Information management company achieves tighter cost control and sees a positive effect on cashflow
NetMonkeys is an Information Management company based in Manchester. Its customer base includes leading construction, media and events promotions companies. The work they undertake is diverse in nature, but customers are usually billed based on time worked on customer sites.
Search for a better time tracking system
Dave Walmsley, Practice Manager, said, “We streamline the operations of organisations and increase their sales effectiveness with cutting edge information technology combined with unparalleled experience and pragmatism.
“We have a core of very experienced consultants who have worked on major information management projects with large corporate organisations.
“Prior to using Straightforward™ Timesheets, we always relied on Excel or paper based timesheets. Although this system worked reasonably well in the past, it wasn’t the most time effective and, therefore, cost effective method. As we have grown, it has become increasingly hard to approve and bill all our time quickly, track time left on jobs and there is always the opportunity to not bill for some work.
Improved information management without major changes to business practices
“Following a recommendation from one of our associates, we changed our system to Straightforward™ Timesheets.
“With over 60 years combined content management experience, we really understand how businesses should manage information and the challenges they face when trying to implement software solutions, and we are no different.
“Straightforward™ Timesheets appealed for several reasons. Being able to have multiple project managers approving the same sheet, not being able to overbook people for jobs and also the diversity of reports that can be produced, were key factors in adopting the technology. A key selling point was that the software could be implemented without any major changes to business practice or customisations. The software is written on top of leading edge Microsoft software which means we can leverage the collected data via SQL reporting services and via integration with our finance system.”
Immediate control over billing and better cashflow
Dave Walmsley also adds:
“Another great benefit is that little or no training is required. Those using the system really don’t need to be trained in the software. They just need to know the new processes and why we are using the programme.
“It is inherently a simple product to use, which is vital to the way we work – especially because we employ associates.
“Since using Straightforward™ Timesheets, we have been able to bill faster and more accurately, which has had a positive effect on cashflow. We have reduced administration overhead, particularly when dealing with invoicing queries that were based on professional services billed. Potential overbilling has also been eliminated, something which is often difficult to achieve by planning alone. Furthermore, the Timesheets are shaping all staff to be more disciplined with the management of projects and we are able to demonstrate a greater degree of professionalism to our customers.”
