Benefits

Modern and intuitive interface for all employees to capture and manage time, expense, project and resource data

Mobile application to instantly submit and approve employee time and expenses

Real-time access to data to drive greater operational efficiencies and decision making

Abas is a global group of locally operated companies that sell and support the abas ERP software suite, serving thousands of mid-size manufacturers and distributors around the world. The company has over 35 years of experience delivering a wide range of services including implementation, customization, hardware, network support and onsite support. Headquartered in Virginia, abas USA serves customers in the United States and Canada.

Challenge

The first foray into external technology expertise
Previously, abas USA’s consulting team used the company’s in-house timesheets to track employee time against projects. As a company that sells and implements ERP software for its clients, abas USA has a strong pedigree of homegrown solutions; however, for the first time, abas USA decided to evaluate external vendors to address its business challenges.

According to Nicolas Dormont, vice president of information systems, abas USA’s timesheets integrated with its own ERP solution, but the company needed a more comprehensive solution that could be adopted by the entire workforce. The aim was to empower every employee to capture their time and enable further efficiencies company-wide.

“While we were satisfied with our existing solution, as our company scaled, we recognized that it would be best to find a system that was already built for our business needs. With two thirds of our employees either typically on the road or working offsite, a mobile and intuitive solution was also essential,” Dormont said.

Nicolas had heard about Replicon after reading a press release about Replicon’s comprehensive product portfolio – including its time and attendance, expense management, time off and client billing capabilities – and selected Replicon after a quick evaluation of the market.

“Other systems were clunky and outdated – for example, another vendor had a dated user interface and still had to import CSV files to integrate with other core systems, which is extremely old fashioned. We needed a seamless integration with the timesheets to our billing system. In addition, our timesheets required a high degree of configurability so that everyone – from a consultant billing time to a project or human resources director tracking administrative tasks – has all the options they need to capture time.”

Solution

An aggressive implementation schedule delivered on time
abas USA selected Replicon’s professional services management solution. abas USA can now set up projects in seconds, define project milestones or billing phases, assign billable rates and expenses, and track project estimates against actual expenditure. Employees can also enter timesheets and time off requests, view balance accruals, and submit and approve expenses from their mobile devices.

“The implementation process was incredibly smooth and easy to set up, which was impressive given we set a very aggressive timeline that included time to train everyone on the new solution. Replicon worked hand in hand with us every step of the way, with their customer support team answering all of our inquiries within five minutes,” Dormont said.

A powerful solution for every facet of the business
According to Dormont, while the initial decision to select a third-party technology vendor centered in delivering a modern and intuitive solution for every employee, over time Replicon has delivered further tangible benefits for abas USA.

“Our immediate impression with Replicon was that it had a user interface that would make managing time, expenses, resources and projects a cinch. For example, Replicon’s mobile application is a huge benefit for us – everybody has provided positive feedback about how easy it is to capture and approve time and expenses while on the move.

“Now that the whole company uses Replicon, we’ve more promptly identified any errors in our timesheets. For a consulting-based operation, minimizing such errors is mission critical to our business. We receive less inquiries from our customers on their invoices as a result of us having these greater checks and balances,” Dormont said.

Using the data captured in the Replicon solution, abas USA can better plan and forecast projects and resources with greater granularity each month, and more quickly identify when any projects are approaching allocated budget. Each employee feels more empowered to understand how they are spending their time, and can correlate time worked towards project outcomes. Finally, employees appreciate the ability to instantly see and approve time-off requests and view balance accruals.

“As our business continues to flourish, it’s more and more crucial for us to have real-time visibility and accuracy into all of our billable and non-billable projects to accelerate our efficiencies and growth. From the onset, it’s clear that Replicon is an innovative technology company, and that it sees optimizing time as a core pillar to delivering significant value to its customers. It’s a compelling differentiator that solidified our decision to choose them above any other vendor,” Dormont said.

The Results

Increased ability to forecast projects and allocate resources in advance
Clearer correlation from time worked against specific project outcomes
Reduced number of inquiries regarding client invoices

"As our business continues to flourish, it’s more and more crucial for us to have real-time visibility and accuracy into all of our billable and non-billable projects to accelerate our efficiencies and growth. From the onset, it’s clear that Replicon is an innovative technology company, and that it sees optimizing time as a core pillar to delivering significant value to its customers."

Nicolas Dormont

Vice President of Information Systems