use it to review huge stacks of contract related documents without physically carrying them with you; and this is available with sharp text at a size that’s actually readable.

The photos below show the usability of both expenses2010 and framework. Click on the thumbnails to see each photo in more detail:

Learn more about framework, a contract management solution

Adele Briggs, Customer & Marketing Manager

28 June 2010: How much could you save with increased policy compliance?

It is no surprise to hear that since the MPs’ expenses were exposed a year ago and the adoption of a system to manage and control the process that there has been a reduction in the amount that has been claimed – as recently reported by The Daily Telegraph.

Policy compliance is just one of the many benefits organisations can expect to achieve from what is one of the largest controllable expenses for most organisations. And using automated system policy compliance becomes a lot easier to monitor and manage; particularly with built-in policy compliance checking, that will prevent employees entering claims outside the policy limits.

ERIKS UK, one of our long term customers of expenses2010 who have over 700 employees regularly claiming expenses, previously used a manual paper-based system to manage their employees expenses claims. However, they needed a solution that would remove the existing paper based system, reduce the administrative burden of processing employee expenses and encourage policy compliance across the board.

Having chosen expenses2010 they saw an immediate reduction in employee expenses spend of 18% simply through employees being more vigilant and having a clear visibility of the items and spend amounts that they are entitled to reclaim, which in turn gave much more accountability for authorisation. This vigilance also led to an increase in compliance to company policy from 58% to 89%.

Automation provides companies with access to the information they need to highlight policy non-compliance, monitor what expense items are being claimed and who is spending how much on which particular items. Thus giving real evidence to make changes to your policy which will in turn bring continuous savings to your organisation.

Adele Briggs, Marketing and Customer Manager

22 June 2010: The changing budget doesn't impact our system

The just announced rise in VAT to 20%, which will come into force on January 4th 2011, was predicted by many and will impact the entire UK population.  Fortunately those companies using expenses2010 for their online expenses management can tick another box against the benefits this solution provides. 

The intelligent design of expenses2010 means multiple VAT rates and date ranges are supported; this in turn means that claimants do not need to select the rate they think is correct. This means less errors, greater compliancy and our customers can focus on what they do best.

Neil Everatt, Managing Director

17 June 2010: A customer we didn’t want.....?

Since the MP expenses story broke a year ago I have followed the news coverage with enthusiasm.  It’s a business activity that touches everything that my colleagues and I do, and watching such a public process was both fascinating and frustrating:

• It was fascinating to watch how IPSA were under huge pressure from many sides to deliver a solution for the problem – which in a nutshell was to regain public trust. 
• It was frustrating because, as a company, we have solved this problem for many companies already and it can be done in a matter of days, or weeks for the larger deployments.

With 10 years of SaaS experience, we have built the knowledge of how moving to an online expenses claim system will impact your business, specifically to those who administrate the expenses reclamation process, but more importantly to those claiming through the system (please read our previous article for further information about this: Automating expenses is great for you, but what’s in it for your staff?).

The professional Services team have effectively deployed expenses2010 to numerous organisations over the last 10 years and 100’s of 1000’s of users regularly reclaim their business related expenses. The team are able to prepare you for what to expect when the system goes live, answer any questions that arise, and provide best practise assistance to help aid those employees who do not like change.

My colleagues and I paid a couple of visits to IPSA (Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority) where we demonstrated what expenses2010 could do for our MPs. We explained how automation would make the process fast for our MPs whilst maintaining compliance and offering transparency. I had the pleasure of meeting a number of the IPSA team and, despite what the press stories reported, what I saw was a team of people committed to making things work, who acted professionally, and were happy to maintain communication throughout what must have been a very busy project.

Returning to my opening question, with all the current backlash from MPs about expenses and the process is this a customer we wouldn’t want? 

And I’d happily report that yes we would.

IPSA took a decision to create a bespoke system that would support a number of services required by the MPs and I wish them every success rolling this out.

Neil Everatt, Managing Director

26 May 2010: Customer Focused Attitude

Industry experts are speculating that a VAT rate change could be ahead, with many forecasting that it will become 20% by the end of the year.

We want to let our customers know that whilst we cannot prevent the financial impact of the possible change we can reassure them that our systems are ‘change ready’. This intelligence within the system means that expenses2010 will automatically calculate the retrospective reclaimable VAT amount based on the item being claimed and the date it was incurred.

It’s actual a simple feature within the solution, but shows what 10 years of experience means to our customers.

Darren Newton, Technical Services Manager

09 April 2010: Users win the battle of the browsers at Software Europe

Today, the Internet is widely used, providing you with access to find almost anything. We are also experiencing a revolutionary shift in the way businesses operate, seeing an increase in companies adopting Internet-based computing for software services and solutions on-demand.

It is fascinating to watch the battle of browsers; our window to the web.  Back in February, Microsoft announced that users will have the option to choose an alternative browser.

This is an important milestone for Internet users and the trend* in browser usage is changing.  Firefox has recently been voted the No1 favourite*, leaving Microsoft Internet Explorer 3rd. Google Chrome, Safari and Opera are among the alternative browsers that people will be offered.

This presents a challenge for Internet based software developers because not all browsers follow the same HTML principles, which means that there is a potential for web pages to incur problems with the display and layout on screen.  An easy option is to limit the browsers that the systems can be viewed successfully with, but that isn't always acceptable.

In 2005, Software Europe made a decision to support all browsers which means your users can work uninterruptedly when using expenses2010 or framework from their workplace or the comfort of their own home.

*Source: Trend
*Source: TopTenReviews

Adele Briggs, Marketing & Customer Manager

08 April 2010: Customer Focused Attitude

I was looking through the Service Desk activity log for yesterday and was pleased to see that the Service Desk team really do have a customer focused attitude.

Greg, one of our Service Desk team members had spotted that a user had been entering an invalid date; our system sends the team alerts regarding user activity and he could see that the user had tried a number of times. Greg immediately swung into customer satisfaction mode and contacted the user to suggest how they could correct their entry. The user was very pleased with this level of proactive support and made a point of coming back to Greg to thank him very much for the assistance.

This action was only a small thing, but spotting these occurrences helps our users continue with their job and creates a positive user experience.

Darren Newton, Technical Services Manager

18 March 2010: Graduating Innovations

Innovation is at the heart of what we do and our leading online solutions expenses2010 and framework2009 require a carefully considered development strategy and roadmap. 

The solutions have already delivered exciting new features that not only reduce costs but improve efficiency for the users.  To support our growing online solutions we must think ahead and plan for the most important things in a company’s operation – the people and the skills they bring. 

We have collaborated with the careers and opportunities service at our local university in Lincoln (www.lincoln.ac.uk), to introduce a work placement scheme to help current and future graduates develop and sharpen skills on their chosen career path. 

From these graduates we look for a blend of technical skills that complements our current team, a mixture of innovators and stabilisers so that we can continue to lead the way.

Neil Everatt, Managing Director

02 March 2010: Legislative Updates

VAT changes: As of January 1st the government raised the VAT amount back to 17.5%.

Are your expenses affected? You will need to make sure that any calculates used to work out the amount of VAT reclamable on expense claims made before 1st Jan 2010 utilise the 15% rate and any made after this date use the 17.5% rate.

expenses2010 makes this process easy – administrators of expenses2010 can log into the administration settings and enter specific dates for when each rate is applicable, the correct reclaimable amount is then automatically calculated through the system.

Company Cars – advisory fuel rates from 1 December 2009
From the 1st of December 2009 the company car advisory fuel rates changed, these figures apply to all journeys on or after 1 December 2009 until further notice.

Click here to see how these figures were calculated

With an automated solution like expenses2010 you can make these policy changes quickly to ensure your employees are paid correctly for mileage claimed before and after December 1st 2009.

19 January 2010: expenses2010: You can be implemented before April 1st

expenses2010 is an online, innovative and intuitive solution that will maximise how your staff reclaim, process and reimburse travel and expense claims. If you're looking for a solution to automate this process, we can deliver and implement expenses2010 before April 1st, which means you will start seeing savings from the start of the financial year.

Read more here

15 January 2010: Past, present and future

Innovation is at the heart of what we do and this drives huge savings for our customers.  We have just completed our product roadmap for the next 24 months and we’re confident that the new functionality will make the claims process even easier; and what’s more exciting is that nobody else in the business is doing it today.

In 2009, we brought automated mileage entry and validation to the world of online expenses, we delivered the first expenses bi-directional interface for our NHS customers, and we optimised the reports scheduling service that was already part of the standard package.

Reports are really interesting for those interested in proactive spend management.  expenses2010 provides the capability to send reports at preset times ensuring team leaders and department managers are kept informed about their expenditure.

Eighteen months ago we introduced our expenses analysis service.  Our Customer Management team perform a ‘deep’ analysis on an organisations expenses spend and produce a report that includes recommendations for saving more money and how to implement these recommendations. 

Some of these solutions are quick wins, for example:
One customer looking to cut costs used expenses2010 to report on the spending of ‘extra’s, specifically the cost of sweets displayed on their counters for customers. In the grand scheme of things they found that this cost was relatively small, especially when removing this ‘touch’ would de-motivate staff and unnerve customers who may see this removal as an alert to financial shortcomings and company instability. Continued use of expenses2010 reports enabled them to review larger areas spend; including mileage which can account for 60% of all spend in most organisations and has a wider scope to develop and implement new policies to increase savings.