SAP integrates various business functions into one central platform, leading to automated workflows and more efficient decision-making. As an independent and specialized partner, the Dutch company McCoy supports organizations in this process.
Since its founding in 2012, this IT service provider has grown into a renowned consulting firm with over three hundred employees and offices in Eindhoven, Utrecht, Madrid and Manila. Different business units focus on specific services and target groups.
Proper time recording is crucial for correct invoicing of services rendered. Therefore, all SAP consultants record their hours worked in ionBIZ. In this way, the project managers and the BU leads (that is, those responsible for the various business units) always maintain a complete overview. "That is a big plus compared to our previous package," says lead finance and control Stephan van Raaij. "Moreover, ionBIZ allows specific rights to be assigned according to the user's function. It goes without saying that a BU lead may see more than a consultant."
As finance lead Stephan manages a back office team of about five people dedicated to administration.
"We ourselves have the most extensive rights," he says. "I create monthly reports in PowerBI. Thanks to the handy API and Visma Connect, we have linked ionBIZ to our accounting program, so the hours worked automatically end up in our accounts. And after approval, the final invoicing is also automated."
In the past, timekeeping was done directly in the accounting package. But as more consultants came on board, that became more cumbersome. In his former position as a back office employee, Stephan had already come into contact with a customer who was using ionBIZ. "I went there to see exactly how that worked and what the possibilities were like," he recalls. "I really liked that. We did look at one or two alternatives after that, but we actually figured out pretty quickly that ionBIZ was the best choice for us."
McCoy made the switch in 2021, which he says went smoothly.
"We had run a few months of trial beforehand," Stephan explains. "But even after the actual implementation, there was still plenty of time to transfer all the data. The training of the ionBIZ people obviously contributed to the smooth changeover. And even if we still have questions today, we can always contact the helpdesk or the account manager with that. The response time is excellent every time."
Stephan's team now only uses the accounting program to book purchases and bank mutations.
The greatest added value reportedly lies in the link with PowerBI. "That helps us visualize all reports in one central place from ionBIZ," it sounds. "For example, we can easily see the differences between expected and actual work hours, and we can quickly identify the cause. Incidentally, we have also built in feedback: as soon as an invoice is paid by a customer, we also see this immediately in ionBIZ."
Stephan considers the fact that time registration and approval are now done in a single tool a very important asset. "The easy correction options for incorrectly entered hours also boost our efficiency significantly," he says. "But the biggest time gain is probably on the invoicing side, because - unlike before - we can now send everything directly from ionBIZ."
In the near future, McCoy also wants to explore the possibilities in the area of project planning and follow-up. "Our project managers are already asking for it," it sounds.