We want to share a story with you and introduce you to someone we’re going to call Ruby.
Ruby is the Finance Manager of a commercial business that turns over around £75m a year. The commercial business currently operates multiple procurement systems – once specialist but now just cumbersome and time-consuming. Ruby has to ensure that all members of the finance function can use the systems as it’s intended but that’s easier said than done. IT currently manage the systems from a user creation and security perspective, however, Ruby is responsible for ensuring the users have the relevant training as Ruby understands the ‘Finance Stuff’.
Quite often Ruby will spot that one of the departmental users is able to access one of the systems that they shouldn’t be able to. She raises this with IT who then state that they have set the user up as they were told to... Ruby remains frustrated by the complexities of having to try and manage multiple systems whilst keeping all of her core finance responsibilities on track – at the end of the day, she still has her job to do!
Every day Ruby has multiple stress factors piling on top of each other as concerns around her finance system simply crashing and never starting back up again play on her mind. She knows things aren’t configured properly after years of adding bits on here and there. Her days consist of worrying and not switching off, even when she gets home... Sound familiar?
One of Ruby’s biggest struggles with these complex systems includes the setting up of new users - it’s not quick and it’s not easy. Once someone is set up, there is a copious amount of training involved for them to use just part of the system, but if this training isn’t done the company is susceptible to a range of security threats and GDPR sanctions. Key financial data is being exposed to users that shouldn’t be able to see it, however with so many systems, it’s too time consuming to investigate.
The impacts on the whole business meant: • Poor cash flow • Spiralling resource costs • Pressure from the top to change things • The constant worry of a security breach
Ruby got in touch with some peers in the community, sharing her issues and a need for a modern finance system which is intuitive for the team to pick up and run with and one which can link to her other systems automatically, reducing human error via monotonous re-keying.
Ruby took a peek at bluQube, the accountancy software specialists in interoperability; the ability to connect complex systems accurately and in real-time. This function took the stress away as she now doesn’t have to worry about reports being incorrect from the systems which were previously held together by string. Everything is now securely talking to each other in real-time and can be shared to the board in digestible charts and reports.
With bluQube, she’s also moved all of her finances into the cloud, so as the company grows, their finance system can too in an affordable, stable manner. Cloud also allows her team to work remotely across their multiple sites allowing them to update the finance function accordingly.
Ruby has now made inter-department exchanges simpler, by making the software simpler – now anyone (even the organisation’s biggest technophobe) can access real-time data, use the software on multiple platforms, create reports and make important decisions based on logical provable figures, quickly!
Our innovative software was built with the whole business in mind, not just the finance department. Managers and Directors can access the system at any time from anywhere to find out the figures they need, accurately and efficiently – say goodbye to Excel spreadsheets and manual manipulation.
Ruby was a bit sceptical at first, concerned around giving access to inexperienced, non-finance staff and possibly opening them up to errors or data protection. But our software offers tailored reporting dashboards, designed to give Managers and Directors top-level information that’s relevant to them (not the ability to flood the system with error ridden data) – all of which is personalised with an intuitive interface that your finance team won’t need to explain. With bluQube being browser based, they can access this whenever and wherever they want (as long as their internet connection is somewhat reliable).
At a glance, CEOs can now see what’s in the bank, concerned parties can see how their budgets are looking, managers can process invoices and orders at a few clicks of a button – and if they really want to know more, they can drill down further at the click of a button (without all the printing, paper and postage costs).
To talk about what bluQube could do for your business, get in touch for more information or to talk to one of the team – we’re here to help! Or check out more about Ruby here...
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