Spring Group plc: Infrastructure for growth

Overview
Spring Group plc is one of the UK’s leading human capital management companies. The group comprises several businesses specialising in permanent and contract IT recruitment, workforce management services and general staffing. Annual revenues exceed £300 million.

Initially, Spring used WebExpenses in a single subsidiary, but then considered that the cost saving benefits and subsequent ROI were such that the product should be rolled out across the other subsidiaries, which involved a rollout to a large number of regional offices.

Efficiencies across the organization
Following a rapid and problem-free implementation, the experience of WebExpenses has been very positive. Ruth Schofield, a finance manager at Spring, says:

"The management information now available to us is substantial and we like the instantaneous nature of the application. From everyone’s perspective, it has simplified things. For example, we can immediately inform the claimant that their expense report has been rejected, the reasons why, and issue instructions on what needs to be done to correct the report."

"This allows us to meet our Friday cut off for reimbursement. If an expense report that is submitted on a Thursday requires amendment, we are able to turn it around immediately so that it makes the payment run."

In addition to the efficiencies that have been achieved in the accounts department, she is also pleased at how well the new system has been received in the broader organisation.

"The feedback from the regional offices has been very positive. It’s a quantum leap forward from our previous expenses process, and it’s given our department further credibility in the organization. It’s always good to be viewed to be improving systems."

Benefits at the coalface
The benefits are also considerable for the staff overseeing the processing of expenses. Ruth comments:

"For the accounts staff, it’s the best thing to happen because they’re now able to focus on other issues. There’s no question that it is labour saving."

"The upload to our accounts package, which now takes only 15 minutes, was a job that took two days previously."

"However, it’s not only in the processing of expense reports that we’re saving time. It’s also in dealing with queries and approval limits. There is much less checking and chasing."

"The feedback from the staff is very positive. One of the regional directors called to say that WebExpenses 'is a fantastic piece of software'. It’s not often that the accounts department gets such praise."

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