With a staff of around 1,600, 1,500 part-time, student ambassadors and researchers the University, ran a paper-based process to track and manage expenses. It caused constant audit chaos and delays. Something had to change and fast.
What proved to be the catalyst in the failings of our systems was the huge deluge of expenses claims, paper receipts getting lost and general discontent from people, who weren’t getting paid their expenses on time. To help turn our vision of becoming a modern university into a reality, we deployed cloud-based software, from Software Europe, which enabled our staff to easily submit and track their expenses claims online, or through the mobile Expenses360 app, when they want, where they want, with the full audit trail easily accessible if required. We have given staff ownership of their claims and the tools to manage them, rather than payroll devoting a proportion of their time as a service desk and spending hours chasing the progress of claims around the University. Not only has the payroll team become paperless, but we now have both traceability and auditability that we didn’t have before. I would say the cloud system has definitely helped us achieve our goal of improving efficiencies and providing a better customer service.
Earlier this year, we introduced a new HR and payroll system, which has its own integrated standardised expenses module. It is fair to say that, in so many ways, its features didn’t come close to the stand-alone cloud expenses system we already have in place. We decided it was vital to keep the software running along-side the new HR and payroll system, otherwise we would be taking a step back, rather than forward in our expenses management. A significant benefit to Expenses, alongside improvements in efficiencies, has been around the University’s duty of care responsibilities to its staff. Our biggest claims are for mileage of staff using their own vehicles, as we don’t have any pool or company cars. With so many of our staff using their own cars for University business, it is so important for us to make sure we have the correct checks in place to support our responsibilities for duty of care and the safety of staff members. Expenses has in-built features that will check every driver has a valid driver’s licence, MOT certificate, insurance covering driving in work hours and so on, prior to recording any mileage expenses claims. One of the biggest concerns for a large business or university like ours is keeping a closer eye on spending and understanding where and when purchases have been made within the University. When an expense is claimed for a work related item, Expenses records these purchases made on the asset register, which makes it easier for the University to track its assets.
We also benefit from significant savings in procurement. By having recommended suppliers on the Expenses system for items like stationary, books, periodicals, laptops and other equipment, we can avoid individuals sourcing their purchases from more costly retailers and claiming the money back from the University. More often than not, the procurement team can purchase the same item at half the price. My advice to anyone looking to do the same rollout, would be to build a business case to justify going down this route. Any University looking to improve on customer service; auditability and tracking of expenditure; duty of care and supporting strategy and operations needs to think that if you don’t do it now, when will you do it? In the meantime, there is every chance you might be losing university assets you don’t know you were paying for, paying over the odds for equipment un-necessarily or leaving yourself open to the threat of corporate manslaughter with insufficient checks on duty of care.
