Ellen, founder and CEO of Viburnum Apparel, an online sustainable fashion company, was gratified by its success. But not all was perfect operationally. The 100-employee outfit was still manually processing invoices, due to tech-averse Ellen and her reluctance to integrate complicated new systems. Viburnum was missing vendor payments—and paying late fees.
The Challenge
The E-Commerce Company: An Invoice Upgrade
Viburnum acquired an intuitive supplier invoice solution that automates operations, one with intelligent data capture and spend management capabilities—and that fits right in with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
The Fix
Payment automation is transformative for Ellen and team—no more juggling payment deadlines. They now have clearer visibility into Viburnum’s finances, so they can control disbursements and plan effectively. And the solution has cut busy work, boosting morale and making time for creativity.
Full Speed Ahead
will increase investment in advanced tech and process automation.
say they’re very confident that their tech roadmap is supporting changes that will benefit their workforce.
of SMB financial decision makers agree that process redesign featuring advanced tech can enhance business.
[Automated] invoice processes allow finance teams the visibility and control they need over company spend while providing easy-to-use tools for employees. … They also help reduce manual and paper-based processes.”
Business Head and GM of Global SMB, SAP Concur
Mari Bentvelzen
85%
33%
57%
41%
are increasingly recruiting and relying on digital nomads.
41%
are relying more on independent contractors or freelancers.
38%
of SMB financial decision makers say they’re expanding business process outsourcing or
co-sourcing.
Salespeople at System Pharmaceuticals, the 500-head firm where Gayatri is CFO, travel a lot. Outsourced regulatory affairs experts and marketers visit headquarters, and scientists drop in on clinical research sites. So Gayatri’s team fields many expense reports—which it long processed manually, frustrating employees accustomed to using great payment tech everywhere but at work.
The Challenge
Gayatri installed a mobile-friendly solution that automates expense management and integrates it with other systems so that employees get reimbursed fast and supervisors can see where money is going.
The Fix
System Pharmaceuticals’ employees now submit reports on the go, via their phones, and get paid back fast, which boosts job satisfaction. Since the integrated system lets managers set spending parameters, cost control has improved. Gayatri loves how the system prepares the company for a future when its percentage of remote independent contractors will only grow—and when new clinical trials in far-flung locations will launch.
Full Speed Ahead
The Pharma Firm: Frictionless Expensing
Employees are becoming increasingly vocal about the desire to spend their time on meaningful work. Technology can help ensure that not only precious time but valuable resources are allocated to where they can make the biggest impact.”
Business Head and GM of Global SMB, SAP Concur
Mari Bentvelzen
83%
agree that using tech to streamline tasks fosters greater certainty in planning/decision making.
81%
say tech improves employee productivity, creativity, work/life balance and overall job satisfaction.
82%
of respondents say tech gives employees time to focus on value-adding activities.
Jasper launched Open Horizon Kids as a labor of love. It met a need, and soon the 200-employee organization was serving thousands of children with after-school activities, mentorship programs and summer camp stays. Success was nice, but budgeting grew overwhelming and Jasper was having trouble seeing the big picture.
The Challenge
Jasper chose a budgeting solution that consolidates data in one place so managers have a clear view into operations and can make decisions based on real-time information.
The Fix
Now when Jasper and team want info on what they’re paying for—like breakfasts, tents, crayons or canoes—it's all there, on an easy-to-use dashboard so they can make more confident decisions. The new speed of decision making has made Open Horizon Kids nimble, which means it’s been able to successfully apply for grants on tight deadlines. And Jasper and his more productive team have the leisure to focus on value-adding activities—and take vacations.
Full Speed Ahead
The NONPROFIT:
Getting Budgeting Right
The Research
The Research
The Research
70%
agree that tech use, experimentation and decision making are now happening in lines of business rather than only in IT.
73%
will invest in distributed infrastructure.
80%
of respondents will significantly invest in cloud in the next three years.
The Research
Reggie is president of Gamma University, which offers both in-person and online courses. A great distributed tech infrastructure, undergirded by vast cloud capabilities in which Gamma has invested heavily, has been key to the management of the 900-employee institution. But as Gamma grows fast, Reggie is nervous that its systems, and particularly its ERP system, will prove insufficient.
The Challenge
Gamma employed integrations that mesh frictionlessly with its existing tech stack, reinforcing its accounts payable, expense, travel and other capabilities.
The Fix
New access to easy integrations makes Gamma’s already-strong IT capacities that much stronger. Even better, their ease makes it a cinch for the school’s administrators to take the initiative and experiment with solutions without IT’s help. Its education school dean, for example, has attached a sustainability and carbon intelligence app to the school’s travel and expense platforms, creating efficiencies that save Gamma money.
Full Speed Ahead
The For-Profit University: Planning For Growth
