Analytic solutions to the next level – Basware enhanced customer reporting and monitoring of customer profitability .

Basware is a global provider for networked accounts payable automation and leader in cloud based Procure-to-Pay Solutions. The company helps its customers to enhance the efficiency of invoice-handling processes, the transparency of cash flows, and the management of costs.

Customer reporting is an important aspect of Basware’s customer agreements and services, and the company requires a reliable modern solution for this purpose. Basware also wants to monitor customer profitability as one of the sub-areas of knowledge-based management. Basware selected Enfo as its partner for both these solutions.

“We seek to use suppliers that we already work with,” says Marko Lähde, Director, Business Solutions at Basware. “Enfo was already providing us with services, and it had the greatest potential for a partnership. We entered into initial discussions and reached a mutual understanding of our needs based on an agile approach. We wanted to get the project started flexibly and smoothly,” Lähde explains.

The collaboration has provided Basware with a set of reliable, easy-to-use analytic solutions. The new data warehousing and reporting architecture, based on Azure, has enabled improved monitoring of customer and product profitability and safeguarded the provision of important customer reports. Enfo has solid expertise in Azure implementations – Microsoft has recognized the company’s strong competencies in Microsoft Azure analytic solutions.

An Excel monster became a modern reporting solution

At the outset, an old analytics platform was connected to the operational systems, and there was no data warehouse at all. It was not possible to systematically integrate data from multiple sources, and there was practically no monitoring of trends and developments. Reports focused on analyzing the present state rather than analytics.

“The monitoring of customer profitability was based on an Excel monster that was fed with data from many different directions. The solution was on its last legs. The Management Team and Board of Directors received information in the form of PowerPoint presentations and screenshots,” Lähde says. “Thanks to the new reporting solution, we can analyze profitability on a whole new level and drill down into the details. Now we can monitor and manage customer and product profitability much better.”

Basware’s previous customer reporting solution was running on an outdated platform. Before the switch to the new solution, the old solution seemed to suffer incidents on a quarterly basis. The problems were significant and highly laborious to resolve. In some cases, the incidents prevented reports from being delivered to customers on time. 

“The new reporting solution has been in pilot operation since May, and we have not had any technical problems. The solution is much easier for our customer service agents to use, and it operates very reliably,” Lähde says.

Lähde praises Enfo’s collaboration: “Enfo has a customer-oriented culture. Everything goes as agreed, and we share a mutual trust. We received clear communications on how the project should be phased and what we would need to do. Enfo specifically wants to tackle its customers’ challenges and help them move forward.”

Five important tips for developing a reporting solution

Lähde encourages all involved to embark on corresponding projects with a fail fast approach. 

“It is a good idea to choose a suitably complex project with clear targets and business benefits. For example, it was a clear choice for us to advance the customer reporting project because the technical platform had reached the end of its life.”

Lähde’s tips for developing and building a reporting solution:

• Adopt a fail fast mentality from the outset
• Look for a clear project with obvious targets and business benefits
• Trust your partner and take the time to clarify roles
• Project work becomes clearer when the technology is discussed ahead of time
• In general, the existing portfolio offers something for every need: It is worth reviewing the existing solutions and suppliers with respect to partners, technologies, and tools.

Basware is the world’s largest open business network and the world’s leading supplier of networked Procure-to-Pay and e-invoicing solutions. Basware’s solutions enhance businesses by ensuring complete transparency in the costs of procurement, financial management, and accounts receivable and payable. Basware is constantly working on innovations that will play an important role in the transition to a low-carbon economy by digitalizing and automating paper-based Procure-to-Pay processes. Basware operates in over 100 countries around the world. Basware is listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange (BAS1V: HE). Read more: https://investors.basware.com/en. 

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